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Complex Partial/Night Terrors

Thu, 02/19/2004 - 15:47
I am new to this forum so please forgive any mistakes I may make. I am looking for different information on How Epilepsy is actually diagnosed. I was told by the Epilepsy foundation that recurring seizures is termed Epilepsy. I had been in a car accident 12 years ago. 9 months after that my problems began. At first it only happened while I was sleeping. I would scream, jump out of bed and run until I hit a door or a wall. The only way I could tell that something had occured was by the injuries, my bitten tounge (lip) or my family telling me. I have tried to jump off of the balcony, taken off my clothes, gone outside or walked around afterward talking nonsense. At times my memory is affected. I have seen many doctors. They said I suffer from Night Terrors. About 8 years ago they started to happen while I was awake. Many times I had gone grocery shopping and woke up in an ambulance. It got to where I could feel it coming. I would run and bite something. One doctor witnessed this and said "it looked like a complex partial seizure." After 10 years I was finally put on dilantin. # years ago. Now one of my main concerns is that I have NEVER been diagnosed. The last doctor I saw said that I have a mental problem. This is based on Normal EEGs. I had only seen this doctor twice. Has anyone else had similar problems in getting help??If someone else can relate to my story or give me feedback I would appreciate it. Thank you.

Comments

Re: Complex Partial/Night Terrors

Submitted by GenieS on Thu, 2012-01-05 - 21:29

I found this post doing a Google search for infant night terrors and seizures. I am new to blogging, and I am not sure of the proper protocol so hopefully I do not cross the lines of etiquette.

My son is 20 and has recently experienced three seizures, each about 2 weeks apart. After several weeks of ER visits, medical work ups, and various doctors, the current belief is that it is Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME), also known as Janz syndrome. My research into JME is has indicated that there are three types of seizures common with this syndrome, and that frequently Generalized Tonic-Clonic Seizures don't begin until teens or young adulthood.

The question is, what behaviors have we seen and searched medical advice for, were possibly Absence or Myoclonus. As Mom, I feel a need to understand, when did this begin, how did it evolve and why didn't I know. There are many questions; he suffered from night terrors most of his life, where he would wake up screaming and rigid, eye rolled; also night disturbances, complaining of being asleep and woke up by a jerk. He was treated for ADHD as a child because he exhibited the habit of repetitive annoying behavior, taping a foot, pencil or finger that would continue for minutes and you couldn't stop him. Along with episodes of "spacing out".

In more recent years, he has lost jobs for episodes of inattentiveness that he doesn't remember. And between 16 and 18, he "feel asleep at the wheel" twice, once hitting a power pole and once a tree.

The difficulty now is that he will graciously allow me to go into the doctor’s office with him (he is 20), but if I speak, then I am shunned. I cannot ask these questions, and he does not have the full history and understanding of his childhood behaviors.  So, I sit, listen, and wonder. And, he is depressed because he fears never having a normal life. He also had open heart surgery at three, and continues to have heart issues, with chronic pericarditis between 11 and 17. He is otherwise physically and developmentally “normal” for 20.

Any interaction about this would be greatly appreciated. I just need an outlet for support.

 

I found this post doing a Google search for infant night terrors and seizures. I am new to blogging, and I am not sure of the proper protocol so hopefully I do not cross the lines of etiquette.

My son is 20 and has recently experienced three seizures, each about 2 weeks apart. After several weeks of ER visits, medical work ups, and various doctors, the current belief is that it is Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME), also known as Janz syndrome. My research into JME is has indicated that there are three types of seizures common with this syndrome, and that frequently Generalized Tonic-Clonic Seizures don't begin until teens or young adulthood.

The question is, what behaviors have we seen and searched medical advice for, were possibly Absence or Myoclonus. As Mom, I feel a need to understand, when did this begin, how did it evolve and why didn't I know. There are many questions; he suffered from night terrors most of his life, where he would wake up screaming and rigid, eye rolled; also night disturbances, complaining of being asleep and woke up by a jerk. He was treated for ADHD as a child because he exhibited the habit of repetitive annoying behavior, taping a foot, pencil or finger that would continue for minutes and you couldn't stop him. Along with episodes of "spacing out".

In more recent years, he has lost jobs for episodes of inattentiveness that he doesn't remember. And between 16 and 18, he "feel asleep at the wheel" twice, once hitting a power pole and once a tree.

The difficulty now is that he will graciously allow me to go into the doctor’s office with him (he is 20), but if I speak, then I am shunned. I cannot ask these questions, and he does not have the full history and understanding of his childhood behaviors.  So, I sit, listen, and wonder. And, he is depressed because he fears never having a normal life. He also had open heart surgery at three, and continues to have heart issues, with chronic pericarditis between 11 and 17. He is otherwise physically and developmentally “normal” for 20.

Any interaction about this would be greatly appreciated. I just need an outlet for support.

 

Re: Complex Partial/Night Terrors

Submitted by transamboss on Thu, 2012-01-05 - 23:52
My neurologist has diagnosed me with epilepsy even with normal eeg's, because of my episodes simply stated because your medication will cause your brain to function in a manner that is normal and no abnormality will be indicated until a grand mal occurs or large malfunction brain wave is detected without medication.   ????? Who knows. 

Re: Complex Partial/Night Terrors

Submitted by wabby90 on Sat, 2012-09-22 - 15:06
My name is Will and I am 22 years old and having frequent night terrors/tremors. What takes place is my whole body starts shaking. I am either hot or cold, when it happens. Also it may make a seizure take place or I am able to stop the seizure from taking place by deep breathing. So sleeping is disturbed every night now. I take as my main seizure medicine non-generic Keppra and Lamictal. As needed I take a rescue med called Clonazepam. I am trying now to get on this med called Onfi. I haven't slept the whole night since January of 2012. What is taking place and why? Is it because of the medicine I have been taking? What are the ways of treating it?

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