A sabbatical that nobody asked for and nobody is enjoying.

[joffy]

As mentioned in my intro post, I've been working as automation engineer until end '25 until i had a major epilepsy episode and was stripped of driving rights and job.
Doctors said it's manageable and am getting benefits (for now) but to live in a small town at 44 waiting for my wife to take me to places like a kid is rough. Frankly I doubt I will be re-integrated in what I used to do before with all risk-related situations.

In the meanwhile I wonder what I should be doing with my life. I started writing a memoir/bio but made things harder as life is full of what-ifs and wrong motorway turns.

Any secondary book that would help? I need to stop worrying about the future or I'll lose sleep.

Thanks.

 

[Billyd]

I have epilepsy. I lost my driving privileges twice, but I continued to work until I retired. Both times were because my medications had stopped working and I started having seizures again. If you are seizure free for a year, you can have your privileges restored. Under the ADA, if you can do your job, you cannot be dismissed from your job.

Now for some advice on seizure management.

You can lead a normal life.

Find a neurologist who treats epilepsy. After diagnosis, see him at least every six months.

Take your medications. Do not skip a dose. If they don't work, see the doctor immediately. Until I got on my current medications, I would have about six years of control. It's been almost ten years since my last seizure.

Learn your triggers. What happens in the hour or so before you have a seizure. Avoid the triggers.

If you feel a seizure coming on, sit down and relax. Let your coworkers know what to expect.

Learn to manage stress. If you are having trouble doing this, a medication can help. If you are on some of the earlier medications, you may experience depression. Stress management will stop this.

I will do my best to answer any questions that you have.

 

[passion84god]

In the meanwhile I wonder what I should be doing with my life.

I am truly sorry to learn of your troubles, and my heart truly goes out to you. The only thing that I can recommend is heartfelt prayer. God knows the end from the beginning, and he can lead your every step throughout your life. At my end, I am healthy, but I desperately need to follow my own advice and seek God's direction for my own life. We are all bought with a price, and we are not our own. Humility, as demonstrated through fervent prayer, is the way for all of us to go. That is the example that Jesus set for all of us, and no servant is above his or her master.​