I live in a retirement home and they serve us dinner five days a week. Last Thursday I had a bad acid reflux attack and passed out for five seconds. I fell on the floor, falling backward, and everyone told me they heard a thud as my head hit the floor.
I was very lucky that my head did not hit a table. An ambulance was called and I went to the ER. I was conscious, knew where I was, could recite details like my social security number and count the fingers on people's hands.
I did not have a concussion or brain swelling after undergoing an MRI. Luckily, I only had a bruise. The ER doctor and my primary care doctor didn't think this should affect my driving.
Some of the people where I live are telling me I should quit driving for my safety and that of others. If I paid someone to drive me or took the bus everywhere my freedom would really be restricted. There are very few places I could go being dependent on bus schedules and when someone could drive me. Plus a driver costs anywhere from $10 to $20 each way.
My feeling is thus: you never know when you are going to have a seizure or lose consciousness. I take my medication faithfully and while I could have a tonic clonic or other type of seizure, I don't know when it could happen. Could happen in two hours, two years, or never again.
Despite all precautions, diet whatever you can die from a seizure. You could have a seizure while driving, taking a hike, or eating dinner. Being epileptic is a risk factor anyway.
So my question is: do you learn to live with the risk or do whatever you can to minimize the risk even if it means drastic cutbacks in your lifestyle?
