Disclosing epilepsy to your boss and coworkers

Disclaimer: “I am not a doctor; I am sharing my personal lived experience. Always consult your neurologist for medical advice.”

Living with epilepsy is one the toughest things I deal with on a daily basis. My journey started in 1988 when I was diagnosed with partial complex seizures. One of the things I struggled about my condition was admitting I had it to people who didn’t know me well.” I am generally a very outgoing person, but felt like if I told people this I might not be accepted socially.

Work was one of the areas I felt the most apprehension because I was around these people for a better part of my day. I decided to make a plan because I wanted my coworkers to know how to treat me if I started having a seizure. 

Step one was to ensure I pulled my boss aside and spoke to him shortly about my medical history. This was the easy part because I just needed to get a moment of free time to explain the situation. Getting into the supervisor’s office was a bit intimidating because I was hoping he was going to be understanding. Once I was in and started talking he was quite inviting and gave me his full attention. My supervisor was very accommodating and ensured that they were going to make sure that I was okay while I was there. This was a huge weight off my shoulders, but I knew I still had to speak to my coworkers next. Thankfully, my supervisor assisted me with this and set up a team meeting.

The meeting was the next day and my nerves had finally started to go away. I wanted my team to know important information in the event I did have a seizure. I made sure to make a checklist of things they should and shouldn’t do during my seizure. I wanted them to know the most important thing for them to do was not panic. After that it was important to keep me comfortable and time how long it was. The only thing I made sure to let them know was that they shouldn’t pin me down or put anything in my mouth during the seizure. 

I made sure that they all knew my seizures are well managed, but in the event of a potential incident they would know what to do. 

Surprisingly, they were as supportive as my supervisor and made me feel quite at ease. I hope this gives you some good insight into disclosing this to your boss and coworkers. Stay healthy. Derek.