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Driving and Absence Seizures

Sun, 08/05/2012 - 23:24

Since the end of 8th grade, I've had absence seizures, but I wasn't medically diagnosed until June of this year, and I just finised my Junior year of high school. When I turned 16, I did receive my learner's permit... I don't notice my seizures, but my family does, and from what I've heard, I have never had one while driving. When I snap out of it, I feel confused for a moment, and never once has that happened while driving, because I never felt confused like I normally do. But when I was diagnosed, thinking, since they are infrequent and mild, that I would be able to drive, even after the seizure specialist mentioned the driving with epilepsy law. I was wrong, it applies to me as well. And it totally sucks, being promised that I can use a spare car to drive to school my senior year, planning ahead what time I would leave for school, how I would get there, who I would drive, and then all of a sudden I told that I can't... until after my graduation (that's when the seizure free year would be over)... And to tell some of my close friends and family about it, to hear some say, it's for the safety of yourself, and others as well, made me feel like a complete hazard to the road! We learn in health class, that when you choose not to drink and drive, you will be saving yourself and others as well. I feel it's completely the same! It's been over a month, and I'm having a hard time grasping this... I constantly dwell on it, and I shouldn't be, but it was hard for me to hear...

Comments

Re: Driving and Absence Seizures

Submitted by rynordin on Thu, 2012-08-30 - 22:37
Hello everyone- I'd like to start off by thanking all of you for commenting on my thread. It is a truly frustrating situation. I am on medication as well. I forgot what it's called but I think it's mentioned in a comment. I have just increased my dosage to three pills twice a day and I have been taking them on a somewhat strict schedule. It's kind of hard for a teenager in the summer to wake up at two pm and then have to wait until much later on... This was mentioned earlier. That it is hard to tell if they are a daydream or an actual seizure. I can completely relate! I use to have them for not even a second. Now that I'm on medication, I haven't noticed the confusion that I'm at. They've only happened in social situations where my mind is on a hundred different things at once. Like I said in my post, my parents or older sisters have never noticed them while driving. And I'm not saying this because I want to drive, but they should take into account of the severity, frequency, and the cause of the seizures. Ive had a few EEGs and nothing they do in the test triggers them, even the bright flashing light they flash at your face. Thank you all again

Re: Driving and Absence Seizures

Submitted by SarahEmily_94 on Sun, 2012-09-02 - 17:22
I'm so glad you can relate to that, its just too hard to tell which one it is as its so short. When I had my EEG, I was having around 20 absences a day and they picked it up straight away during the scan but if I were to go back and do it again they probably wouldn't be able to trigger them. I'm not photosensitive with the flashing lights which is lucky really. My absences/daydreams always happen when I'm in the middle of doing something when I'm concentrating on several different things at once too! They should definitely take different situations into account.

Re: Driving and Absence Seizures

Submitted by kfontaine on Wed, 2012-09-05 - 09:36

Thank you both for the great details!  I went to my PCP yesterday, for my annual, and we discussed a new neurologist.  I am going to see a new doctor next month.  I'm kind of excited, if that sounds weird.  Excited to get some answers, I guess, being that nothing's changed - hasn't gotten worse, just hasn't changed since I stopped the meds.  Her and I discussed starting up Topamax again, as that was the only drug that completely helped me, but we decided to wait to see what the new neuro suggests. 

Okay, so the daydreams you both speak about.... see, thought I was going bonkers, just randomly daydreaming while doing something important, and why was this daydream so important - was I really needing a distraction and that's why I would start daydreaming?  And they're SO real, SO detailed, I could not understand "why" they'd just pop into my head.  It's not like I was JD from Scrubs and "wanting" to day dream, you know?  So when you say you can't tell if they're seizures or not, I know that feeling, too.  Not knowing, that's what makes it all the more weird.  When you can't account for what just happened, and did something really happen?  Does this happen to Jane at the next desk from me?  Will she think I'm weird asking?

So we discussed my driving.  And she didn't say either way if I should or shouldn't, as my last diagnosis was "migraine."  I guess this will come up.  Course I only drive in town (we live in a small town) and I do not drive if I feel "off" when I wake in the morning.  I do not go anywhere alone, either, just to be on the safe side.  I heard one time, someone post "anyone ever wonder how they got from one place to the other while driving?  Like the car knew where to go and how to get there but I don't recall driving?" and other people would post - not in a seizure forum, just post that yeah, that's weird when it happens and it like only happened one time for most of these people.  That's like when I'm sitting at my computer, and I don't remember hitting 'update' and then my work's done and I'm thinking I'm still on #3 or whatever. 

What frusturates me most, tho, is that symptoms of migraine and some seizures are the same, and since nothing was caught on my video monitoring, they classified me with the migraines when for 9 months before that, my neuro told me I was having seizures from what I described to them.... how can it change just like that, you know?!

How long have you both been on what drug again?  I can't scroll to find the other posts.... and I cannot remember one of your questions...."does that happen with any of you?" I think is what it was, but don't remember, should have written it down!

Thank you both for the great details!  I went to my PCP yesterday, for my annual, and we discussed a new neurologist.  I am going to see a new doctor next month.  I'm kind of excited, if that sounds weird.  Excited to get some answers, I guess, being that nothing's changed - hasn't gotten worse, just hasn't changed since I stopped the meds.  Her and I discussed starting up Topamax again, as that was the only drug that completely helped me, but we decided to wait to see what the new neuro suggests. 

Okay, so the daydreams you both speak about.... see, thought I was going bonkers, just randomly daydreaming while doing something important, and why was this daydream so important - was I really needing a distraction and that's why I would start daydreaming?  And they're SO real, SO detailed, I could not understand "why" they'd just pop into my head.  It's not like I was JD from Scrubs and "wanting" to day dream, you know?  So when you say you can't tell if they're seizures or not, I know that feeling, too.  Not knowing, that's what makes it all the more weird.  When you can't account for what just happened, and did something really happen?  Does this happen to Jane at the next desk from me?  Will she think I'm weird asking?

So we discussed my driving.  And she didn't say either way if I should or shouldn't, as my last diagnosis was "migraine."  I guess this will come up.  Course I only drive in town (we live in a small town) and I do not drive if I feel "off" when I wake in the morning.  I do not go anywhere alone, either, just to be on the safe side.  I heard one time, someone post "anyone ever wonder how they got from one place to the other while driving?  Like the car knew where to go and how to get there but I don't recall driving?" and other people would post - not in a seizure forum, just post that yeah, that's weird when it happens and it like only happened one time for most of these people.  That's like when I'm sitting at my computer, and I don't remember hitting 'update' and then my work's done and I'm thinking I'm still on #3 or whatever. 

What frusturates me most, tho, is that symptoms of migraine and some seizures are the same, and since nothing was caught on my video monitoring, they classified me with the migraines when for 9 months before that, my neuro told me I was having seizures from what I described to them.... how can it change just like that, you know?!

How long have you both been on what drug again?  I can't scroll to find the other posts.... and I cannot remember one of your questions...."does that happen with any of you?" I think is what it was, but don't remember, should have written it down!

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