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Confused
Tue, 01/17/2017 - 01:40Topic: Women With Epilepsy
Hi, I am a 23 year old female and I recently discovered my deja vu/confusion/anxiety/nausea/dizziness episodes to be auras. They have happened for about 5-6 years, very sporadically. I never thought much of them until recently, and I decided to see a doctor. MRI and EEG came back normal. However since then (about 2 months ago), they have increased in intensity and frequency. Recently, I passed out after a rather strong aura, in fact after I was getting blood drawn for testing. Is this simple partial seizures? Is this a (mild?) form of epilepsy? Is it hormone-related? So far, all blood work has come back average.
Hi! I'm sorry you are
Submitted by Believe on Tue, 2017-04-18 - 13:51
Hi! I'm sorry you are experiencing these symptoms. I had the symptoms you describe growing up as a kid and all the way up into my 40s. I learned not to let them freak me out in my late 20s, but the episodes still continued. I was told they were panic attacks. Well, at least until I was diagnosed with grand mal seizures in my 40s. All of a sudden I was told that they think I was having seizures all along that were misdiagnosed. My doctor told me that a lot of times it is hard to diagnose seizures using an EEG, because the test only shows what is going on at the moment. Unfortunately, I experienced several severe grand mal seizures in a short period of time and they immediately put me on medication. (I also lost my license for about a year until they could sort it all out.) As to seizure activity and hormones, yes, they can be related. I was always more careful around that time of the month. I made sure to eat properly, stay as stress-free as possible, get lots of sleep, etc. Basically, take the best care of yourself as you can! My experience is that it is a process. It takes time to figure out what works best to control the seizures. But, hopefully, it all works out in the end. I have been very blessed in that mine have been well controlled over the years. Just keep talking with your doctors and don't be afraid to take control of your own health and get pushy when needed. Doctors have a lot of patients, but you only have you to worry about. Demand answers and help when you need it. Good luck to you! Wishing you all the best!