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goose bumps & 'hidden' seizures?

Tue, 01/10/2006 - 00:07
Hi, this is Maddie, I'm really glad to find this site. I still don't know for sure whether i have some kind of epilepsy. Neurology hasn't been much help, but my own dr believes i do because of a long history of strange episodes and LTL abnormality on eeg. But if so i don't understand exactly what form the seizures are taking, since those general episodes that i get can go on for a couple of days (seems too long for a single seizure, surely?). Also I don't have the main things that are often mentioned with left TLE, like bad smell, deja vu, staring, chewing, etc. (at least as far as I know). But over about 8 years I've steadily developed so many problems with mental speed, executive functions and any kind of abstract thinking, and i just can't understand how this much damage could be done by epilepsy - if that's what it is - wihtout seizures making themselves more obvious. Is there any such thing as sub-clinical seizures, or seizure-like activity, that can go on without classic seizure signs? Also, can goose-bumps be part of a seizure? Mine can be on leg, or head, or arm, or sometimes head & arm together, but only ever on one side at a time, never left & right together. The feeling can cover half or most of my leg or arm, but when I look at it the visible goose-bumps are spread out in a strange random pattern - say a blob here, a little curving strip there, and another patch further down. For a while they keep coming with a sort of 'pumping' feeling, like pulsing every few seconds. Also there's a 'soft' version of the same thing, that just makes a patch of skin feel a bit sticky. On days when I get all this it can be basically continuous, several times every hour. Can goose-bumps be an aura? Is an aura basically a simple partial seizure?

Comments

Re: goose bumps & 'hidden' seizures?

Submitted by txrhb1 on Tue, 2006-01-10 - 01:08
Hi, My first suggestion would be for your primary doctor to get you a referral to an epileptologist (neuro specializing in epilepsy), if at all possible. I have also done some research on sub-clinical seizures, and yes, they do exist. If you do a search on Google or Yahoo for subclinical seizures, you will find a host of information. The NSE defines them as Subclinical seizures occur when there is epileptic activity in the brain, but no clearly defined evidence of a seizure. Good luck in your search! ((( hugs ))), Barbie *************************************** "We are each of us angels with only one wing, and we can fly only by embracing each other." -lucian de crescenzo

Re: Re: goose bumps & 'hidden' seizures?

Submitted by stillasking on Wed, 2006-01-11 - 03:24
Barbie & Resource Specialist, thanks so much - more info & explanations here than i ever imagined. (wish i'd found this site long ago.) Barbie, I really hope things are soon going better for your daughter and her little one. maddie

Re: goose bumps & 'hidden' seizures?

Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 2006-01-10 - 12:39
You raised lots of good questions. Sometimes people do experience changes in behavior, awareness, or cognitive abilities that are difficult to tease out. When these changes correlate to changes on EEG, it's easier to say the changes are due to seizure activity. Yet sometimes people have changes that are not easy to correlate and symptoms vary a lot. In some people, these changes might be related to underlying disturbance of certain brain areas, possibly by electrical activity or 'subclinical' activity that is not visible on EEG, or maybe the symptoms don't have an electrical cause. Cognitive problems can be caused by or associated with lots of things. It's important to share the symptoms with the doctor. Sometimes different types of tests, such as neuropsychology or cognitive tests are used to help sort them out. Take a look at some of the information on the home page of epilepsy.com on seizures, brain/behavior relationships and cogntive problems, for a start. http://www.epilepsy.com/101/ep101_symptom.html http://www.epilepsy.com/epilepsy/thinking_memory.html http://www.epilepsy.com/epilepsy/neuro_behav.html http://www.epilepsy.com/101/101_diagnosis.html Hope this helps, Epilepsy.com Resource Specialist

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