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Seizures without abnormal brain activity?
Sun, 02/27/2005 - 17:09Hi. My mother has been having seizures daily for the past two years. She mostly gets them when she's stressed out, but I've seen her have them when lights flicker. Her doctor keeps telling her they're stress-related, and only once has there been any recorded abnormal brain activity. She's frustrated as she can't figure out why she's having the seizures. She feels like they're telling her that she's making them up. She has memory loss, numbness in her hands and feet and trouble swallowing as well. Any thoughts as to what might be going on?
RE: Seizures without abnormal brain activity?
Submitted by mexican_fire on Sun, 2005-02-13 - 16:18
Stress related seizures with no abnormal activity are generally referred to as NES or Non-epileptic seizures.
But, she may also have epileptic ones, as well. Like you said she has some if she gets around flickrng lights. Absence, or some times CPS.
But, usually when people are in an EMU and actively "seizing", and there is no activity electrophysiologically, then they say they are non-epileptic events.
People who have true seizures will ALWAYS produce abnormal activity during a seizure.
I work in an EMU, and see this all the time.
They usually put people in couseling for the NES and the seizures gradually go away. Maybe she needs to be taught how to relax, a little relaxation techniques, white sound machine, some relaxing music, warm bath with "stinky" stuff in the water, tuna sandwich and milk, and a good book.
The other seizures she could be really having will feed off that stress and get worse.
Get her back into a DIFFERENT neuro or epi and have the EEG re-done, and a complete neurological work-up done, have a CT, MRI, and PET done, blood work, etc.
To have an accurate diagnoses, that is what needs to be done.
They also need to run a series of sleep-deprived EEGs on her to see the abnormal activity that doesn't show up while awake. They call that epileptiform activity, and it comes out more when you are deprived of sleep.
That way they can tell if there is seizure activity or not, and if there is, they can look at the EEG and see what region it was in, and how long it lasted, and then can give meds based on those findings. AEDs are not usually given unless an EEG has been done.
Certain drugs treat certain seizures. Not everything can be slapped on a seizure type with the hopes that is will work. Depakote treates basically everything. Tegretol is only for treating partial seizures in adults and children over 5 years. Lamictal treats partial seizures only but is of no help in treating TCs. Dilantin treats only GMs, etc.
I would say she needs to be re-evaulated, to get it straightened around.
Epilepsy, if she has it, isn't something to play around with.
Good luck,
Nancy
Stress related seizures with no abnormal activity are generally referred to as NES or Non-epileptic seizures.
But, she may also have epileptic ones, as well. Like you said she has some if she gets around flickrng lights. Absence, or some times CPS.
But, usually when people are in an EMU and actively "seizing", and there is no activity electrophysiologically, then they say they are non-epileptic events.
People who have true seizures will ALWAYS produce abnormal activity during a seizure.
I work in an EMU, and see this all the time.
They usually put people in couseling for the NES and the seizures gradually go away. Maybe she needs to be taught how to relax, a little relaxation techniques, white sound machine, some relaxing music, warm bath with "stinky" stuff in the water, tuna sandwich and milk, and a good book.
The other seizures she could be really having will feed off that stress and get worse.
Get her back into a DIFFERENT neuro or epi and have the EEG re-done, and a complete neurological work-up done, have a CT, MRI, and PET done, blood work, etc.
To have an accurate diagnoses, that is what needs to be done.
They also need to run a series of sleep-deprived EEGs on her to see the abnormal activity that doesn't show up while awake. They call that epileptiform activity, and it comes out more when you are deprived of sleep.
That way they can tell if there is seizure activity or not, and if there is, they can look at the EEG and see what region it was in, and how long it lasted, and then can give meds based on those findings. AEDs are not usually given unless an EEG has been done.
Certain drugs treat certain seizures. Not everything can be slapped on a seizure type with the hopes that is will work. Depakote treates basically everything. Tegretol is only for treating partial seizures in adults and children over 5 years. Lamictal treats partial seizures only but is of no help in treating TCs. Dilantin treats only GMs, etc.
I would say she needs to be re-evaulated, to get it straightened around.
Epilepsy, if she has it, isn't something to play around with.
Good luck,
Nancy