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Question- Do you know what's going on during your seizures?
Sat, 07/08/2006 - 09:07I've been told my seizures start as Simple Partials(my aura), then progress to Complex Partials and then to Secondary Generalized grand mals. Most of what I've read says you lose consiousness or have change in thinking during this. I don't. I am fully aware 98% of the time. My thinking isn't compromised. Exp...I was driving a car, felt my aura immediatly put car in park, even took keys out of ignition---my friend kept asking me what I was doing..I knew, but I couldn't speak to explain it to her and immediately had a grand mal....during the grand mal, i was aware of her getting out of the car i think i scared her half to death. Another exp was I at home aura started moved quickly to seizure. I knew my brother was the only one home and in the basement. I made my way to stairs , i couldn't speak and was jerking, i also knew i shouldn't try to walk down stairs. so I sat down by back door and used my jerking arm to repeatly pound on the back door, knowing he would hear and wonder who was at the door. He came up to find me having a sz. Is anyone else aware during their grand mals. It's a blessing i guess, but also a curse. It's so scary becuse you feel and know what's happening to you and you can hear all the panic around you.
Comments
Re: Re: Re: Question- Do you know what's going on during your se
Submitted by solis on Thu, 2006-07-13 - 16:46
Hi ryter :)
By definition you'd be unaware of a tonic clonic, but you'd at least know it happened (afterwards) via finding yourself on the floor or having a sore tongue etc.
I never felt any pain during my seizures either. But I learned when being tested for suregry, that if I was alone I'd have no idea a complex partial seizure had occurred.
I'd had 11 when being tested, and was unaware of having any.
I DO remember this nurse coming in and asking me the date and the name of the hospital etc.. but I had no idea why she was doing that.
(Thought she had a short memory.. lol)
My inital response was a reaction to the author of this thread.
My apologies, I ought to have directed my response.
~sol
Re: Re: Re: Re: Question- Do you know what's going on during you
Submitted by ritab2002 on Fri, 2006-07-14 - 18:36
Hi All, It would appear that many of us do have "auras" or warnings prior to a seizure and it helps us. I am able to gesture and at times even tell someone that I am about to seize. I have 1-3 complex partials most days and always do have this time which is helpful. When I had the grand mal I did not have any warning as I was sleeping and woke up to attendants giving me oxygen. When I am alone though I am at times not certain but generally this is a partial which does not progess.But if someone asked a question, I would not understand and could not respond at all. Although I feel I am at least aware mostly during the complex partial I have recently realized that I am not as aware as I think. I have been told that a seizure has lasted 1 1/2 min to 2 min when I have thought it was about 20-30 sec. Rita
Re: Re: Question- Do you know what's going on during your seizur
Submitted by ryter on Thu, 2006-07-13 - 16:17
Sol--not sure if you are replying, in part, to my post. I was really totally unaware of everything when the tonic-clonic struck. Hubby told me what happened when I finally 'became aware' in the ER hours later. It's kind of funny, actually, but I had the GTC in my Primary Care Physician's exam room! I was there for a blood workup becuz I had been feeling so poorly. Had insomnia for almost 8 mths. Hubby came w/me cuz he didn't want me to drive as I only slept 1 1/2 hrs. the nite before due to stomach pain, then nausea, then the left arm and leg jerking thing. (that had been happening every once in awhile for months-simple partials?) Anyway, as my PCP was writing out a script for the nausea, my left arm started jerking like never before...REALLY bad, then it was lights out for me. Hubby said the Dr. knew right away what was about to happen, he jumped up, grabbed a couple of nurses and said, "Grand Mal, call an ambulance." He did that as it was my first-ever seizure and he didn't know if I would go status, or how I would act when I came out of it. (according to hubster.) It was pretty scary stuff for hubby. Me? Didn't feel a thing!