epilepsy and dla and starting work

[Deleted User]

kazzah60 wrote: »

Woodbine - my brother's epilepsy sounds very much like yours, he has suffered with it since surgery to remove a brain tumour some 42 years ago!
he is constantly worrying about being on incapacity benefit- and dla as he worries that he will be prosecuted and labelled a scrounger - but he is totally unemployable - his last job was 18 years ago for the local council as a housing benefit officer -sadly when he was having an "absence" he could delete a mornings work from the computer, then on occasion he would think he was at home and getting in the shower and start undressing - the staff in the office we great with him, but then a new boss started and interviewed my brother and told him he needed to go off sick until he was cured ( wouldn't get away with it these days!) so he was retired on the grounds of ill health at the age of38

he can't be left alone when travelling - when he is stressed his absences get really bad and he has been found wandering on a dual carriageway near his home, getting on a bus and ending up nowhere where he should be, even getting lost at our local hospital going for an x ray

His medication has now given him tunnel vision and the shakes really badly and his aggression and short term memory are really bad!
he is my brother but I would NOT work with him - he is too unpredicatable.

he is going through a really bad stage of paranoia at the moment, after watching that BBC morning programme saints and scroungers - he is CONVINCED the DWP are lurking round every corner to "catch him out"
quite what they are going to catch him out doing is beyond me- but you can't reason with him - he is just too worried all the time
IMO Epilepsy is a horrible "hidden" disability and becuase no 2 people ever have the same symptoms, is greatly misunderstood.

I really wish the OP the very best of luck returning to work - I know my borther would be happier in himself if he was still working.

If he is on tegratol then the vision problems could be caused by the dose being to high,worth checking with drs.(i had a simlar prob and reducing the dose sorted it),now my liver is failing due to the 100,000 pills i have taken over the last 11 years,and a heart defect has been discovered while testing my suitability for some new wonder epilepsy drug !!!
As for worrying about living on benefits,i gave that up for lent a few years ago:rotfl:

kazzah60

woodbine wrote: »

If he is on tegratol then the vision problems could be caused by the dose being to high,worth checking with drs.(i had a simlar prob and reducing the dose sorted it),now my liver is failing due to the 100,000 pills i have taken over the last 11 years,and a heart defect has been discovered while testing my suitability for some new wonder epilepsy drug !!!
As for worrying about living on benefits,i gave that up for lent a few years ago:rotfl:

he is indeed on tegratol - amongst a cocktail of other drugs - about 19 a day I think!
but as the consultant said to him - it's that or possible death from a seizure ........ great choice eh!

I'll have to convince him to give up on the worrying...........it may take some time;)

[Deleted User]

kazzah60 wrote: »

he is indeed on tegratol - amongst a cocktail of other drugs - about 19 a day I think!
but as the consultant said to him - it's that or possible death from a seizure ........ great choice eh!

I'll have to convince him to give up on the worrying...........it may take some time;)

That sadly is one of the worst parts of epilepsy finding a balance between quality of life and the affects of very strong medication,at one point i was 2400mg a day of tegratol,a new consultant denied that anyone would have ever put me on such high a dose,until at my asking he read the file,he was shocked.
My current cocktail adds upto 19 pills a day atm,plus strong painkillers as req.and 2 inhalers....but life(of a sort)goes on.