'I don't suffer with epilepsy, I just live with it'

Teacher who suffered first seizure at 12 living life to the fullest and not letting the condition define her

A SPORTS-LOVING Navan woman living with epilepsy has told of how she never let the condition take hold of her life.

25-year-old secondary school teacher, Karley Leavy suffered her first seizure when she was 12 and was diagnosed with epilepsy the following year.

Despite the life-altering diagnosis, Karley was determined to live life to the fullest and to not let the condition define her.

According to Epilepsy Ireland, an estimated 2,000 people are living with epilepsy in Meath. With that in mind, the teacher wants to offer hope to young people recently diagnosed and to also appeal to people to learn about Seizure First Aid ahead of International Epilepsy Day on the 12th of February.

“In the long run my life hasn't changed at all, I still live the exact same life I did before I was diagnosed,” said Karley. “You have to alter things in your life but it is not a life-hindering thing,” she added.

“I know the word diagnosis is used a lot but I don't really feel like I am suffering from epilepsy I just live with it.”

An array of tests when Karley was 13 confirmed that the youngster had epilepsy, a condition that runs in her family.

“I had my first seizure when I was 12 when I was still in primary school but I wasn't officially diagnosed until a year later when I had my second one,” she said.

“They kind of wrote off my first one because I was playing football the night before and I took a bang to the head. They were taking it that it could just have occurred because of that and when I had my second one I had multiple tests done in Temple Street that confirmed epilepsy.

“I wasn't medicated though until I was 16 as doctors didn't think it was fully necessary at that time.”

It was during her time in transition year that Karley suffered a serious seizure that the decision was made to introduce medication.

“I just had to accept that is who I am now. It took a while to adjust to it, obviously I was a typical teenager at that stage so I didn't want to do anything that I was told but I just had to get on with it and deal with it.”

Karley says the aftermath is often the most challenging thing about having a seizure.

“I have tonic-clonic seizures so in slang terms I'd have full blown seizures, most of the time I would fall and fully lose consciousness. I have body jerks, my body stiffens, my eyes roll, my jaw clenches.

“Generally my seizures don't last very long, I'd say ten seconds is the longest one I've ever had. By the time I hit the ground I am nearly coming out of the seizure but it would really be afterwards that would be the hardest part.

“You would be dealing with the injuries from the fall than the actual seizure itself. When you clench your jaw you tend to bite your tongue and the inside of your mouth so my mouth would be quite sore for a few days and I'd be absolutely exhausted. Most of the time it would take a full week to recover from even a ten second seizure.”

Karley who plays GAA with Boardsmill says over the years she has discovered that her triggers for bringing on seizures are lack of sleep, pain and stress.

“I would be quite sporty, I have played football all of my life and it would be those times when I'm at training and I'm really tired or after a match where I'd be really conscious of myself,” she said.

“As an adult you just have to know yourself and know your own body.

“I have been seizure free for almost four years.”

The Navan teacher offers some words of wisdom to young people dealing with a diagnosis.

“It feels like the worst thing in the world because you are listening to these doctors telling you the things you can and cannot do but I lived the exact same teenage years as all of my friends did.

“I went to concerts, I played games, I did TY, I travelled, I did everything that they got to do. I just had to be sure that I knew how I was feeling and I stayed on top of my medication. “

Epilepsy Ireland is highlighting the importance of knowing the three key words of TIME, SAFE, STAY ahead of International Epilepsy Day on the 12th of February.

Commenting on the campaign, Paddy McGeoghegan, Advocacy & Communications Manager at Epilepsy Ireland said: “Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological conditions in Ireland, affecting over 45,000 people across the country. It is much closer to home than you might think, and it is crucially important the public know how to respond to a seizure. This is one of the most common themes we hear from people with epilepsy and their families. You never know when you might need to respond to a seizure so please do take 5 minutes to learn more about epilepsy and TIME, SAFE, STAY for International Epilepsy Day.”