The Diary of a New Mum with Epilepsy

Sunny Days

2008-06-09T20:29:00.003+01:00

We have been making the most of the sunny weekends and taking Rhiannon for walks. Prior to her births Matthew and I did a lot of fell walking around Yorkshire and in the Lake district.

We have a back pack and have taken Rhiannon on a few walks now. I don't carry her in case i have a fit. It is a long way for a baby to fall even though she would stay in the back pack the chances of her still banging her head could be high. Thankfully I am still fit free but we don't want to tempt fate.

Rhiannon loves sitting up high on her Daddy's back. I carry the picnic and we walk three or four miles in the sunshine. Hopefully as she gets older she will enjoy the walking as much as us and will be walking along side us.

Tooth update

2008-06-09T20:27:00.002+01:00

The damage wasn't as bad as first thought. My dentist has managed to attach a new crown and thankfully this one has stayed in place. I am now overly paranoid about my teeth falling out and still can't bring myself to eat an apple without cutting it up first. Oh well. I guess I am vainer than I thought.

Hopefully this will be it for a while. I guess I ould have to give up the chocolate to avoid further fillings!

Rhiannon update

2008-04-27T21:45:00.002+01:00

My gorgeous girl is the most delightful baby in the world. Obviously I am biased.... oh well.

She is nine and a half months old now. She is starting to say some deliberate words rather than just babbling. She can say Dadda and Mum Mum. She is also getting quite good at saying ta when you give her things. She can also say star for her toy star in the bath.

She is almost ready to walk without holding onto any thing though this has made her more accident prone and we are having to be super careful as when she lets go she invariably topples. Fortunately we are quite good at catching.

She really likes going for walks sat in the baby back pack which Matthew carries.

Well I had better sign off for today as it is nearly bed time.

Byeee

My tooth fell out!!

2008-04-27T21:32:00.002+01:00

Last Tuesday night I was chatting on the phone to my friend Sharon and one of my front teeth just snapped off!

I should start the story about my teeth from the beginning. About ten years ago I had a fit in the street and snapped three of my top front teeth off at root level, plus split my chin which required a number of stitches.

Anyway over the next year of two I had significant dental treatment at Cardiff Dental hospital. I had a fixed brace and the roots which were still in my gums were slowly pulled out until they were half exposed. I then had three crowns put on. A dental miracle. The conslutant who repaired my teeth was a genius. I have had lovely looking teeth since then.

HOWEVER.......

When I had my fit a few weeks ago I must have fractured my front left tooth at the root (the dentist thinks this was probably due to how hard I clench my teeth) and a couple of days later the glue that held the crown on was not enough and it snapped off. I am now left looking like a hag from a medieval film. I have a huge black gap. Fortunately the nerve for this tooth was removed in previous treatment so I am not in any pain. I am however without a tooth.

I got an emergency appointment last Wednesday (day after it happened) and my dentist did a temporary repair. He popped two metal pins in the root (the half of the root still in the gum) and glued my crown - which I kept- back on. We hoped this would last until my dental appointment next Tuesday when I was booked in for x-rays and a filling anyway. Unfortunately for me the crown only stayed in for 24 hours and then fell off again.

I think my options - other than looking like an evil hideous hag are to reset the root and attach the crown or take off my two other crowns and have a bridge fitted. This would be quite a large bridge. So it looks like I will be visiting the dentist for quite some time and trying not to smile in public too much.

I have returned to work but my mouth is quite frankly embarrassing. Last time I had smashed my teeth up I had just started a new job. I found out from a couple of colleagues a year for so later that when I started they thought I must be really rough and that I must have been in a fight to have had my teeth knocked out. They said they were quite scared of me. So I guess strangers who don't know the story will think the same.

Well I have managed to get an emergency appointment tomorrow morning (Monday) rather than waiting until Tuesday. My employers are being really good and have let me book a half day. I am on probation so I am a bit worried about asking for any time off in a period where I should have my head down impressing the bosses. Still they keep telling me not to worry so i will have to try not to worry.

I would put a picture on line but I am too vain. I haven't stopped going out or to work or anything but a permanent record on the blog forever is a bit much. I am trying to stay good humoured and laugh it off as I find that that is the bet way I can cope in this particular situation.

Neurologists appointment

2008-04-27T21:13:00.002+01:00

My appointment went really well. I did chicken out of asking about the VNS as I don't think I could go through with surgery so I didn't see the point.

Before I even had chance to say hello he said he was sorry to hear I had had more seizures. I felt quite reassured at this as he had clearly looked up my notes and received an update from my GP as to my situation. It is great to speak to the same person all the time as they know your case and you don't have to start from scratch every time.

I told him I was sure I had forgotten my tablets after checking tech cupboard . He advised I could start to take a second tablet - sodium valporate or if I was sure I had forgotten tablet I could wait and see what happens as if I don't forget any more tablets this may not happen again. He did point out that it was probably more than forgetting the tablet and it could have been a number of things: such as lower dosage in my system plus being tired or stressed, or just unlucky.

I am not keen to take epilim again as I have taken it before and it made me feel quite drowsy. It is also recommended not to take this whilst pregnant. As we have not decided whether to have another child - so we haven't ruled out another in the future, I don't want to take it and then have to go through the rigmarole of changing tablets again.

We were worried that when I have breakthrough fits now I seem to have two or three in quick succession rather than just one, which was the old pattern.

I have therefore been given Clobazam (please excuse the spelling). Basically if I have another breakthrough fit I take this tablet straight away and it is a bit like a top up and should stop me having any more. I take a couple more over the next 24 hours whilst carrying on with my normal medication. After that the risk should be over. I have a couple in my purse in case I am out and some in the kitchen cupboard for if I am at home. It might make me quite drowsy but I am usually drowsy anyway so I guess I will just be even more sleepy.

I have another check up in 6 months time.

I was really pleased with the appointment. The Consultant is really approachable and I don't feel rushed to leave the room. He always asks both myself and Matthew if we have any more questions at the end of the appointment and I know that if I have any problems he will take calls from my GP and provide emergency advice to her if he cannot see me straight away.

Anyway touch wood I will be fit free for a while. I am trying not to feel too sorry for myself about it but since becoming pregnant they have been more frequent and I know them being months apart probably sounds, to some with more frequent fits like I am lucky but I always get to the point where I think I am back to how I used to be and that I might be getting to the point where it will be a few years before I have another and then wham, I have another and feel like I am back to square one.

Still I refuse to be maudlin and have lots of other things to be grateful for.

Neurologists appointment tomorrow

2008-04-22T19:33:00.002+01:00

I have an appointment with my Neurologist tomorrow. I have had the appointment booked for ages, it is just coincidence that it is so close to my last fits. I am quite nervous actually. I don't want them to just keep slapping my medication up or adding another tablet to the one I already take. I have spoken to people on multiple medications before and they never seem very happy.

Someone was telling me about a vagus nerve stimulator - a bit like a pacemaker but for the brain but I don't know if this would be appropriate for my type of epilepsy. When I looked it up it seemed to be predominantly people with auras who found it most useful and I don't have those. Still i can but ask.

Matthew is coming with me. He usually comes to the neurologist as he can describe what the fits were like and how I behaved afterwards. As I can't remember any of that stuff he is helpful. Also if the appointment is a bit stressful or I can't take everything in we can talk it over later and discuss everything at leisure.

Anyway I am going to run a nice hot bubble bath and relax now.

Byeeee

More Fits :-(

2008-04-15T22:06:00.001+01:00

Disappointingly I had some more fits last week. Last Wednesday Morning I woke my poor husband by having a fit whilst still asleep. The first time I have had one in bed. As I make quite a loud noise as my throat constricts at the start of a fit I probably frightened the life out of him. I had another two later in the morning. One in front of Rhiannon who apparently looked quite startled. Fortunately I was not holding her as I was still groggy from the first fit so small blessings there.

My lovely mother-in-law Jenny came around to help with Rhiannon whilst Matthew looked after me, and then my parents came over later so Jenny could go to work. Well I think she went to work. The whole day is a bit of a blur really. Three fits is exhausting. We managed to see my GP who did a pregnancy test to check it wasn't a hormone surge causing the fits. Fortunately there were no surprises and I am not pregnant. I love Rhiannon to bits but I can't imagine having another baby at the moment.

Looking back I am almost positive I forgot to take my medication the night before the fits so I guess this is probably my own fault. You would think that given I take the tablets so regularly it would be impossible to forget them, but I think it becomes such a habit that you don't think about it and oops, you forget to take them. I am not forgetful very often so hopefully I can avoid any further mistakes.

Luckily I have a check up with my neurologist Mr Goulding next week so I can have a chat with him about it. I hope the answer is not to just put the dose up, or add more drugs. I guess i will have to be patient and await the verdict.

HOLIDAYS

2008-04-15T21:41:00.004+01:00

Well we have not long returned from our holidays. We went to Keswick in the Lake District with my husband's family. Twelve of us in all (including two babies). We had a lovely time. There were Grandparents, aunties, uncles and cousins. A real family week away. We all got on really well. well for the most part. A couple of blips but considering how many of us there was we did really well.

We all managed to get some fell walking in. Rhiannon had a couple of walks up some steep fells on her Daddy's back. She thinks that riding in his back pack is hilarious and spends the whole time tapping his head and laughing whilst having a good nosey about. The weather held out quite well for us and we got some excellent views of the Lakes.

We did a few more touristy things as well. I would recommend taking children to Trotters World of animals if you are in the area. All the kids on our trip really enjoyed themselves. They also enjoyed a boat trip on Derwent Water. Plus fish and chips at the Keswickian in town are not to be missed. I cannot visit Keswick without a trip there these days. A bit of a tradition for Matthew and myself.

Unfortunately I am not as fit as I used to be so I couldn't climb any really big mountains like Skiddaw. Still that would have been too long a trip for Rhiannon and I would have had to leave her all day rather than a few hours. Now I am back at work I don't like ot let her out of my sight too long.

Back to Work

2008-03-09T22:20:00.002Z

Well I went back to work last Monday - 3rd March. I was really nervous. Not only have I been off on maternity leave so was concerned how much legal stuff I was out of date on (I work as a Claims Adjuster), but it was also a brand new job so there were new computer systems, company procedure, blah blah to learn. Very intimidating. I also had to contend with leaving Rhiannon all day. whilst she has had the odd day with her grandparents this would be the longest I had been apart form her.

As it happens the first week has gone really well. Rhiannon goes to nursery four days a week and her Granny looks after her on a Friday. She has really taken to nursery and gets quite excited when she is dropped off as she can't wait to get her hands on the toys that are waiting for her. She has been really good on an evening and is really pleased to see Matthew and me. We get a little time to play, she has her supper, a little play in the bath, story and bed. We have managed to keep to her evening routine and hopefully she will continue to be content with the situation.

My new work colleagues are really nice. It is probably the friendliest office I have worked in to date. Hopefully this opinion will last. forever and I will finally be in a job I really enjoy.

I am hoping the job and situation will be stress free and the commuting does not make me too tired as I have been fit free for quite a few months now. All fingers and toes crossed.

Well that is all for now.

:-)

Redundancy

2008-01-20T19:24:00.000Z

I was ready to return to work on the 1st February. I had the nursery sorted and had tried to mentally prepare myself for leaving Rhiannon all day but it looks like I will not be returning to work. I am going to be made redundant. Well I cannot formally say this as I am in the"consultancy period" and if I can come up with any great business ideas or they find something for me at another office I could potentially still be employed. However I am sure they would have offered another position if one were there, instead of putting me on notice that I may be made redundant. Still I guess they are just following the rules. Whoever made them up seems to think that going all around the houses is a great idea. I have my next meeting this Thursday and should hopefully be told in more definite language what happens next.

It is all really stressful. I am owed three months notice whether they want me to work or not.Whilst I am sure I can find another job in that time (even if it is something to tide me over) it is all a load of stress and anxiety that I could do without. Especially as this could potentially aggravate my epilepsy and I haven't had a seizure for about three and a half months now. I am hoping that I won't have any for a long time now. I used to have a break through seizure every few years which is manageable. I would like to get back to that.

So I must now think positive, happy and relaxing thoughts. Looking at Rhiannon definitely helps. I think we have the cutest 6 month old alive. She is always smiling. On the plus side of course i get to spend a little longer at home with her so it is not all bad.

I have just done and interview for Pregnancy and Birth magazine. The lady I spoke to was really nice. I hope the article shows that women with epilepsy are just as capable as everyone else at being parents and that the pregnancy doesn't have to be any different from non-epileptic Mums. Still we shall see.

Well I had better sign off for now.

Lisa

:-)

Christmas and New Year

2007-12-31T19:42:00.000Z

We have had a lovely Christmas. Rhiannon hasn't really noticed the Christmas tree or its twinkling lights. Perhaps next year she will be more interested. She was, however, interested in the tearing noise of opening presents, and so appeared to be quite excited by everything. Matthew and I were fairly restrained and bought her bath toys and clothes, but we have quite large families so she had a rather large pile of presents under the tree.

Epilepsy wise there is nothing new to report. Everything seems to be going OK. I haven't had a fit for a while now. I have been asked by the Pregnancy & Birth Magazine if I am interested in doing an interview for them about being pregnant and having epilepsy. Rhiannon and I were even asked to a photo shoot in London for the article. I have had to decline the photo shoot and offer some of my own photos as getting to London from Yorkshire with a five and a half month old baby is far too stressful. The train to London is a nightmare when travelling alone without trying to keep her amused for several hours. Then there is trying to get around London. I am simply too chicken for such an adventure. Hopefully they will still be interested and my husband's photographs will be acceptable.

Well I am writing this on New Years Eve. I am not going out. I haven't had a drink in over 16 months now. I am not too bothered about having a drink but as my epilepsy finally seems to be settling down I am loathe to have one in case it triggers something off. I haven't had a seizure caused by drink, but then I never really drank to excess anyway. So hubby and I have opted for a nice quiet evening in. Most new parents probably do the same - or am I boring? I shall probably celebrate with a glass of lemonade and a whole chocolate orange to myself :-)

Well I don't really do New Years resolutions as if you are going to do something you don't need to wait for a special date, however I am going to try and work out how to put photographs on the blog to make it look a bit less stark. Don't hold me to it though....

Happy New Year to you all.

Lisa

Epilepsy nurse & Christmas

2007-12-08T14:00:00.000Z

I went to see the epilepsy nurse at Leeds Royal infirmary yesterday. I was referred to her when I had my fits after giving birth. Everything has pretty much calmed down now. I haven't had another fit for a while. I kept the appointment though to see if she had any parenting tips to offer about taking care of Rhiannon.

The nurse was really nice and very helpful. She was able to tell me that the epilepsy register for pregnant women taking KEPPRA has 70 pregnancies registered now, and there have been no abnormalities. Whilst it is still early days and this may change it is looking good. She didn't have any suggestions on top of what we are doing to keep Rhiannon safe, and said we were doing a good job. I don't think she thought she had been very helpful but it was reassuring to be told we were doing everything we should be. She also said to ring her if I needed advice in the future.

I did tell her my husband had wanted to come to and she said if he could not get out of work or wanted to ask her anything generally then he could ring her too. Matthew was very pleased with this as if I am out of it after a fit for a few days then he could sometimes do with a reference point to talk things through himself.

Well Christmas is coming. We are putting our tree up tonight - hooray. I can't wait to see Rhiannon's face when the lights are twinkling on the tree. I guess I will be very disappointed if she is not interested.

Well that is all for now.

Merry Christmas to you all.

Lisa

Comments from Micelle & Joedy

2007-11-13T21:11:00.001Z

I had two comments posted by Michelle and Joedy, on my second til last email. Their comments were really interesting and it was nice to hear from fellow sufferers, for want of a better word. interesting to see that someone else was taken off the tablets I take because they were not compatible for pregnancy and I was put on them because they were. Roughly the same year as well. It would be nice if doctors/consultants could all agree on what medication works best is suitable in pregnancy. A bit like the campaign Epilepsy Action are undertaking for consistent care. They should maybe add consistent advice to the list.

If only I could work out how to use this blog properly I would have noticed I had comments a little earlier and been able to respond. Still computers were never my strong point so just adding to my blog is an achievement in itself. I tried adding a photo the other day. I gave up half way through.

Ciao.

Further updates 13.11.2007

2007-11-13T20:52:00.000Z

Well I am still fit free. Been a few weeks now so I am keeping my fingers crossed that everything has settled down.

It is my husband's birthday today. My Mum and Dad babysat and we went for a ramble in the Pennines. I am absolutely shattered this evening. I am soooo unfit compared to before the pregnancy. However we used to g walking most weekends before Rhiannon. 12 mile hikes clambering around the Lake District.

Today felt more like I was staggering around with legs made of lead. Still I am out of practise. We still climbed over 600 metres and walked about 8 miles so I am not that unfit. I could do with more practise but we can't leave Rhiannon too long. She is far to addictive and I miss her

I am waiting for some copies of the weekly news to be sent to me as the article I did the phone interview for should be in this weeks edition. Unless I turned out to be too boring and they dropped me.

Well that is all for now.

Lisa

:-)

Update

2007-10-31T19:47:00.000Z

Well nothing much has happened since I got back form holidays. I, thankfully, have not had another seizure since the one t the start of my holidays. Touch wood that will be it for a while and the medication is now working. I have started taking the higher dose and am hoping that this now does the trick.

We are obviously still concerned that if it is not controlled that I may be carrying Rhiannon and am anxious to make sure my medication is definitely working now. I don't want to return to work until this is sorted. It will be stressful enough going back to work and leaving Rhiannon without worrying about having more fits too.

I did a phone interview for the Weekly News yesterday to help promote the Ideal World for Women Campaign. I spoke to nice reporter called Russell. We had a chat for about half an hour about the Blog, my experiences and the campaign. Hopefully the article will be OK. I am a bit nervous about interviews. The radio ones were quite scary but at least they are done after the phone call. I have to wait for the article to come out in print to see how I cam across.

I hope that the blog and the odd interviews helps either the campaign or someone effected by epilepsy.

Rhiannon has found her hands in the last week and is taking great joy at staring at them and talking in baby language to them. This is proving far more entertaining than anything I could watch on TV at the moment. I don't know what I did with my time before she came a long. I could watch her all day.I think I have the most beautiful, clever baby in the world. Now I suspect most parents think that - though in my case I am sure it is true.

Well that is it for now.

:-)

Back from Holidays

2007-10-21T20:22:00.000+01:00

Well we got back form our holidays yesterday. It didn't start too well as I had a fit on Saturday morning before we left. I managed to bang my shoulder on the corner of the computer table and it still hurts now. We risked it and set off in the afternoon and thankfully I was fine throughout the holiday. We have decided to take the Neurologists advice and increase my dose of medication. I am really hoping that will put an end to the seizures as they are becoming too regular at the moment to be considered break through seizures which is causing both Matthew and myself quite a lot of anxiety.

I am also concerned that I might have one whilst carrying Rhiannon, which is really scary. I try to do as much as possible to reduce any risks to her, like not carrying her up and down the stairs, I don't bath her and I strap the push chair handles to me so I cannot loose the buggy if I have one in the street but it is still worrying. Before I had her I only had the odd break through seizure every through years, so we thought the risk would be minimal. At the moment it feels like I am a bit out of control.

----------

We rented a cabin whilst on holiday which was nice as it was all on one floor. This was fab because it meant I didn't have to rely on Matthew to carry Rhiannon up and down stairs and I could put her to bed for afternoon naps rather than her sleeping in the living room. I have decided I need to live in a bungalow. As I can't afford a mortgage on a house a bungalow is unfortunately way beyond my reach so I will have to keep buying the lottery tickets on a Saturday and hoping for a miracle.

WE have a lovely holiday. My parents came with us and kindly babysat on a couple of days so I could go fell walking with Matthew. This was fab. I haven't been walking since the Spring so I really enjoyed getting out into the fresh air.

I came back to find some comments on my blog, so I now need to make sure I reply to them all.

Neurologists Appointment

2007-10-10T21:07:00.000+01:00

I had a check up today with my Neurologist. Since I had my last seizures my G.P has been in touch with him, as a kind of middle man to decide how to proceed with my medication. The dose was increased to 1750mg in the morning and evening. However the neurologist seemed to be under the impression I was taking 2000mg in the morning and evening.

It is a little concerning that I am not taking what he thought. I pointed out that all that seems to happen after any break through seizure is that they just up the dose rather than figuring out the cause is or working out if the medication even works.

After a chat I was advised that I had a couple of options:

* I could keep the dose as it is and see how I get on with the option of upping the dose if I have another fit

* Or I could increase the dose to 2000mg in the morning and evening now. He said that having a small baby would make them err on the side of caution and perhaps up the dose quicker

If I had a fit on the highest dose then they would have to introduce a second Anti Convulsant to take in addition to the Keppra!

I have taken Epilim previously and am not keen on taking this again as it makes me quite tired. Anyway I have yet to decide what to do. Matthew and I will mull it over, for the next couple of days and I can then let the GP know what I want to do if I want to increase the dose.

I have spoken to people who are on two AEDs before and they were not very happy with the side effects two types of medication caused, so I am hoping this is not going to be necessary. If anyone else is on a combination of Keppra and Epilim I would be interested to know if they have any side effects.

Well that is it for now. We are on holiday in the Lake District next week so I am looking forward to the rest, some walking, and going treating myself to fish and chips at the Old Keswickian in Keswick - highly recommended if you visit Keswick. It will be Rhiannon's fist holiday, and our first holiday as parents. We are going with my Mum and Dad and are really looking forward to relaxing, the views and some walking. After last month and my seizures we are definitely ready for a break.

:-)

Radio Interviews

2007-10-04T16:39:00.000+01:00

I did a couple of radio interviews yesterday with Nicole from Epilepsy Action - Women. She is trying to raise awareness of failures in medical assistance for women with epilepsy. In particular around puberty, pregnancy and menopause when hormones can reduce the effectiveness of medication. The BBC Radio York one went really well. I explained that I had actually had good care from my GP and specialist, but that I knew this was not the case for a lot of people. We needed to have consistent information, care, treatment and regular check ups for everyone nationwide.

I also did a pre recorded bit with the local radio station and Leeds radio. Hopefully I helped but it was all rather nerve racking being on radio. I am not good at public speaking and whilst no one could see me it was still quite terrifying.

My Grandparents, Mum and Dad listened to the live BBC York interview and thought I was great. They are exceptionally biased with me and my two sisters but I will happily take their word for it in this instance. My husband also listened to it on the Internet in the evening and assures me it went well.

The local station asked to keep my telephone number in case they have future pieces about epilepsy and might want to speak to me again. Can't have been too bad after all.

Well, signing off as Rhiannon will be wanting her next feed.

Why I am doing the blog

2007-10-03T21:18:00.000+01:00

I am hoping that by doing this blog other people with epilepsy will contact me and share their experiences. In particular my husband and I have found that having a baby and coping on a daily basis somewhat stressful. Our little girl, Rhiannon, is a beautiful and happy baby.
Whilst we knew before having her that my having epilepsy would make how we cope with being parents different to the average parent it is sometimes difficult. For example we are conscious that were I to have a fit and be holding Rhiannon that I may hurt her. To try and reduce this my husband carries her up and down the stairs at home. He takes her down in the morning and I look after her in the living room throughout the day. When Matthew comes home he baths her and takes her upstairs to bed. Only being able to look after her downstairs can be quite restricting. I can't put her down for naps in her cot for example. My neurologist has suggested carrying her up and downstairs in the car seat. Whilst I can see the logic this is not very practical, as by the time I have strapped her in, carried her upstairs and taken her out she would be totally beside herself as she doesn't like the car seat. If I go upstairs I therefore have to leave her downstairs and take the baby intercom system upstairs so I can hear her.
Having had several fits last month on the same day it has brought home the potential dangers of being an epileptic parent. Whilst we knew before having our baby that I could have break through seizures, especially whilst my hormones are settling after the birth the reality of having those seizures has really hit home. In particular my husband has found it difficult to go to work. For peace of mind, if nothing else, we have therefore arranged for family members to drop by each day. We have given them keys in case i don't answer the door. Whilst it would be impossible to have someone with us 24 hours a day it has certainly helped to allay our fears to a certain extent.
If anyone reading this has been in a similar position my husband and I would be interested to hear from you.

The Story So Far

2007-09-05T21:54:00.000+01:00

Hi, My name is Lisa. I have been asked by Epilepsy Action to do a blog which focuses on my epilepsy and in particular how this effects having children and family life.

I first started having tonic clonic seizures when I was 11. That's 20 years ago! It was hoped that it was something that I would grow out of. I was not that lucky and still have break through seizures now and again. Being epileptic has not stopped me from doing most things. I met my husband, Matthew, at college, in 1993. We married in 1995. Matthew has always been fabulous when my epilepsy rears its head. He looks after me until I am feeling better, comes to hospital/doctors appointments to help explain what has happened and is a wonderful support.

I have always worked, from leaving college, and on the whole have had very positive experiences from employers when I have told them about my epilepsy. I find that if you tell people (managers and those who work around you) what to do and who to call if you have a seizure at work then they have not treated me any differently and that I have managed to progress my career despite the epilepsy.

We have just had a baby girl, Rhiannon, on July 14th 2007. I take Keppra (Levicetram) and prior to having my baby I was taking Sodium Valproate (Epilim). My husband and I attended pre-pregnancy counselling with my neurologist we changed from the Epilim to Keppra as this has less known side effect in pregnancy. Epilim is thought to increase the risk of neural tube defects. After much stress I changed to Keppra. I used to be very tired on the Epilim but the Keppra does not have the same effect and I feel much more alive and alert. It has not stopped me having seizures though. I had three on the day I fell pregnant, then none throughout the pregnancy. I had a fit 6 weeks post birth and then three the Sunday after that.

My neurologist has increased my dose of Keppra and I am on a progesterone only contraceptive to try and level out my hormones. It is hoped that if we can even out the hormones then I won't have any seizures. Here's hoping anyway.

I am currently trying to speak to other people with epilepsy who have had to make adjustments to their life/style in order to accomodate a baby. Or if you have any suggestions other than the usual - don't bath the baby alone, try to avoid stairs, etc, then get in touch.