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Scared, Confused, Please Help Me :(
Mon, 02/07/2005 - 12:01The first time I ever "passed out", was when I was 17 yrs old. It was actually in the shower and a very scary experience. I still remember the absolute fear of waking up from my first episode not knowing where I was and what was happening. I am currently 24 years old and have been having spells were I "pass out" for going on 7 years now. I was in college at this time with no healthy insurance, so I visited the university center to see a Dr. I discussed my situation with him (maybe didn't give the WHOLE truth because of embarrassment) but did tell him about my situation and how I was passing out. He decided that I was hypoglycemic and was reacting to a drop in my blood sugar. For 7 years now, I have truly believe I was hypoglycemic. However, now I am beginning to question it. Let me describe what happens to me and please tell me what you think. I am just so scared and confused lately.
My spells have no consistency. They don't happen 2 times a week, 1 time a month, etc. Sometimes I can go a few months without a spell, sometimes I can have a couple days where I have one spell a day. Lately, I have been having about one spell every couple months. The past two weeks, I have "passed out" twice. Before I pass out (this may sound odd), I always have this overwhelming feeling of deja vu. Whatever I am doing, I feel like I have done before and I feel like I know what is going to happen next. It is so scary. I never told anyone but my husband because I thought that I was crazy. I usually have a warning time before I pass out. I can feel this sensation of deja vu coming on and I try to fight it. I use to be able to fight it and stop myself from "passing out" sometimes. My spells lately come on a little faster. I have deja vu, try to get to an area away from others, and then black out. I wake up on the ground, usually with bumps and bruises. I look around wondering where I am and feeling like I am just waking up in bed. I quickly realize I just "passed out" again and am definitely am not in bed. The past two times I had these spells, I did it on concrete. :( My body has been taking quit a little pounding lately. After I "wake up", I am confused and stunned. It takes me awhile to figure out where I am, what happened, what hurts, and reorganize my thoughts. I don't get as scared as I use to - as I am a little more use to it now and can compose myself. People who have witnessed me pass out say that I do twitch a little (mostly my head) and my eyes remain open in a lost gaze - I don't convulse or anything.
I am a new mother who is breastfeeding and has low blood sugar, so I cropped it up to not eating right. I have always been told I was hypoglcemic. However, today I felt like I ate a lot of protein. I just don't understand why my blood sugar would be low enough to cause me to pass out today? So I got on the Internet and put "deja vu passing out" in the Yahoo search engine. Up popped pages with information on epilepsy. EPILEPSY! I have never even heard that word said to me! Right now I am only working part-time and have no healthy insurance. I gave up a full-time job and insurance to be a part time stay at home mom with my baby. I may be able to qualify for some assitance but I am unsure.
I guess my questions are -
What is going on with me? Does this sound like I could have epilepsy and not hypoglcemia at all!?
I read some about Temperal Lobe Epilepsy? What they described sounds exactly like what I am experiencing. Do you think that is the "type" I could have?
Could low blood sugar bring on my "seizure"?
My spells seem to happen during high periods of stress - could this be causing my episodes?
How do I know if I have epilepsy? What test need to be done?
Do I NEED to go to a Dr. right now? Why? Meaning if I don't, could it get worse - what could happen? I have lived this way for 7 years now. However, I am tired of my head hurting (usually from the impact with the floor) :(
Would I need meds? Even though my spells are irregular? Or is there a way for me to learn to controls these episodes with medication?
PLEASE HELP ME! :( I am seriously in tears over this. I don't know what to do - what to think. I just had a baby and she is the joy of my life. I can't imagine not seeing her grow. Luckily, I always have a deja vu experience before I pass out - so I know to set her down if have her in my arms. However, both times this has happened so far she has not been with me. Thanks goodness. I am just such a mess and need some guidance/information/support - I feel like I am lost.
What is going on with me????
Thank You,
Rachel :(
Comments
RE: Scared, Confused, Please Help Me :(
Submitted by leslieannmarin on Fri, 2005-02-04 - 09:17
Rachel: I am relatively new to this site. I really cant give you much information regarding your spells other than you really should see a neurologist and you can search this site, it is a wealth of information. There are so many supportive and INTELLIGENT INFORMED people on this site. Don't despair. Being a new mother is overwhelming in and of itself. Been there myself. What I have learned both from this site as well as from seeing 2 neurologist and an epileptilogist(sp?) is that there is hope and help. Good luck to you.
Leslie
Rachel: I am relatively new to this site. I really cant give you much information regarding your spells other than you really should see a neurologist and you can search this site, it is a wealth of information. There are so many supportive and INTELLIGENT INFORMED people on this site. Don't despair. Being a new mother is overwhelming in and of itself. Been there myself. What I have learned both from this site as well as from seeing 2 neurologist and an epileptilogist(sp?) is that there is hope and help. Good luck to you.
Leslie
RE: Scared, Confused, Please Help Me :(
Submitted by mollybright on Fri, 2005-02-04 - 09:18
Hi Rachael,
It is hard enough being a new Mom who is at home taking care of a baby, let alone having to worry about passing out and wondering if it is a symptom of something more serious! You sound overwhelmed and isolated. And, good gracious, it is amazing that you have managed this far! I'm so glad you reached out!
I am replying to encourage you in several different directions:
first, as scary as it may be, you need to see a doctor both for your physical well being but also your peace of mind and
second, think about the people in your life who you trust and who are supportive and to seek them out to talk to during the process it will take to get a diagnosis so that you are not alone in this (husband's don't count...especially new dad's who are apt to be just as sleep deprived and stressed!) and
third, remember, taking care of yourself is the best way to take care of your daughter...so try to eat regularly, try to get enough rest (I know it's ridiculously hard when you are breastfeeding!), and make time for activities, joys, friends, hobbies in your life that reduce your stress.
I had hypoglycemia when I was pregnant and my understanding is that it has to be very severe to lead to unconsciousness and convulsions. I always had lots of warning signs like shakiness, cold/clammy feeling, dizziness to let me know I needed to eat something and I would feel better within 5-15 minutes so that it would never progress beyond those first symptoms. These symptoms would come on quite quickly, but always with enough time to take action. Do you have these signs of mild hypoglycemia before you progress to the severe stage? There are also ways to monitor your blood sugar, as your doctor may have already told you, such as glucose test strips and a portable glucose monitor (often used with diabetics) if you need to get an accurate level.
I'm not a doctor, but based upon my own experience it seems that there are ways to definitively give you a diagnosis and help you manage the condition so that you don't end up endangering yourself (or your precious daughter).
On the other hand, it makes sense to be open to the possibility that you were misdiagnosed as hypoglycemic and that your seizures are related to something else. My daughter has epilepsy and we realize now that she had auras and seizures for years before she was accurately diagnosed. The auras take so many forms, and you don't have to read far on this site to see that the deja vue you describe is one of them.
Bottom line: The important thing at this point seems to be to get you accurately diagnosed and, whatever your condition, to have it better managed so that you are not endangering yourself. Before you start the process, I would suggest trying to get health insurance coverage (through your husband? a private policy?) and prescription coverage. I've found from unfortunate personal circumstances that it is better to "Expect the best, but plan for the worst" when it comes to medical matters. But if you can't, don't let this stop you from getting a doctor's help.
Courage, Rachel! You are not alone!
Warm wishes,
Molly
Hi Rachael,
It is hard enough being a new Mom who is at home taking care of a baby, let alone having to worry about passing out and wondering if it is a symptom of something more serious! You sound overwhelmed and isolated. And, good gracious, it is amazing that you have managed this far! I'm so glad you reached out!
I am replying to encourage you in several different directions:
first, as scary as it may be, you need to see a doctor both for your physical well being but also your peace of mind and
second, think about the people in your life who you trust and who are supportive and to seek them out to talk to during the process it will take to get a diagnosis so that you are not alone in this (husband's don't count...especially new dad's who are apt to be just as sleep deprived and stressed!) and
third, remember, taking care of yourself is the best way to take care of your daughter...so try to eat regularly, try to get enough rest (I know it's ridiculously hard when you are breastfeeding!), and make time for activities, joys, friends, hobbies in your life that reduce your stress.
I had hypoglycemia when I was pregnant and my understanding is that it has to be very severe to lead to unconsciousness and convulsions. I always had lots of warning signs like shakiness, cold/clammy feeling, dizziness to let me know I needed to eat something and I would feel better within 5-15 minutes so that it would never progress beyond those first symptoms. These symptoms would come on quite quickly, but always with enough time to take action. Do you have these signs of mild hypoglycemia before you progress to the severe stage? There are also ways to monitor your blood sugar, as your doctor may have already told you, such as glucose test strips and a portable glucose monitor (often used with diabetics) if you need to get an accurate level.
I'm not a doctor, but based upon my own experience it seems that there are ways to definitively give you a diagnosis and help you manage the condition so that you don't end up endangering yourself (or your precious daughter).
On the other hand, it makes sense to be open to the possibility that you were misdiagnosed as hypoglycemic and that your seizures are related to something else. My daughter has epilepsy and we realize now that she had auras and seizures for years before she was accurately diagnosed. The auras take so many forms, and you don't have to read far on this site to see that the deja vue you describe is one of them.
Bottom line: The important thing at this point seems to be to get you accurately diagnosed and, whatever your condition, to have it better managed so that you are not endangering yourself. Before you start the process, I would suggest trying to get health insurance coverage (through your husband? a private policy?) and prescription coverage. I've found from unfortunate personal circumstances that it is better to "Expect the best, but plan for the worst" when it comes to medical matters. But if you can't, don't let this stop you from getting a doctor's help.
Courage, Rachel! You are not alone!
Warm wishes,
Molly
RE: Scared, Confused, Please Help Me :(
Submitted by AvidRunner22 on Fri, 2005-02-04 - 08:45
sometimes, docs will do fasting EEG's on people in order to try to "catch something." low blood sugar can definitely cause a seizure. I'll try and find the source of where I found that info, I believe it was WebMD. That's where I have done most of my research and I've found more there than anyone else. I have a lot of what my neuro thinks is petitmals, which would explain my upcoming video EEG monitoring, and he was asking me if there was anything stressful going on in my life. And my respond was a resounding YES. I was abused as a child a lot, and I am still trying to overcome that. I'm 22 now. Stress can bring on seizures also. I have a lot of "spells" and dizziness and the like when I have been stressed lately. The rest of your questions, would be better served being answered by a neurologist or an epileptologist. U may have hypoglycemia and epilepsy both. I have a friend named Monica who I met through the epilepsy board on WebMD, and she has had many seizures likely due to her hypoglycemia. And they believe her blood sugar problems are causing them, but they have her on anticonvulsants also. And they haven't ruled out epilepsy for her either.