Community Forum Archive
The Epilepsy Community Forums are closed, and the information is archived. The content in this section may not be current or apply to all situations. In addition, forum questions and responses include information and content that has been generated by epilepsy community members. This content is not moderated. The information on these pages should not be substituted for medical advice from a healthcare provider. Experiences with epilepsy can vary greatly on an individual basis. Please contact your doctor or medical team if you have any questions about your situation. For more information, learn about epilepsy or visit our resources section.
Is anyone driving with/during partial seizure? I am worried.
Fri, 10/03/2008 - 08:33Hi
I'm new around here, but have been listening in over the past month or so. Had a number of head injuries and latest seems to not be healing well it's been 9 months and still having alot of problems. and now I think i've been having some sort of partial seizures or somehing. I get an ringing in my ears and change in awareness, where i will feel like i shift in space or fall a few feet. then i get a thick cloud come over me and my head starts shooting electric like shocks on one side then i start twitching and eyes roll, can't keep them open, Twitches start in eyes, then face, then shoulder, arm and chest, my arm and leg will jerk as well , on left side. they only last from 30 secomds to a couple of minutes. but they can also start up again after a brief break? and i can have a few in a row. My face goes numb and tingly and i feel exhausted and foggy for an hour or so. some of them i feel like i am going to pass out.
Nuero (who i seemed totally bored and uninterested in my problem) has ordered an EEG to see if it is seizure.
Anyways my point is i am aware of what is going on to me, i kind of feel like i am observing myself but i am not fully aware of what is going on around me. I can hear my husband talk to me when i go into this 'altered state', but i can't talk, if i try it comes out in moans. I've have had these mostly at night, before sleeping and in the middle of the night so i was just trying to pretend they weren't happening(haven't had a real sleep in a couple of week till last night i double dosed on some muscle relaxers that totally knock me out.) some nights i wake up with a jerk or with my hands gripped tight on my face or my muscles so gripped i wonder what the heck i am doing in my sleep! But now they happen during the day.
but to get to my piont i have now had 4 of these while driving. I manage to pull over but it is very scary in fast hwy. traffic and i am really not with it. The doctor said i could do what ever i felt comfortable with in regards to driving and working (i'm a zoo keeper so my job can be rather dangerous) So i have been driving if i don't i'll lose my job, my job is an hour commute each way, i live in the sticks so there is no public transit. I am worried that i'll pass out and crash, hurt someone else. Maybe i am just being paranoid as the doc, didn't seem too concerned. Also worried that i will pass out at work and knock my head and end up face down in the monkey shit. My brain can't handle another beating. Curious if anyone out there has similar experience and if they are driving. What do you do? Do you feel like you are impaired while driving? Is it legal to drive with partial sz (i am in Ontario Canada) I usually get a warning like the ringing and cloud feeling but, they seem to be coming on quicker. Can they change? does this mean i may get a bigger seizure anytime? I am new to all this, If anyone has any advice it would be appreciated so much.
Thank you for listening.
Comments
Re: Is anyone driving with/during partial seizure? I am worried.
Submitted by silverwolf82 on Sun, 2009-10-11 - 17:18
I'm suffering from partial seizures, too. The doctors who I've gone to say I should be seizure free for 6 months. Well, I'm s.o.l. on that. Something happens every week. And I love driving. I lived in a city and when I had to drive I went on fast highways or streets where I couldn't pullover. Now I've moved to the country where I can get better care both medical and support. I have to be driven somewhere when I need something or want to go somewhere. I hate it! I hate asking people for favors. I'm just waiting for a chance so I can drive again but I have a feeling that will be a while. I have improved in my seizures for at least two years now. I don't black out when I have my seizures but I lose control of my leg and my left hand seems to get a mind of itself. It will give a flick at the end of the seizure as a finale. These will last only a few seconds. I have to wait sadly but in time I think it will improve more. If you gain control of yours in time, maybe you can drive, too.
I'm suffering from partial seizures, too. The doctors who I've gone to say I should be seizure free for 6 months. Well, I'm s.o.l. on that. Something happens every week. And I love driving. I lived in a city and when I had to drive I went on fast highways or streets where I couldn't pullover. Now I've moved to the country where I can get better care both medical and support. I have to be driven somewhere when I need something or want to go somewhere. I hate it! I hate asking people for favors. I'm just waiting for a chance so I can drive again but I have a feeling that will be a while. I have improved in my seizures for at least two years now. I don't black out when I have my seizures but I lose control of my leg and my left hand seems to get a mind of itself. It will give a flick at the end of the seizure as a finale. These will last only a few seconds. I have to wait sadly but in time I think it will improve more. If you gain control of yours in time, maybe you can drive, too.
Re: Is anyone driving with/during partial seizure? I am worried.
Submitted by Ithappens on Thu, 2009-11-05 - 16:00
zoogirl,
your story is right on with mine. same onset and all. same shot to the head ... I have a lession from a car accident 30 years ago. I've been diagnosed with complex partial. I'm on 400 lamictal and 150 zonegran. if I miss one dose I get a seizure. My memory is gone. I am constantly having to retype or my writings would be unreadable. I make mistakes all day and it is frustating the piss out of me.
I had the same type of driving situation on the NY state thruway. thought I was going to crash and burn. Horrible experience. this is dangerous stuff we are dealing with. It is dibilitating and it is so underrated as a disease and condition. I was just diagnosed this year.
Hope you are still on the site. Good luck to all that read this and stay in tough if you care too. ...
Ithappens .... doesn't it though?
zoogirl,
your story is right on with mine. same onset and all. same shot to the head ... I have a lession from a car accident 30 years ago. I've been diagnosed with complex partial. I'm on 400 lamictal and 150 zonegran. if I miss one dose I get a seizure. My memory is gone. I am constantly having to retype or my writings would be unreadable. I make mistakes all day and it is frustating the piss out of me.
I had the same type of driving situation on the NY state thruway. thought I was going to crash and burn. Horrible experience. this is dangerous stuff we are dealing with. It is dibilitating and it is so underrated as a disease and condition. I was just diagnosed this year.
Hope you are still on the site. Good luck to all that read this and stay in tough if you care too. ...
Ithappens .... doesn't it though?
Re: Is anyone driving with/during partial seizure? I am worried.
Submitted by seakats on Fri, 2008-10-03 - 13:12
I recieved the "gift" of epilepsy from a car crash eight years ago...the other guy was drunk and driving 50 mph as he broadsided me. So I know where you're coming from with the whole head injury thing.
If you are losing awareness during driving, then I'd recommend not driving. It's safer for you and will prevent you from getting in a crash and gaining (yet another) head injury. Different states (I live in the US) have different laws as far as how long after a seizure you can drive. The law is that if you lose awareness, you, by law cannot drive for a specified amount of time usually ranging from six months to a year. I live "in the sticks" as well and have had to rely on friends and family to get places. Do you have a co-worker with the same shift, family that would drive you, your husband, friends that would drive you shift style to get you to work?
Let your boss(es) know what is going on with your health. It is a liabilty suit waiting to happen to them and they may want you to work in pairs or work in a different environment until you get a definitive diagnosis. In the states, epilepsy is now covered as a disability so you cannot be fired over it. I wish I had known that when I lost my job 2 years back. They didn't like the fact I had seizures (I didn't tell them...they found out) and found a way to get rid of me.
Yes, seizures can (and do) change over the years. Mine haven't changed symptoms but my body develops an immunity to the AEDs (the seizure drugs) after a while of being on them. My epileptologist (a neurologist that specializes in epilepsy) says that for some people this is normal. My seizures, however have gotten longer and more intense.
Finally, if you feel that your neurologist is uninterested in you, your symptoms and your problems, look for others in your area. It's ok to look for one you "mesh" with. The problems you have are complex and if you don't trust each other and sync with one another, it won't work. I feel that whatever I tell my neuro is going to be taken very seriously. If you feel unsure of whether to seek another's care, sit down and have a conversation with your current neuro and tell him what you're feeling and why. You'd be doing him and his current patients a favor.
I recieved the "gift" of epilepsy from a car crash eight years ago...the other guy was drunk and driving 50 mph as he broadsided me. So I know where you're coming from with the whole head injury thing.
If you are losing awareness during driving, then I'd recommend not driving. It's safer for you and will prevent you from getting in a crash and gaining (yet another) head injury. Different states (I live in the US) have different laws as far as how long after a seizure you can drive. The law is that if you lose awareness, you, by law cannot drive for a specified amount of time usually ranging from six months to a year. I live "in the sticks" as well and have had to rely on friends and family to get places. Do you have a co-worker with the same shift, family that would drive you, your husband, friends that would drive you shift style to get you to work?
Let your boss(es) know what is going on with your health. It is a liabilty suit waiting to happen to them and they may want you to work in pairs or work in a different environment until you get a definitive diagnosis. In the states, epilepsy is now covered as a disability so you cannot be fired over it. I wish I had known that when I lost my job 2 years back. They didn't like the fact I had seizures (I didn't tell them...they found out) and found a way to get rid of me.
Yes, seizures can (and do) change over the years. Mine haven't changed symptoms but my body develops an immunity to the AEDs (the seizure drugs) after a while of being on them. My epileptologist (a neurologist that specializes in epilepsy) says that for some people this is normal. My seizures, however have gotten longer and more intense.
Finally, if you feel that your neurologist is uninterested in you, your symptoms and your problems, look for others in your area. It's ok to look for one you "mesh" with. The problems you have are complex and if you don't trust each other and sync with one another, it won't work. I feel that whatever I tell my neuro is going to be taken very seriously. If you feel unsure of whether to seek another's care, sit down and have a conversation with your current neuro and tell him what you're feeling and why. You'd be doing him and his current patients a favor.