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Is it possible to have seizures while remaining conscious? PLS HELP!!!

Sun, 11/21/2004 - 19:19

I've had these "seizure-like" episodes for 5 months now.  The first one I had started while I was sitting at my desk at work and I had an aura for about an hour where I got this zig-zag line in front of my eyes and I couldn't really see straight.  I also couldn't think straight or speak straight.  And when I tried to read something, I couldn't even sound out a simple word.  Then when my sight started to return, my legs and body got very rigid and I could barely move, so much so that I could barely stand up or reach my arm out to get the phone.  My body started tremoring for about 15 minutes.  I was rushed to the hospital, but remained conscious through the whole thing.  The paramedics and everyone else around me never said seizure.  They all thought maybe it was hypoglycemia, or something like that.  Well, 5 months later (and many neurological tests later), I'm still having episodes.  (I've had about 24)  They aren't always the same.  But for the most part, now, I will be sitting and all of the sudden I won't be able to hold my head up anymore (or I'll get a feeling in the pit of my stomach), and then my hands will get all fidgety.  This will escalate, until my foot kicks out, or my hand and eventually it's my whole upper and lower torso and head tremoring from anywhere from 5-30 minutes.  It will be hard to speak and my breathing might get labored.  I'm unable to move my own body at that point, so wherever I am having the episode is where I will be until the episode over, unless someone physically moves me.  Sometimes it slows down and stops.  Sometimes it stops abruptly.  I am always totally exhausted afterward and have lots of trouble with my legs afterward, sometimes for an hour, sometimes for days.  They get very weak and heavy feeling and sometimes will give out when I walk.

They seem to come in clusters, like I will have 4-7 episodes within a 2-3 week period and then I won't have any for 7-10 days.  During the 7-10 days, I will feel good.  During the 2-3 week period, I will feel very lethargic and weak most of the time.

I've had an MRI, MRA, MRV, EEG, 24 hr. EEG, CT scan of the brain, EMG, ECG, EKG, blood work... plus probably some more that I'm forgetting about that have all come back normal.  One doctor even suggested pseudoseizures during an 8 day hospital stay, after he witnessed one of my episodes.  This was because I responded to him (remained conscious) during my "seizure" and he thought I was making it up, I guess.  I have two young children at home who have witnessed these episodes--I would not do that to them!   I was screened by a psychologist who does not believe they are pseudoseizures.

So my question is, could they still be seizures, even though I am conscious?  Or have any of you have similar episodes while remaining conscious and figured out what these episodes are?  I'm sick of the "pseudoseizure" label I've been getting.  I know something is physically wrong with me and I am trying to get to the bottom of it, but need some help from someone besides my doctors.  Thanks.

Theresa

Comments

Re: Is it possible to have seizures while remaining conscious? P

Submitted by kareterra on Sat, 2007-10-06 - 13:05
Hi Theresab! yes. you can have seizures and be aware that you're having them and just not have any ability to do anything about them. I was having lunch with my sister and had one in the middle of the restaurant. All the sudden I couldn't speak and my hand made some kind of criss/cross pattern on my chest - like i crossed my heart. I knew i was doing it, and still remember it - she was going "karen? karen?" the whole time, but i couldn't answer her or stop doing what i was doing. it was pretty humiliiating. Karen

This morning I was in bed

Submitted by Supafreak69 on Sun, 2008-01-20 - 14:35

This morning I was in bed and my eyes were open I was conscious, I could think clearly I could hear the radio in the pother room and see the light n the hall, but my body could not move,

I had my arm in the air then all of a sudden it dropped and felt like someone was pulling me off the bed, and i tried to yell out to my roomate but I couldnt speak, the I calmed my self tried to concentrate really hard and tried to speak again, still nothing, then I noticed my whole body was shaking , and i tohut to myself "am i having a siezure?" then i repeatedly tried calling to my roomie and couldnt make any audible noise, then i fociused really hard and thoguyht tro my self if only i could jsut get enogyh air coming out i might be able to make a noise, then bam "MICK" but it wasnt very loud and he still wasnt awake, and then all of a sudden everything stopped i could move and speak.

 

At some points it felt as thoguh i was watching myself but couldnt do anything.

It reminded me of "the old hag" or sleep paralisis, wehre you cant move but you can see and hear and some people report flaoting above there body and watching it happen, some people say it feels as thoguhsomeone is pinning htem down wit hthere hands and they see a old lady above them, hence the old hag term,  

 

However this was different very similar in allot of ways but my body was convulsing and htats NEVER happend before

 

and hteres no history of siezures in my family that i heard of 

This morning I was in bed and my eyes were open I was conscious, I could think clearly I could hear the radio in the pother room and see the light n the hall, but my body could not move,

I had my arm in the air then all of a sudden it dropped and felt like someone was pulling me off the bed, and i tried to yell out to my roomate but I couldnt speak, the I calmed my self tried to concentrate really hard and tried to speak again, still nothing, then I noticed my whole body was shaking , and i tohut to myself "am i having a siezure?" then i repeatedly tried calling to my roomie and couldnt make any audible noise, then i fociused really hard and thoguyht tro my self if only i could jsut get enogyh air coming out i might be able to make a noise, then bam "MICK" but it wasnt very loud and he still wasnt awake, and then all of a sudden everything stopped i could move and speak.

 

At some points it felt as thoguh i was watching myself but couldnt do anything.

It reminded me of "the old hag" or sleep paralisis, wehre you cant move but you can see and hear and some people report flaoting above there body and watching it happen, some people say it feels as thoguhsomeone is pinning htem down wit hthere hands and they see a old lady above them, hence the old hag term,  

 

However this was different very similar in allot of ways but my body was convulsing and htats NEVER happend before

 

and hteres no history of siezures in my family that i heard of 

Have you had an in patient

Submitted by SunflowerPower on Sun, 2008-01-20 - 18:52

Have you had an in patient vEEG yet? 

I should also bring up that zig zag lines are often caused by migraine, so you might be having silent migraines that trigger psychogenic seizures. I really don't know, but that's just a shot in the dark. Maybe you should talk to a headache specialist.

I often can't move when I first wake up and my eyes are open. It happens when I have a bout of sleep paralysis but I still can't move even after I open my eyes. It's like my brain just isn't turned all the way on yet. I don't think it's uncommon to get kind of stuck between awake and dreaming to one degree or another.

Once I was dreaming that zombies were after me AND had sleep paralysis, so finally I managed to open my eyes up and I thought I could feel a zombie hand crawling up me. Hehe. It was really scary! Just because your eyes are open doesn't mean you're completely awake.

 

Have you had an in patient vEEG yet? 

I should also bring up that zig zag lines are often caused by migraine, so you might be having silent migraines that trigger psychogenic seizures. I really don't know, but that's just a shot in the dark. Maybe you should talk to a headache specialist.

I often can't move when I first wake up and my eyes are open. It happens when I have a bout of sleep paralysis but I still can't move even after I open my eyes. It's like my brain just isn't turned all the way on yet. I don't think it's uncommon to get kind of stuck between awake and dreaming to one degree or another.

Once I was dreaming that zombies were after me AND had sleep paralysis, so finally I managed to open my eyes up and I thought I could feel a zombie hand crawling up me. Hehe. It was really scary! Just because your eyes are open doesn't mean you're completely awake.

 

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