Bent double on the pavement, I cling to my 14-year-old son as he strokes my back and promises he’ll get us home safely. Passers-by stare and roll their eyes, most likely wondering why I’m being sick and how I got a cut across my face. I’ve seen these looks time and time again – they think I’m drunk and an unfit mother. But they couldn’t be more wrong…
It was April 1992, six weeks before my GCSE exams, when I had a seizure for the first time. Thankfully, I was at home when I started convulsing in the bathroom and chipped my tooth against the sink as I tumbled to the ground. My mum, Gisela, then 47, was a retired nurse and stuck her thumb in my mouth to check I wasn’t having a stroke. She had no reason to suspect it was a seizure, as I’d never had one before. The seizure lasted just a couple of minutes, and doctors ran various tests, diagnosing epilepsy and putting me on lifelong medication. It changed my life forever.
Coping with a new world
For the next few years, I persevered with the medication but it made me feel drowsy and I struggled with the loss of energy. At school, I sat my exams in a broom cupboard so I didn’t risk disrupting the other students if I had a seizure. Having only been diagnosed recently, I was frightened and felt isolated.
It was reassuring that Mum had been a nurse, while my dad, Mivart, then 69, was a consultant psychiatrist. They were both pragmatic and it helped that they didn’t get too emotional.
This story is from the April 25, 2022 edition of WOMAN - UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the April 25, 2022 edition of WOMAN - UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Fast&fresh DINNERS
Healthy meals to keep you satisfied on busy weeknights.
Health checks that could SAVE YOUR LIFE
We service our cars and boilers to make sure they run smoothly, so why not our bodies?
FEEL SEXIER in 60 seconds
Try these instant tricks to lift your libido and get turned on fast
Destination SWAPS
Change your favourite resorts for these great-value, lesser-known places
5 steps to the PERFECT HALLWAY
Try these makeover musts to transform the often-overlooked space into an entrance you can be proud of ai
The secrets WE KEEP
Two women explain why they realised it was finally time to speak up
Our split made us STRONGER!
Bernie Jones loves her husband more after their break-up 4
Can our beloved NHS BE SAVED?
With waiting lists for surgery reaching new highs, we investigate the lengths patients are going to in order to receive treatment
WANT TO SEE BEHIND THE CASTLE GATES?
It’s an interesting development that King Charles has increased public access to Buckingham Palace and opened up Balmoral Castle for the first time.
'The divorce SPEAKS FOR ITSELF"
Singer-turned-actor Billie Piper on her turbulent past and becoming the woman she is today