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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

to feel he should have told me about this health condition before we married

341 replies

RachelWardd · 15/06/2026 15:50

We met when I was 23 and he was 30.

I was swept off my feet at first meet, he was tall dark handsome romantic funny kind gentle brave .....etc.

We dated for two years and married when I was 25, my parents were strict catholic and I never lived with him back then (we're talking 20+ years ago now) before we married, just dated , never went away together really either.....stayed over at his at the time, he lived very close to his parents, but said it was cos he loved that part of the city /country growing up and all his friends were there etc so that made sense at the time. I moved in with him after we married.

Long story short. In the first two three years, I knew I had married someone with a very very low fuse (as I called at in my twenties) - prone to anger, somewhat selfish, very focused on his needs, very quick flight or fight responses to any changes in plan

Turns out one of the many reasons he was popping in every evening at his parents' for at least 10 minutes on way home was - they were (well in to his 30s) still monitoring and administering sodium valporate pills to him. I opened the packet once when his dad left it out accidentally and I had popped over.

Slowly it came out in the open that he had been diagnosed with a benign reflex form of epilepsy ( he got partial focal type seizures when taking a hot shower or hot bath and almost always or always only then) from when he was less than 10 years old. But 'DH' still said it was fully under control with medication and he had been 'episode free' since 2001 and we met in 2002 and married in 2004.

Eventually he got off the meds completely in 2008 and as far as I know has not had any more episodes just by being careful I think while in the shower or bath
I still think he should have told me - he grew up going to epilepsy clinics, top neuro consultants, thinking life would not be normal as he was still having seizures, falling in the shower leading to head injuries (multiple) , trips to hospital in the ambulance as a teen.

A big part of his life for the first 30 years - and defined his relations with his parents and siblings - and his outlook on life. At the very least he should have told me as he knows this is sometimes genetic and there is a 30pc chance yet that our teen DC could still go on to develop this and have to go through the same to find the right meds and then to learn how to self limit it.

with all the knowledge we have now online, I do think all his flight or fight dysregulation, responses to stress, conflict, self focus are linked. At least armed with this information, I could have approached our marriage with more empathy and compassion if nothing else.

AIBU for me to still feel angry now and then when I remember this lie by omission and his excuses that it wasnt relevant information to tell me.....I am 48 now, he is 55

OP posts:
Sweepyed · 15/06/2026 16:33

There are links to autidsm with some epilepsy meds for both parents.

Arlanymor · 15/06/2026 16:32

kirinm · 15/06/2026 16:30

Perhaps your last paragraph is why he didn’t tell her 🤷🏻‍♀️. He was worried she’d leave. I understand that.

Maybe it is. Makes him a bit of a crap person though. Lying by omission is not a symptom of epilepsy.

Anyahyacinth · 15/06/2026 16:32

Yes, anger is directly related to epilepsy.

Sudden feelings of anger or irritability can be caused by the condition itself—especially during or immediately after a seizure—as well as by the emotional stress of living with the disorder or as a side effect of anti-seizure medications.

The relationship between epilepsy and anger manifests in a few specific ways:

Focal Seizures: In rare cases, a seizure (usually originating in the temporal or frontal lobes of the brain) can manifest as a sudden, intense wave of anger or fear. These are called focal emotional seizures.

Post-Ictal State: It is common for people to experience irritability, aggression, or mood swings in the moments or days directly following a seizure, as the brain recovers.

General Triggers: Living with an unpredictable condition can cause significant frustration and anxiety, which often translates to anger or emotional outbursts.

Medication Side Effects: Certain anti-seizure medications are known to cause mood alterations, including sudden irritability and anger

I had epilepsy as a child after chicken pox went into the lining of my brain...out grew it thankfully.

I knew about post seizure irritability but none of the rest. Certainly your DH could get help for his anger OP

ToadRage · 15/06/2026 16:31

YANBU. He should have told you. Something so hugely important. Even though I didn't know i had it at the time I still told my husband that genetic Muscular Dystrophy is in my family and he has supported me through the whole testing, diagnosis etc.of that.
Even if he was managing it and had it under control he still should have told you. Ask him why he felt the need to not tell you about it, how can you have a full relationship with such huge secrets, what else might he be hiding?

Vroomfondleswaistcoat · 15/06/2026 16:31

Are you sure that this isn't an example of 'and another thing' if you are beginning to doubt whether you want to stay married? Because it's a long time after the event.

RachelWardd · 15/06/2026 16:31

kirinm · 15/06/2026 16:30

Perhaps your last paragraph is why he didn’t tell her 🤷🏻‍♀️. He was worried she’d leave. I understand that.

Would you do similar if you fell in love with someone genuinely then? Would you not want them to still want to marry you with the full information?

OP posts:
RachelWardd · 15/06/2026 16:30

kirinm · 15/06/2026 16:25

It could be entirely unrelated to his epilepsy! He could be just a bit of a shit person.

My sister died as a result of an epileptic seizure when she was 19. I’ve had seizures where I’ve injured myself (and knocked my front teeth out). I’m not an angry or unsympathetic person.

Thank you for sharing this @kirinm ....

I am sorry to hear about your sister.....

This morning he said I was the only GF he never told about this, I think that is what triggered me today. Wasnt I worth the truth sort of a spiral.

Or the others noted what they saw as red flags like dropping in at his parents all the time (medication) and living with them almost till 30 (found out later) ...so he had to tell them

While I was so lovestruck I noted nothing....I feel like a fool in his eyes, thats the part that keeps coming up for me

OP posts:
kirinm · 15/06/2026 16:30

Arlanymor · 15/06/2026 16:24

I'm 47, my best friend's husband has epilepsy - he campaigns at the House of Commons and was on the news last year being interviewed on the changes to PIP. No one in our circle has ever said any religious nonsense around it. And if they did he would very much set them straight. You'd have to be living in a very insular society for demonic possession to be taken remotely seriously in the latter half of the 20th century, when we were growing up, let alone today. My dad is 80, he wouldn't see epilepsy as a moral failing either.

Most epileptics who manage their condition sensibly have medical jewellery and carry cards that explain what medication they are on and how they would like to be helped if they have a seizure. If you collapse in the middle of the street, mum and dad aren't going to be there, are they?

Someone in their thirties should very much be taking control of their own condition and not relying on older relatives. In the ideal world, he would have disclosed this at the point of getting serious with the OP and then she could have decided if she wishes to continue the relationship and take on some responsibility for helping him manage his condition.

Edited

Perhaps your last paragraph is why he didn’t tell her 🤷🏻‍♀️. He was worried she’d leave. I understand that.

kirinm · 15/06/2026 16:27

RachelWardd · 15/06/2026 16:23

No I am not sure .....

He has mentioned that his girlfriend before me had bi-polar so I think his original 'plan' was to date someone who had experienced similar and could empathise and whom he could talk to openly about it all

Why did he never tell me? Two years was a long enough time to tell me

Bi-polar isn’t the same as epilepsy though.

I have to say, your understanding or lack of of epilepsy is showing through your posts. He was wrong not to tell you but the issues with his personality are probably not a result of his experiences of seizures or anything else. He’s possibly just an angry unsympathetic short fused person,

kirinm · 15/06/2026 16:25

RachelWardd · 15/06/2026 16:21

HI Kirinm, in your experience, you do not think that the 'Distinct sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system responses' in people with Bathing epilepsy are related to his quick fuse, and other set ways?. Or perhaps it could be more related to the affer effects of the shielding by his parents...hard to say

Edited

It could be entirely unrelated to his epilepsy! He could be just a bit of a shit person.

My sister died as a result of an epileptic seizure when she was 19. I’ve had seizures where I’ve injured myself (and knocked my front teeth out). I’m not an angry or unsympathetic person.

Arlanymor · 15/06/2026 16:24

Ponoka7 · 15/06/2026 16:15

How old are you? I'm nearly 60 and epilepsy was seen as a moral failing. I don't know if it was the 'speaking in tongues' etc from the Bible, but epilepsy was looked upon as a punishment from God, or demonic possession.

I'm thinking that the parents might have asked to support him with medication, for their own anxiety, but also because having a seizure and head injuries affects the memory. So, if he had to ever go to hospital, they know what meds he has been taking and when. There'd be no chance of overdosing etc. Head injuries (my DP has one) are still misunderstood and minimised.
OP, after 20 years, you should have got out of the marriage or got over it completely.

I'm 47, my best friend's husband has epilepsy - he campaigns at the House of Commons and was on the news last year being interviewed on the changes to PIP. No one in our circle has ever said any religious nonsense around it. And if they did he would very much set them straight. You'd have to be living in a very insular society for demonic possession to be taken remotely seriously in the latter half of the 20th century, when we were growing up, let alone today. My dad is 80, he wouldn't see epilepsy as a moral failing either.

Most epileptics who manage their condition sensibly have medical jewellery and carry cards that explain what medication they are on and how they would like to be helped if they have a seizure. If you collapse in the middle of the street, mum and dad aren't going to be there, are they?

Someone in their thirties should very much be taking control of their own condition and not relying on older relatives. In the ideal world, he would have disclosed this at the point of getting serious with the OP and then she could have decided if she wishes to continue the relationship and take on some responsibility for helping him manage his condition.

Grammarninja · 15/06/2026 16:24

He should have told you but I get why he didn't. He saw it as his thing and didn't realise it had any bearing on you.

RachelWardd · 15/06/2026 16:23

bigboykitty · 15/06/2026 16:21

Are you sure he's prescribed it for epilepsy and not bipolar disorder? In any case, he withheld vital health information from you and that has profoundly damaged the trust in your relationship. Not to mention the whole thing with his parents is ridiculous.

No I am not sure .....

He has mentioned that his girlfriend before me had bi-polar so I think his original 'plan' was to date someone who had experienced similar and could empathise and whom he could talk to openly about it all

Why did he never tell me? Two years was a long enough time to tell me

OP posts:
RachelWardd · 15/06/2026 16:21

kirinm · 15/06/2026 16:13

It sounds as if you’re known about it for a while if he stopped taking meds in 2008?

It sounds more like his anger and selfishness (??) that is an issue? I am not sure you / he can blame epilepsy for that.

HI Kirinm, in your experience, you do not think that the 'Distinct sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system responses' in people with Bathing epilepsy are related to his quick fuse, and other set ways?. Or perhaps it could be more related to the affer effects of the shielding by his parents...hard to say

OP posts:
bigboykitty · 15/06/2026 16:21

Are you sure he's prescribed it for epilepsy and not bipolar disorder? In any case, he withheld vital health information from you and that has profoundly damaged the trust in your relationship. Not to mention the whole thing with his parents is ridiculous.

RachelWardd · 15/06/2026 16:19

Arlanymor · 15/06/2026 16:14

But vitamins doesn't make sense either - why would he need to go somewhere daily for vitamins? As an adult?

But by the by - you knew his condition in 2008? And nearly 20 years later you are still ruminating on it? What do you want now - truly? Because you can't reverse time. You sound like you are eating yourself up over this.

They lived down the road, he was stopping in there

Maybe he asked them to hold on to it, as he knew that he had never told me about it and did not want me to find out

They later claimed they thought I knew and that he had told me before marriage

Dunno.....

The shame they attached to it is worse much worse than the actual issue

OP posts:
britnay · 15/06/2026 16:18

Please tell me you didn't conceive while he was still on this medication.

RachelWardd · 15/06/2026 16:17

I dont know what I want from him on this - maybe a sincere acknowledgement that it is a massive thing to hide from an SO , and not a minor tiny fact

OP posts:
Ponoka7 · 15/06/2026 16:16

@RachelWardd has this been a theme throughout your marriage? Are you through the menopause or in peri? Things can fester during the menopause.

RachelWardd · 15/06/2026 16:16

I think about it every now and then .....not everyday

We had DC in 2009, I was pregnant in 2008

OP posts:
Ponoka7 · 15/06/2026 16:15

Arlanymor · 15/06/2026 16:04

Why did you marry someone in their 30s who gets their parents to administer their medicine? Did you ask any questions about this? Sorry this whole thing is not adding up to me at all. Have you asked him why he didn't tell you?

How old are you? I'm nearly 60 and epilepsy was seen as a moral failing. I don't know if it was the 'speaking in tongues' etc from the Bible, but epilepsy was looked upon as a punishment from God, or demonic possession.

I'm thinking that the parents might have asked to support him with medication, for their own anxiety, but also because having a seizure and head injuries affects the memory. So, if he had to ever go to hospital, they know what meds he has been taking and when. There'd be no chance of overdosing etc. Head injuries (my DP has one) are still misunderstood and minimised.
OP, after 20 years, you should have got out of the marriage or got over it completely.

RachelWardd · 15/06/2026 16:15

ArtfullyDistressed · 15/06/2026 16:06

Yes, of course he should have. It's the kind of significant omission that would constitute possible grounds for a Catholic annulment -- I know someone who got one on similar grounds, though it's an an appalling, lengthy process that makes a divorce look speedy and practically enjoyable.

But I think you need to take some responsibility here too. I am five years older than you are, and also grew up in a very strict Catholic household (parents were daily massgoers, nightly rosary etc) in Ireland, but I never let that get in the way of leading my own romantic and sexual life as I saw fit. They disapproved, obviously, but my life was my life. You were irresponsible in letting your parents' religious beliefs dictate your life, and you were irresponsible to marry someone you didn't know because of it. You're clearly regretting this now for a lot of reasons. You don't need to stay married to someone disregulated, angry and selfish.

Yes I agree I am the primary person responsible for my life decisions and yes I probably would do differently

I may still have married him but it would have been an informed choice and I think I would set my expecations those early years very differently

The way I feel is ....as if I spent my childhood in Disney land and he spent his in a hospital (using polarising opposites to make my point) ...and without knowing that ...I expected us to have the same ideas of a fun time or life goals as adults

I was a very very very immature 23-25 apparently.....

OP posts:
Questi3nn · 15/06/2026 16:15

If this is/was a deal breaker/issue for you why didnt you leave him at the time?

Arlanymor · 15/06/2026 16:14

RachelWardd · 15/06/2026 16:11

I didnt see the med administration part until months after the marriage

They were still telling me its vitamins....and I was believing them , because 25 year old me was even much much dumber than current me, yet I was very brainy at school , a scholar at uni ....and what not.

But vitamins doesn't make sense either - why would he need to go somewhere daily for vitamins? As an adult?

But by the by - you knew his condition in 2008? And nearly 20 years later you are still ruminating on it? What do you want now - truly? Because you can't reverse time. You sound like you are eating yourself up over this.

kirinm · 15/06/2026 16:13

It sounds as if you’re known about it for a while if he stopped taking meds in 2008?

It sounds more like his anger and selfishness (??) that is an issue? I am not sure you / he can blame epilepsy for that.