epilepsy and concussion

Re: epilepsy and concussion

Submitted by 3Hours2Live on Mon, 2013-10-07 - 05:20

Hi LenaOrrick, About seven years ago, a secondarily generalized tonic-clonic seizure resulted in a frontal subdural hematoma, and a six-hole-trephined skull, three on each side, some large, some small. The hematoma didn't make my epilepsy worse, but I erroneously regarded the earliest effects of the hematoma as intense symptoms of stronger than usual migraines that are sometimes seemingly related to my epilepsy and sometimes not. The lasting effects of the hematoma seems to have permanently damaged my directional and locational memory in terms of geographics (I rely on a GPS unit now). I had a concussion as a child from a baseball bat (no memory of a few months around the incident), but that doesn't seem to be related to my epilepsy, as I had earlier febrile & non-febrile "blue baby" seizures and other sign & symptoms that hint of combinations of LQTS and/or neurocutaneous syndromes, both which often have complications resulting in an epilepsy. The first ER response to the unknown hematoma was labeled seizures & post-seizure migraine, and the weeks later ER response to my increased frequency of bouts of spreading bilateral paralysis was with a CAT-scan that gave me the moniker "3 hours to live". Tadzio

Re: epilepsy and concussion

Submitted by just_joe on Wed, 2013-10-09 - 18:46

Hi Lenaorrick

My epilepsy was caused by a hemmorage to the brain when I was 6-8. The hemmorage caused scared brain tissue. When hitting 12 I grew almost a foot in height which is when the seizures might have started.

I read your post and I know many things abut a blow to the head. I know this because I was diagnose with epilepsy when I was 13, I had a few seizures at 12 and I might have had some in classes before that because I was always getting written up for day dreaming. My seizures are caused by a hemmorage to the brrain caused by a blow to my head.Doc said it happened when I was 6-8. I was in a gang fight back tehn but I can't remember being knocked out. Doc iss my neurologit now but the diagnosis was done back in 1963 and those tests showed the same thing.CT scan can and does show a lot. So do MRI's.  Medications work well at controlling seizures but they need to up th dosage from time to time. They need to add another medication from time to time.

I suggest you get the diary on this site and watch it because the information entered can help the doctor. One of the first questions my neuro askes is HOW MANY SEIZURES have you had. Using the diary lets you ebeter seizures medications and notes which I use to input possiable triggers or time it took in the seizure and get back to normal. Taht information can be sent to your doctor or I believe you can give him permission to go n=in and look at it and he can read the graphs notes and everything. With that information he might see possiable triggers or even come up with other procedures or medication combinations.

I hope this helps and I do hope you get your seizures uunder control and get seizure free.

Joe