Tonic Clonic seizures for 5 weeks straight

(Continued to add) Epilepsy episodes tend to come in cycles. Breaking that cycle is essential and that is what medication does. Aeds work by getting the seizure threshold higher, some others work by stopping the abnormal electrical activity from spreading, others, it is not clear why they work, but they do. So to answer your question, yes, it is common to have seizures in somewhat predictable cycles. About what is "normal", there is no normal. That varies from person to person as we are all different. For some, seizing daily is normal, for others weekly, others monthly, for others, once or twice a year, others can go a decade without one. For some, the seizures go away, dome with medication, some on its own, forever. About alternative treatments. I got the same answer by two prominent neurologist, one a chief of neurology and neurology professor with 30 years of experience and another from our new neuro, a young, brilliant head of research in a renowned research neurology clinic for adolescents. She told me "don't waste your money, but if you feel that it contributes to the overall well being of your child, go for it". The other one told me the same thing pretty much. I do give my child DHA pills (the strawberry flavored ones) in conjunction with 500 mg of keppra twice daily. There IS research on rats that shows promise with the DHA-omega 3 pills (it is on this site, publish recently) but nothing yet on humans. The neuro did tell me that she likes calcium and vitamin d supplementation (for absorption) due to side effects on bones for extended aed therapy. I am sorry that you are going through this, it is so scary. I know too how it feels and it has been the most terrifying experience. I've heard that caregivers can even experienced PTSD, I know I was numb and emotionally disconnected. But I had to snap out of it because my son and my other children need me. I was angry, bitter and upset, no one wants to see their child like that. Yes, they are terrifying, but rest assure that seizures, as scary as they look, they are typically brief and self resolving, you and your neuro will come up together with an action plan of 1- what and what not requires a trip to the hospital 2- the use of home rescue medication and/or home oxygen treatment IF needed 3- what is normal for her. I also wanted to tell you that schools have academic programs for situations like this. A 504 plan is a law in which schools accommodate to serve children facing medical conditions. No penalty for missing days so they can graduate, grace periods for turning in homework, home bound programs etc. etc. The right frontal lobe epilepsy refers where the seizures originate (on that side of the brain, planning, organization and decision making occurs I think). Partial refers that on the EEG the abnormal electrical activity stays within that lobe, but I contest ( and you should ask the neuro this) since the secondarily generalization (tonic clonic) happens every-time, should the diagnosis stay the same? Partial vs. generalized? I am not a neuro, just a mom trying to figure things out myself and decode the cryptic lingo. That research that I have done had paid off enormous benefits, because not only am I able to understand what they are talking about better, but also have found errors and sometimes doctors just grace through the results and forget whose results as whose, I happens, believe me. You hear it here all the time and it has happened to us too. ask for a copy of her records! Write questions down, make the best use of your time with the epileptologist. Other options, vns (a magnet implanted in the brain, statically, not very successful), surgery ( only for those that are candidates, a focal point or psychological abnormality should be found on an MRI and/or through conclusive invasive eegs), medical marijuana ( most promising in pediatric use for children with intractable epilepsy) that is about it, although there are a few new meds (fycompa, onfi, another one that starts with a q, can't remember name) that have been approved by the FDA recently and also clinical trials for new ones, but typically those are for people that don't have new onset because you are still trying to find treatment. I think I covered everything. I am glad that you are seeing a counselor. If you have any questions, shoot away. My husband was in the military too. Best wishes. Be strong.

Last thing. Trigger control is very important, more so than vitamins. I my son's case, sleep deprivation triggered his episodes. Come to found out, he was staying up all night playing video games and talking to friends, having only 3-4 hours to sleep. 3D games and movies, watching tv in the dark, sleep deprivation are big triggers. On the search browser of this site search for "common triggers" it will let you know. Did she react to strobe lights on the test? How about on the hyperventilation test? Some patients react positively to exercise, consult with the neuro to see if it would help her.

Welcome I know this isn't easy for any mother. I was the kid that had seizures. My first was a grand mal which happened at school. My mother was in your shoes and back then there was no internet. There is no cure for epilepsy and in many cases there are no test results to find out where in the brain the seizure activity is comming from. It is not a disease either. Epilepsy is a disorder. It is termed a disease for the perposses of getting funding for the people needing assistance and funding as a disability.With some people that have epilepsy they can grow out of it. My cousin did and has been living a normal life is married and have advanced in her carreer. Others are living without seizures and doing well while still taking medications. SUrgery is possiable with some but I am no doctor and do not know anything about that procedure. As for the medication she is taking keppra is the best medication I have EVER taken in the 50+ years I have been living and dealing with epilepsy. Now I know it takes time to get dosages where they control the seizures. They have to ease the patient onto the medication and once the patient is on it then they can adjust it either up or down. They have to do that because too much medication is just as bad as too little. One things you need to know is medications need to be taken at certain times. If meds are taken 2 times a day and it is the same ammount then those times should be 12 hours apart. If more medication is at night then make sure the doctor tells you when the times should be. The reason for that is because of break through seizures. Generally it takes a few weeks for the body to get used to the medication and the medications should stay the same for a few weeks so the doctor can see what the person is doing with the medication. If dosages are changed after being on the nedication for a week it is harder to adjust medications without knowing how the AED is doing. I know been there done that. Medications are designed to work on people and what works for one may not work for the next person. The same with dosages. Can everybody eat mexican food? Basically medications need to be started slowly and the person needs to be weaned off slowly so the doctors can see what is happening at those levels. They can see many things going slowly and it is safer for several reasons Too much medication is just as bad as not enough. A medication designed to treat and stop seizures in one person can and has caused other people to have seizures. You have forums available to you and you are using one. What would you be doing if there was no internet or home computers? That was where my mother and I were back in the 1960's. Back then the doctors would not answer my questions and only spoke to my mother. I was the one that research "What is Epilepsy" I found out what it was that I had and what can be done to help me. I also wrote an essay titled the same way. That essay was being read to the entire student body aeveral times a year even 5 years after I wrote it. I am sorry you and your daughter are going thru this and I know what it is like. I also know that doctors need to check the medications and raise or lower them. They also can couple or pare them with other medications. If I am not mistaken with some women that have seizures during their time of month and there are posts regarding those. Please check the section for trigers and read it since stress, lack of sleep and others can cause a person to have seizures. I had to quit the best job I had and loved because of a trigger. I was getting too hot too fast and it caused a seizure after I had gone 3+ years without any kind of seizure. I hope this helps and your daughter gets the assitance she needs. Joe