Disability in an AU or Post Apocalyptic World
The main character in my story is a young female (age 20-25) who is living in an alternative universe (one very similar to our own with the exception monsters and magic being very real), or our world in a "semi" post-apocalyptic state. I haven't figured out which yet, either way I feel that my character is trying to survive in this world with some sort of disability. I want it to be invisible to people when they see her, but something that has very real consequences in a world where only the strong survive.
So far I have toyed with the idea of asthma and epilepsy. I feel taken with epilepsy and my character would most likely suffer from "Grand Mal" or Generalized tonic-clonic seizures.
1.) I KNOW that there are other medical conditions besides asthma and epilepsy that my character could suffer from, but searching for "invisible disabilities" and "highly functioning disability" (among others) have not produced helpful results. What other condition could she have?
2.) If my character has epilepsy, it will be idiopathic or generalized and in which ever world my character falls into, medication will be scare and therefore not an option in long term treatment. If a patient stops taking medication to manage their epilepsy, will the severity or frequency of seizures increase? What are some natural ways to prevent/reduce the number of seizures a person has? I've searched "living with epilepsy without medication", "natural ways to treat epilepsy" and "epilepsy without medication".
3.) What are some triggers for a seizure to occur? I realize that reflex epilepsy has triggers of flashing lights and flickering screens. Researching it online, most triggers are "stops taking medication". I've read some that stress, lack of sleep, hormones, etc. can induce a seizure. How accurate/likely is a seizure induced by stress or lack of sleep?
Seriously, have fun with this. My intent is not to write a story about an epileptic or an asthmatic but of a person who struggles not only with surviving a hostile and challenging world, but thrives despite having an extra challenge.
So far I have toyed with the idea of asthma and epilepsy. I feel taken with epilepsy and my character would most likely suffer from "Grand Mal" or Generalized tonic-clonic seizures.
1.) I KNOW that there are other medical conditions besides asthma and epilepsy that my character could suffer from, but searching for "invisible disabilities" and "highly functioning disability" (among others) have not produced helpful results. What other condition could she have?
2.) If my character has epilepsy, it will be idiopathic or generalized and in which ever world my character falls into, medication will be scare and therefore not an option in long term treatment. If a patient stops taking medication to manage their epilepsy, will the severity or frequency of seizures increase? What are some natural ways to prevent/reduce the number of seizures a person has? I've searched "living with epilepsy without medication", "natural ways to treat epilepsy" and "epilepsy without medication".
3.) What are some triggers for a seizure to occur? I realize that reflex epilepsy has triggers of flashing lights and flickering screens. Researching it online, most triggers are "stops taking medication". I've read some that stress, lack of sleep, hormones, etc. can induce a seizure. How accurate/likely is a seizure induced by stress or lack of sleep?
Seriously, have fun with this. My intent is not to write a story about an epileptic or an asthmatic but of a person who struggles not only with surviving a hostile and challenging world, but thrives despite having an extra challenge.