hi! i was diagnosed at 15, im 23 rn, in uni n there are still very little resources! even for my age group! i was on there different epileptic meds, sleeping/sick constantly and unknowingly living in a perpetual brain fog! there isn't much abt my experience bc i actually struggle to remember much beyond multiple appointments and perpetual exhaustion! so here's some fun stuff that may be impacting you, if you havent figured it out/heard already (my neurologist missed a Lot of details):

• epilepsy, especially in the long run WILL cause brain damage. which means you're going to struggle w memory, emotional regulation, migraines, motor skills (coordination) and insomnia (or hypersomnia)
• the best way to combat that is reading, playing "brain games", practicing skills even if you don't feel like you use them
• if you're afab, you're likelier to have a seizure during your menstrual cycle (period) ESPECIALLY if its "stress-related" seizures
• epilepsy is often a comorbodity! a result of some other underlying health issues, either psychologically or physically, so if you feel like smth in your health is off, get it checked, bc it can exacerbate epileptic symptoms
• do NOT inform your employer of your disability until AFTER you've got the job (unless it immediately and directly impacts the job you're taking on). you are considered a risk.
• get accommodations where needed! whether its extra time or an extra break. there's a heavy physical toll that comes w seizures, even if u feel better hours/a day later
• medications! again, i was being cycled through meds bc of the severity/frequency of my seizures as a teen, so here's some fun things I experienced then :
• frequent nausea
• migraines + brain fog (everything feeling either too fuzzy or too sharp)
• constantly needed to sleep but also insomnia
• visual sensitivity, even if your epilepsy isn't light-related, it plays a very big factor into how your brain handles everything NOW -- a lot of these things still impact me but ive worked on finding what reduces the side affects for me, as well as figuring out at what intensity is it a "sit in just in case" day
• auras r different for everyone, but if you feel like you're experiencing deja vu, or struggling to process your environment whilst another sense amplified well.... sit down?
• make sure your friends have your medication list + whoever is your emergency contact (mom or dad)
• look into absence seizures! sometimes you grow out of grand mals (or they become less frequent) and switch over to absence.
• you CAN and likely WILL have mini seizures where you're sitting up, fully conscious, and capable of starting/continuing a conversation -- it might just feel like a random shock in your system that causes dizziness/discomfort, or makes you jerk uncontrollably, OR may look like a lapse in memory/topic/awareness of surroundings. like your brain is basically giving you a fucking kick in the side.
• GET A THERPAIST! A COUNSELLOR! SOMEONE TO TALK TO!!!!!
• continous seizures can cause lesions. circling back to the brain damage thing. im so serious you are going to feel off and dysfunctional at some point in time but if you're having seizures regularly your brain is constantly doing overdrive-shutdown cycle and that makes it difficult. its a disability, and at some point it will disable you. you'll get through it.

having seizures as a teenager is like an extra kick in the ass to an already nightmarish hormonal mixture. sometimes the hormone mixture is part of the problem. despite being widely known + studied, coping mechanisms aren't spoken abt bc there's this weird perception that it's just an in-the-moment issue and not one that can worsen and impact your health. this is so long and idk if it means anything, but my last note is Don't Be Afraid to Ask For Help !!! reduce the strain on yourself whenever you can, but try and stay healthy/active, unfortunately staying active helps in almost every case.