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Seizure drop attacks
Mon, 01/31/2011 - 14:53Comments
Re: Seizure drop attacks
Submitted by cdj on Tue, 2011-02-08 - 13:55
Re: Seizure drop attacks
Submitted by worried.about.dad on Wed, 2011-03-02 - 14:45
My dad has 'drop attacks' according to a doctor. My dad, who is in his early fourties, has been having these attacks for several years, although they were not nearly as bad about six or seven years ago. His attacks are primarily caused from panic and anxiety. When he has an attack, he can usually start to feel it before he 'drops.' He loses expression on his face and starts feeling real panicky. Sometimes he can pull through the anxiety without an attack, but most of the time when it hits him, he falls out, where ever he is at (he has fallen in the kitchen, outside, in the garage, sitting on the couch, etc.) And when he goes down, he falls hard. When he falls he passes out for a quick moment, and then he comes-to, but he cannot use any of his muscles... not his hands, mouth, legs, nothing!.. but he can hear. Most of the time he will start to cry, mostly because they just make him so upset, and sometimes he will start to get sick, so we have to make sure to get him onto his side when that happens. These attacks usually last anywhere from thirty minutes to an hour, and sometimes the side effects afterwards will last up through the next day. The first sign that he is pulling out of one of these attacks is he will start to twitch his hands and touch his fingers together to start getting muscle control back.
He has been to all kinds of doctors and gone through several tests and scans, and we have never been told a definite answer on why he has these attacks, and we've been searching for years. He went to the ER last week because he was having trouble with his neck and that's when we heard the term 'drop attacks' for the first time. From what I have read about drop attacks, they seem more like a symptom of something rather than a diagnosis. These attacks he has are very much like a seizure, but they're not epileptic, and he doesn't lose bladder control. I've also considered it to be similar to a TIA, or a mini stroke, but he doesn't usually have numbness to one side, he just loses all muscle control.
I am hoping to network with other people that have experienced similar things to try to find an answer to these attacks. My dad is on several medications, I wish they could find one to help him fight off these attacks, because as he gets older these falls of his are going to be more detrimental to his health.
Has anybody ever experienced something this severe?
My dad has 'drop attacks' according to a doctor. My dad, who is in his early fourties, has been having these attacks for several years, although they were not nearly as bad about six or seven years ago. His attacks are primarily caused from panic and anxiety. When he has an attack, he can usually start to feel it before he 'drops.' He loses expression on his face and starts feeling real panicky. Sometimes he can pull through the anxiety without an attack, but most of the time when it hits him, he falls out, where ever he is at (he has fallen in the kitchen, outside, in the garage, sitting on the couch, etc.) And when he goes down, he falls hard. When he falls he passes out for a quick moment, and then he comes-to, but he cannot use any of his muscles... not his hands, mouth, legs, nothing!.. but he can hear. Most of the time he will start to cry, mostly because they just make him so upset, and sometimes he will start to get sick, so we have to make sure to get him onto his side when that happens. These attacks usually last anywhere from thirty minutes to an hour, and sometimes the side effects afterwards will last up through the next day. The first sign that he is pulling out of one of these attacks is he will start to twitch his hands and touch his fingers together to start getting muscle control back.
He has been to all kinds of doctors and gone through several tests and scans, and we have never been told a definite answer on why he has these attacks, and we've been searching for years. He went to the ER last week because he was having trouble with his neck and that's when we heard the term 'drop attacks' for the first time. From what I have read about drop attacks, they seem more like a symptom of something rather than a diagnosis. These attacks he has are very much like a seizure, but they're not epileptic, and he doesn't lose bladder control. I've also considered it to be similar to a TIA, or a mini stroke, but he doesn't usually have numbness to one side, he just loses all muscle control.
I am hoping to network with other people that have experienced similar things to try to find an answer to these attacks. My dad is on several medications, I wish they could find one to help him fight off these attacks, because as he gets older these falls of his are going to be more detrimental to his health.
Has anybody ever experienced something this severe?
Re: Seizure drop attacks
Submitted by Massey on Tue, 2011-02-08 - 08:24
My son started having them in November. He was diagnosed as E four years ago at nearly 18, always down the left side.. arm/leg. I happened to be looking straight into his eyes recently when a drop attack hit. It's stunning. He hit the floor faster than I could move to help. He says he is aware the entire time. He is scheduled for Right Frontal Lobe surgery on the 21 rst of this month. In fact we meet the surgeon tommorrow.
The drop attacks sometimes cause his body to go limp and gently crumple and fall, others forced to the cround and then it looked as if someone walked over and lifted hime and pushed him backwards again, or the just cause a super fast free fall - as many as 10 in a day. Doc's added Kepra (4rth med) and also emergency Lorazepam to break those cycles. But the the arrival of drop attacks certainly let us know that all surgery needed to be looked at. The meds weren't stopping it.
My son started having them in November. He was diagnosed as E four years ago at nearly 18, always down the left side.. arm/leg. I happened to be looking straight into his eyes recently when a drop attack hit. It's stunning. He hit the floor faster than I could move to help. He says he is aware the entire time. He is scheduled for Right Frontal Lobe surgery on the 21 rst of this month. In fact we meet the surgeon tommorrow.
The drop attacks sometimes cause his body to go limp and gently crumple and fall, others forced to the cround and then it looked as if someone walked over and lifted hime and pushed him backwards again, or the just cause a super fast free fall - as many as 10 in a day. Doc's added Kepra (4rth med) and also emergency Lorazepam to break those cycles. But the the arrival of drop attacks certainly let us know that all surgery needed to be looked at. The meds weren't stopping it.