'The medication I'm on would knock out a horse'
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Peter Phelan
Waterford man Peter Phelan (26) had epilepsy surgery in May.
"I've had epilepsy for as long as I can remember. I get complex partial seizures, which tend to last 10-15 seconds. Afterwards I'm aware that I missed something, but I snap out of it almost immediately.
"I had epilepsy surgery in May. The operation went on for six hours. I decided to have it because it offered a 33pc chance that my seizures would stop altogether and a 66pc chance that they would become far more scarce. I'm not sure what the remaining one per cent was about.
"It's early days but I haven't seen much of an improvement yet. I've had 142 seizures since I came home from hospital, but I don't dwell on that, as it doesn't help.
"I'll be seeing my neurosurgeon and neurologist soon, so I'm waiting to hear what they have to say.
"Whatever happens, I don't regret having the surgery and if I had the chance all over, I'd do it again.
"My doctors have told me to take it easy. They say that the medication I'm on would knock out a horse. I take 10 tablets in the morning and the same again at night.
"Staying active is important to me, so I've started training for the Dublin City Marathon. I'm also planning to start playing hurling again soon. I've always been sporty, so it's something I try to keep up.
"A couple of weeks ago I had 10 seizures in the course of an hour. They often come in clusters like that. When that happens, I go to bed.
"I once had a seizure after hurling practice. Apart from my dad, who was training us, nobody knew what had happened. My team mates saw me fall to my knees but as that's not unusual on the side of a pitch -- they thought nothing of it.
"At school, my teachers knew I had epilepsy but my classmates did not. I had most of my seizures at night so they didn't need to know. Nor did my friends. I was in my early 20s when I told them about it."
Rick O' Shea
The 2fm DJ has had epilepsy for the last 20 years.
"I had my first seizure 20 years ago, when I was 16. The second came a couple of months later. There was no family history of the disorder. We didn't even know what it was.
"You find out who your friends are pretty fast when something like this happens. Mine rallied around and nobody at school had a go at me about it.
"For me, the disorder is in no way debilitating, but I'm aware that I don't have it as severely as many others. The last time I had a seizure was four years ago. However I went through a period between the ages of 16 and 18 of having them every couple of months. I also had a seven-year period when I had none at all.
"I only had one attack at work and that was 12 years ago. I was working evenings in a small radio station, and I fell and cracked my head off a concrete wall. We shared the building with a firm of accountants and one of them just so happened to walk by when I was on the ground recovering.
"I was a bit dopey and incoherent at the time, as I was just coming out of it. I think he thought I was drunk. He asked whether I was OK, and not wanting to cause him any hassle, I said I was fine. So he walked away.
"Having epilepsy hasn't made a blind bit of difference to my career, and although I've always mentioned it at interviews, it has never been a deterrent.
"There are no triggers that I need to avoid. A sizeable number of people with the disorder are photo sensitive but I'm not. I could stare at a strobe light for hours and there would be no impact.
"To anyone recently diagnosed with epilepsy I would say don't be afraid, just try to manage it as best you can. Take your medication, get enough sleep, and avoid excessive stress and alcohol.
"You can still do what you want to do, be what you want to be and make a success of your life. Remember that you have epilepsy; it doesn't have you."
