This is how I found out I have epilepsy. Note too, that I am a 32 year old man that had no idea and that I was "healthy as a horse". The story goes like this. I am at work staying late because my boss was in a meeting. My co-worker said "just go Bob". I say "thank you and run out the door". I get in the car and drive off. Two minutes later I have my first seizure. I was driving a car at the time. Needless to say I lost control of the car. I was so lucky that the drivers next to me saw me go into seizure. I ended up in a park hitting two trees and utility pole. I was legally dead for a bit but they brought me back. The side of my head was a mess put everything was working and ok. In weeks they (hospital people) would know that I was going to be ok.
Anyway, I did not have health insurance because 1) when you have never had anything wrong with your health you don't think you need it 2) that money was better spent on clothing, a roof over my head and food and transportation. Like 40 million Americans I needed every dollar I got. 3) I am 32 and always healthy and I don't drink or smoke. Anyway, now the bills for this medical attention arrive in the mail and I have no way of paying them. And I also have to depend on others to pay the bills for my drug depicote (sp?) because I can not afford it. And one last thing. I do not feel the responsibility to pay these medicial bills because it was the system itself that failed to identify this epileptic condition. I was 32 years old...and if I never had this seizure I would have no idea I had this at all.

hey Robert,
sorry to hear of your situation. Maybe your doctor could get you some samples for a few months ? The companies that make the meds do have programs for folks who cant afford them but you income has to be below a certain level to qualify. I am not sure why you feel the system is responsible for not knowing you had epilepsy. Since you didnt know you had it how could anyone else ?
I hope you get good seizure control with the depakote and you are able to get your life back to normal again.
take it easy.

Hey Robert,
Yes that was sure a hard way to find out. Sorry to hear of it. I have adult onset epilepsy also, diagnosed with Temporal Lobe epilepsy. (I have complex and simple partial seizures mostly)
What did they tell you?
My very first seizure was a Grand Mal, at a New Years Eve party. Someone who was there told me the next morning that I'd had a GM sz'r, and I said "Yeah, sure".
But it wasn't long after that one morning my daughter found me lying unconscious after another GM sz'r. So, I was put on medications and have had mostly complex partials since then.
No one could have even known that you had epilepsy, so really there's no one to blame. It just happens. I know it's crappy, and this is one good place to come and talk about it. There are many good forums and chat rooms, where you can ask questions and vent a little if you ever need to. Another is www.braintalk.org (http://www.braintalk.org)
I wish you the very best. God bless.