Trapped in a haze
It all began when I started collapsing randomly. Shortly after that, the seizures, blackouts, and lapses into unconsciousness regularly came. I was hospitalized and was diagnosed with "essential epilepsy" because they seriously could not figure out why any of that was happening when no tumors showed up and the ionic balance in my system was very normal. I was also popping 27 (not a typo) pills a day to somehow manage the symptoms, the most potent being
Tegretol -- a drug that has a list of side effects as long as my arm. The rationale behind it all was to basically sedate me because any kind of excitement in my nervous system could trigger seizures.
In that time, I suffered semi-permanent headaches, dizziness, and general weakness. My friends also noticed that I was turning weirdly bipolar (I still deny this! Hahaha) and would often be confused about what I was doing. I remember going out to the balcony right in the middle of dinner and my girlfriend asked me what I was doing. I answered, "I'm going to pee" right before I was promptly dragged back in and led to the bathroom.
After several months of living like this with no discernable progress, it was clearly time for a second opinion.
