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MINI Sudden Blackouts - Has anyone had something similar??
Thu, 08/14/2008 - 21:49The reason I ask is because it's something that only started over the last few months. I have complex partial epilepsy with primarily left seizures & secondary generalisation sometime.
I've lately developed this 'thing' where whilst having a seizure, I'll suddenly have a mini blackout. It literally last for like a seond or two - and I'm fully consious, but my eyes will just drop closed and then a second later I'llcome to with a massive jolt. It scares the absolute crap out of me... It's like when you've just dosed off, and you wake up instantly feeling your about to be smacked in the head... or like dosing of behind the steering wheel! (I dont drive, it's jsut what it feels like) That terror & fear all in one second.
And then I'm fine.... I'm bound to see my specialist in November, where they will do the final MRI, Video EEG(2 weeks) SPECT scan and Pet scan. But till then it's getting to be a more and more regular occurance with my fits.
Has ANYONE else had this?
Comments
Re: MINI Sudden Blackouts - Has anyone had something similar??
Submitted by worried_daughter on Sun, 2009-07-05 - 01:08
My mother began having seizures following th birth of my sister. My sister is now eleven yrs old. My mom's been on a variety of meds. Over the past yr her seizures have been happening far and few between. However, she has been having "blackouts". My mom's short term memory hasn't been very good since the seizures began. She recently started taking keppra, which has been helping tremendously. I'm really worried and scared for her. I would really love some insight and advice about how I can best be there for her.
Thanks
My mother began having seizures following th birth of my sister. My sister is now eleven yrs old. My mom's been on a variety of meds. Over the past yr her seizures have been happening far and few between. However, she has been having "blackouts". My mom's short term memory hasn't been very good since the seizures began. She recently started taking keppra, which has been helping tremendously. I'm really worried and scared for her. I would really love some insight and advice about how I can best be there for her.
Thanks
Re: MINI Sudden Blackouts - Has anyone had something similar??
Submitted by Zana1518 on Wed, 2009-12-16 - 18:00
Hi there all,
I sure could do with some advice. For the past couple of years now I have been suffering from what the doctors describe as 'blackouts'(defined as this as I simply do not have any notice to these brief loss of conciousness). As Catsamu described I am literally out a matter off seconds( and my husband thought it may be narcolepsy) , but when I come round, I am usually in a dazed state and struggle to make sense of the words people are saying to me (I do but it just takes me longer than usual).
Also somedays, I get a general sense of not feeling well and finding it difficult to comprehend information. I find it partically difficuly on the morning school run as stress does tend to effect my condition and this is the time when it is more frequent at occurring. It almost feels like its a reset button on a computer or something. One minute i'm highly stressesed the next, Im dazed coming round on the floor, completely calm and the worries I had previously seem irrevelent. I guess in essence it just totally buts everything into prespective for me.
I have been going to see a specialist for just short of a year now and he still isnt certain what is causing my condition. His two main theories are a form of epilepsy or a complicated migraine. About the only thing that we have established is that the headaches I have been suffering are indeed migraines but as I dont always have a migraine when I blackout, we are unsure if they are merely a sympton or the cause of my condition.
My blackouts are very infrequent. In the last year alone I had approx 12, and up until last sunday I had none since August. However, on Sunday I had two within the space of 40 minutes. Like I said when I blackout i am only unconcious a matter of seconds ( a minute tops) and dont have any unvolunary movement.
I was just wondering if from your prespectives it sounds like symptoms of an epilectic or if you would expect me to have furthor symptoms.
So far all the test have returned back clear, yet I have not suffered any illnesses whilst having my MIR or EEG or ECG and I just feel I am going round in circles at the moment. I just want to know what I am suffering from so that the doctor can start me on some treatment, as its extremely scary for my two young girls.
I will be grateful for any guidance or advice you can give. Ty all so much!
Hi there all,
I sure could do with some advice. For the past couple of years now I have been suffering from what the doctors describe as 'blackouts'(defined as this as I simply do not have any notice to these brief loss of conciousness). As Catsamu described I am literally out a matter off seconds( and my husband thought it may be narcolepsy) , but when I come round, I am usually in a dazed state and struggle to make sense of the words people are saying to me (I do but it just takes me longer than usual).
Also somedays, I get a general sense of not feeling well and finding it difficult to comprehend information. I find it partically difficuly on the morning school run as stress does tend to effect my condition and this is the time when it is more frequent at occurring. It almost feels like its a reset button on a computer or something. One minute i'm highly stressesed the next, Im dazed coming round on the floor, completely calm and the worries I had previously seem irrevelent. I guess in essence it just totally buts everything into prespective for me.
I have been going to see a specialist for just short of a year now and he still isnt certain what is causing my condition. His two main theories are a form of epilepsy or a complicated migraine. About the only thing that we have established is that the headaches I have been suffering are indeed migraines but as I dont always have a migraine when I blackout, we are unsure if they are merely a sympton or the cause of my condition.
My blackouts are very infrequent. In the last year alone I had approx 12, and up until last sunday I had none since August. However, on Sunday I had two within the space of 40 minutes. Like I said when I blackout i am only unconcious a matter of seconds ( a minute tops) and dont have any unvolunary movement.
I was just wondering if from your prespectives it sounds like symptoms of an epilectic or if you would expect me to have furthor symptoms.
So far all the test have returned back clear, yet I have not suffered any illnesses whilst having my MIR or EEG or ECG and I just feel I am going round in circles at the moment. I just want to know what I am suffering from so that the doctor can start me on some treatment, as its extremely scary for my two young girls.
I will be grateful for any guidance or advice you can give. Ty all so much!
Re: MINI Sudden Blackouts - Has anyone had something similar??
Submitted by catsamu on Fri, 2008-08-15 - 14:59
Yes, this "micro sleep" thing is exactly what I have. I thought I had narcolepsy, but all the sleep disorder tests showed that I had no sleep disorders, and that I wasn't falling asleep for these split seconds. An EEG showed temporal lobe spikes. I've been on Keppra for about a year and a half (1000mg twice a day) and I don't get these episodes any more. I had never even considered epilepsy as a diagnosis because I never heard of this split second sleep-like thing being a seizure. It took me quite awhile to wrap my head around the diagnosis once I got it. I had a neurologist tell me I was "depressed" and then pretty much accuse me of wanting to be prescribed speed. I saw a sleep psychologist who agreed with me that I wasn't depressed, but was baffled by what it could be. She then consulted with another neurologist/sleep specialist who asked her to have me see him. He's the one who diagnosed seizures.
I don't have these randomly--there are definite triggers for me, and often I have an aura of feeling like I'm on a roller coaster just before it happens. I never fall to the ground, but I have walked places while "sleeping" (when I had a very boring security guard job), and driven partway off the road in the past. I've also woken up at my computer in the office, and once while doing a crossword puzzle. Movies with explosions would make me fall asleep, which I thought was kind of ironic. Certain people's voices would put me out almost right away. It was becoming embarrassing and debilitating, and limited my driving to no more than 20-30 minutes because any longer than that would set me off uncontrollably. I never have had these episodes when I'm doing something physically active that I'm mentally engaged in. Like I said, the Keppra has this under control very well now (it's the only med I take).
It's interesting to see a bunch of people who have this kind of seizure--I thought I was the only one!
Deb
Yes, this "micro sleep" thing is exactly what I have. I thought I had narcolepsy, but all the sleep disorder tests showed that I had no sleep disorders, and that I wasn't falling asleep for these split seconds. An EEG showed temporal lobe spikes. I've been on Keppra for about a year and a half (1000mg twice a day) and I don't get these episodes any more. I had never even considered epilepsy as a diagnosis because I never heard of this split second sleep-like thing being a seizure. It took me quite awhile to wrap my head around the diagnosis once I got it. I had a neurologist tell me I was "depressed" and then pretty much accuse me of wanting to be prescribed speed. I saw a sleep psychologist who agreed with me that I wasn't depressed, but was baffled by what it could be. She then consulted with another neurologist/sleep specialist who asked her to have me see him. He's the one who diagnosed seizures.
I don't have these randomly--there are definite triggers for me, and often I have an aura of feeling like I'm on a roller coaster just before it happens. I never fall to the ground, but I have walked places while "sleeping" (when I had a very boring security guard job), and driven partway off the road in the past. I've also woken up at my computer in the office, and once while doing a crossword puzzle. Movies with explosions would make me fall asleep, which I thought was kind of ironic. Certain people's voices would put me out almost right away. It was becoming embarrassing and debilitating, and limited my driving to no more than 20-30 minutes because any longer than that would set me off uncontrollably. I never have had these episodes when I'm doing something physically active that I'm mentally engaged in. Like I said, the Keppra has this under control very well now (it's the only med I take).
It's interesting to see a bunch of people who have this kind of seizure--I thought I was the only one!
Deb