tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31984317.post869862658049422714..comments2023-09-15T08:34:17.656-07:00Comments on E. is for Epilepsy by Paula Apodaca: Driving...Paula Apodacahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01073660379696929072noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31984317.post-8497707582916389462008-07-06T10:43:00.000-07:002008-07-06T10:43:00.000-07:00this is a really important issue and I'm glad you ...this is a really important issue and I'm glad you brought it up. I think a lot of us are nervous about even mentioning seizures when it comes to the DMV, which is probably not good, but one is afraid they'll take away your license and if you've been seizure free, then it's like jumping through hoops to prove this and you're always being watched. Did you disclose them? What where the regulations in your state? Do you know them for other states or where one can find out? I'm very nervous about letting the DMV know, and I've been seizure free, but I"m still scared to say anything and I don't know the legalities of it, but as I said, I've been seizure-free so I"m not concerned about hurting anyone or myself (also, I have a warning before my seizures, so I can pull over if need be.) Still, I'm really torn about this and I've hard <B>more than a few</B> people tell me, rather unsensitively, that I <B>should not be driving at all!!</B> As you point out, this is very limiting and would change my life, making it impossible for me to do my job and so many other things. I would be utterly dependent on other people. I can't imagine that. <B>If</B> I had been having seizures or when I have hd them, I never drive - I'm not a fool and wouldn't risk hurting anyone. I find that most people, alas, remain vastly ignorant and fail to understand how limiting this would be and all under the pretense of "I care". <BR/><BR/>I also found and find constantly epilepsy listed as a "mental illness" (this makes me furious, not because I feel there is something "wrong" with being mentally ill or manic depressive and so forth, not at all) But because it is so grossly ignorant and adds yet a further, or continues the myth and stigma, that epilepsy already has.<BR/><BR/>The other day someone told me I had the "Witche's Disease". I felt like, Why don't we go all out and just call it "St. Vituses' Dance"! And again, this under the "I care about you" factor, as if mentioning publicly that I have epilepsy (or even worse, to some, that I would call myself <I>epileptic</I> is somehow more shameful than cancer and so forth.<BR/><BR/>I really appreciate your site. You obviously devote a great deal of your time to this matter and as an epileptic myself, I absolutely applaud you for this. <BR/><BR/>Thank you for all that you do here.<BR/><BR/>CelesteAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com