Interview Section : YouthHealthtalk

Jason - Interview 35

Age at Interview: 19

Sex: Male

Age at Diagnosis: 11

Background: Jason is 19, single and lives in a residential college for young people with epilepsy. Ethnic background / nationality: Mixed (Afro-Caribbean / Caucasian)

Brief outline:Jason was diagnosed with epilepsy when he was 11. He is on Epilim (sodium valproate) and has occasional seizures.

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Jason wants to work in a shop and has been selling plants in the shop of his residential college. He says in the future he'll think about being a gardener.
Print Well, my brother's at work, looking after his son because he's got a child now. And he's my nephew. I got my sister, she's got a job now, she works as well she's just started work which is good. Like what I would like to do is, I'd like to work maybe in a shop or… yeah I'd like to work in a shop. Yeah. You've kind of done that a little bit here as well, if you've been selling plants and things like that. Yeah. My mum wants me to become a gardener, but I told her that I want to work in a shop first. Then, I start thinking about working in a garden.

Jason used to go to doctor's appointments with his keyworker but has now started to go on his own which makes him feel more independent.
Print Do you go to the doctor's on your own, or do you go with your keyworker? I've only just started going on my own. I used to go with [name of keyworker]. I go on my own now. Do you like going on your own? Yeah, I like it. Yeah. Why, why do you like going on your own? It makes me feel more independent. Makes me feel I could do this sort of, makes me feel I could do stuff on my own, yeah. Yeah, do you get to ask the doctor, if you have questions, about the medication or the blurred vision? Yeah I do ask him that and he sometimes say, and he talks about how often I get these blurred visions, he talks to me what we're trying to sort out your medication.

Jason sometimes forgets things. Forgetting his key worker's name really upset him.
Print What really upset me is what happened on, yeah it was on Sunday, which was just yesterday, I couldn't remember who my old key worker's name. I tried to remember her name, she just said, “Come on Jason you remember my name", like I was with you for a year, she asked me about four times, I couldn't remember it, and just felt like bursting out crying.

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Stories of discovery :

Experiences of different seizures :

Treating & managing epilepsy :

Living with epilepsy - everyday life :

Living with epilepsy - emotions and feelings :

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