Hi everyone
My name is Elizabeth, Lizzie to frends, I am 36 years young and live in Sauchie, Clackmannanshire.
I am profoundly deaf and have ME, which is the reason I use a wheelchair.
I was originally diagnosed with epilepsy in 1995 when I had my first seizure whilst driving.
The doctors put me on Tegretol, was on this for about a year before they and I discovered that I am allergic to it, Stephen Johnson's Syndrome. They then put me on Epilim.
I had been taking up to 5 seizures a day for about 2 or 3 years before they decided to take me into hospital to do various tests.
Whilst I was in Stiring Royal they changed my medication to Phenotoyne and found that I was also allergic to this.
I was eventually sent to the Southern General in Glasgow for a video telemetry where they discovered that it was NEAD that I had.
I was referred to a psychiatrist at Kildean Day Hospital in Stirling to get help to deal with my seizures, but he never ever spoke about them. Although he did try me with DBT (Dialective Behavioural Therapy), which I found difficult as could never hear what was being said in the group.
Since I had dropped out of the DBT, I was discharged from his care and put in the care of a new psychiatrist at Clackmannan County Hospital Day Unit. She is a lot better than the previous one, even though she has put me on Lamotrigine, which I am sure some of you know is an anti-epileptic drug, for my mood disorder and just recently has put me on Amitriptyline.
I was put in touch with NEAD Scotland by Epilepsy Connections and I am glad they told me about this as I now feel that I am not alone anymore.