Finding a Way Forward

All right, so today's topic that we'll be talking about is really so many people in our community can relate to.

So it's adjusting to life after an epilepsy diagnosis.

So I know I was diagnosed when I was 13.

Taylor, when were you diagnosed?

In 2019, how old was I? 28, I think.

So different settings and stories, whether it's a childhood diagnosis or an adult diagnosis.

And it's a different kind of response for everyone, of course.

But let's get into your side first, right? Being what you said, you were 13 years old.

Yeah, I was 13.

You were just getting started figuring life out a little bit and then boom.

What was that like? If you could walk us through, if you don't mind, your first episode and what happened kind of leading up to and immediately after your diagnosis.

Yeah.

So for me, I was 13, seventh grade, Texas history class, last period of the day.

And I remember walking into the class.

The teacher was running a few minutes late.

I do remember the teacher not being there.

I had a weird headache most of the day, but I kind of ignored it.

And then the next thing I remember, I was on the floor and people around me were freaking out and I ended up going to the emergency room.

They didn't really know at the time I'd had a seizure.

They saw my blood sugar was low, but honestly, I was a teenage girl and just wasn't hungry that day, so my blood sugar was low.

And so after that, they were telling me to check my blood sugar Had a couple more seizures.

And because they thought I had low blood sugar, once I even woke up with mashed

banana in my mouth,

which isn't great.

And if you're a person with epilepsy, you know, you shouldn't typically put things in people's mouths.