Epilepsy, epileptics, seizures and all other mental medical problems like Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and brain cancer are not air born diseases that a person can catch from a home dinner table, house or hospital. I have personally been around epileptics almost my entire life, including other medical issues from children as old as a month to adults as old as 100 and no cough, cold or sneeze was ever caught by my family or friends visiting, and if it was at all contagious wouldn’t doctors and nurses be wearing protection with millions of epileptics in highly vaccinated hospitals as we walk and talk right next to you every day.
Yes, some people are born with the effects of epilepsy and/or seizures (can be genetic), others like myself are what doctors call “A Sleeper” because I wasn’t fully diagnosed with Epilepsy until my tenth year, and sad to say, it hasn’t slowed down since. I was first diagnosed with one type of seizure, absence (formally known as petit mal) to tonic-clonic or convulsive seizures (formally known as grand mal) in my 20’s to atonic seizures (also known as drop attacks) when I reached 30. Now at just 37yrs of age I am tonic-clonic and atonic. But, I do believe that a person who has been medicated their entire life may have a child with issues, since the drugs are in their bloodstream. This may be even more true for women, especially those that may need to be off of or on a lower dosage of certain medications. This can be very harmful to her and the child. Epileptics can have children and God willing the child will have a better life then theirs.
I recommend speaking with your doctor/neurologist and going through some tests as you plan to have a family.
People with epilepsy can’t work, this myth is only true due to the type of epilepsy the person is struggling with and can’t control the situation, otherwise, epileptics do work wonders for people, including themselves. An epileptic put behind a computer screen for years will cause them years of agony and stress.
Epileptics do excel at school, but to a degree. That is if your doctor or neurologist sees that you are capable of handling the workload stress, if not, he/she will have you pulled out again and again and again which will lead you to a life of torment and anger upon yourself. Because you know that what you were doing was right, but you didn’t have the best support system at the time (family, friends, etc) due to their own responsibilities.
Leading normal lives, becoming leaders in the real world we can do, but only with the proper healthcare, parenting, and if so, care-taking. All in all, if you can find the right help at the right time then the answer of possibly leading a normal life is –
ABSOLUTELY!