Surviving Wonderland: Living with Temporal Lobe Epilepsy is the story of one woman’s journey down the rabbit hole and into the Wonderland of temporal lobe epilepsy. Sharon tells of her life starting with the diagnosis and moving through seizure-related issues, the isolation associated with a condition still carrying a negative stigma, to the eventual insights into the value of the experience. For people with TLE and their families, this book can serve as a guide through the maze of a condition still not easily recognized by healthcare providers or accepted by the general public.
Medical experts agree epilepsy affects between one and two percent of the world’s population, with TLE making up about half of that number. This accounts for more than 1.5 million in the US, or roughly the population of Philadelphia. The actual number may be much higher, however, because TLE shares many of the symptoms of migraines, anxiety disorders, post traumatic stress disorder, bi-polar disorder, and schizophrenia.
A limited number of books exist on this type of epilepsy. Most books come from the standpoint of the healthcare provider. The reality, though, is that sometimes what the provider understands about TLE and what the patient experiences are hard to reconcile. Finding information from a patient’s standpoint may be the most valuable thing for someone suffering from a condition that is both physical and mental, with myriad symptoms and challenges.
Powell’s personal and professional experiences have shown her that a huge gap separates the patient from the doctor. For this reason, a book from the patient’s standpoint is a tremendous asset to those with temporal lobe epilepsy who are making their own way through the Wonderland of medicine and emotion, and those living with them.
