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Could this be seizures?

Wed, 10/17/2007 - 12:49
Hi everyone I apologize for the length of this post, but I think there is a lot of possibly relevant information included: First a little history about me: I have had seizures since 18 months old (currently 35 yo). They have always been very very well controlled. I take Carbamazepine (200 mg 2x per day). This results in a sub-therapeutic level in my blood tests, but it has always worked for me. Twice in my life, I have tapered off my medication to see if I could go without. Both times (at ages 14 yo and 26 yo) resulted in grand mal (tonic clonic) seizure. So, I won't be trying that again! No point in going from being completely controlled to anything less than that for the sake of not taking a med! I have 2 daughters, a 7 year old with no problems at all and a 4.5 year old who has many problems (although I realize some kids are much worse off, so I hesitate to complain, but I still do!) My youngest started having seizures on her 1st day of life, but I was unable to get any drs/nurses to agree with me until late in her 2nd day (which is a long time to watch your newborn periodically turn blue, sleep ALL the time, and therefore not eat). Her first few years were very stressful due to poor seizure control, and she also seemed to get any illness available. For example, my oldest would get a cold, and my youngest would get meningitis. Nothing was easy for her. But the last year or so has been much smoother for her, and consequently me as well. As well, my husband is in the military and spends time away from home frequently (a few days to a few months at a time). So, the point is, I have some unusual stress factors in my life. About 1-2 years ago, I began having problems that my dr. diagnosed as depression (which I have been diagnosed with before - so I thought it could be true). But I'm beginning to wonder if the symptoms were not related to seizures (which might be occuring in my sleep, I'm just beginning to wonder). The symptoms I originally wanted help with were: extreme fatigue, irritability (which might be secondary to the fatigue, or not), and that's pretty much it. Since then, I have also developed the following: night sweats (soaking the sheets type), persistent nightmares (often recurring ones from my childhood), occasional multi-day headaches which are unresponsive to ibuprofen or acetaminophen, very very poor sleep quality (varies between difficulty falling asleep and waking in the night)- I almost never feel rested in the morning, and frequent muscle soreness. This week in particular, I had a headache for a few days (which somehow feels like my head is being pulled into being awake), a stiff neck and more difficulty sleeping than usual. The day before yesterday, I was so tired in the morning that I absolutely had to go back to sleep after my oldest went to school. I so COMPLETELY disagree with doing this, because I still have my youngest at home. But I plopped her in front of a Dora video and got at least about an hour's sleep. I ABSOLUTELY could not stay awake, or I would never had done this. Then last night, I either had a seizure that I was aware of, or dreamed it. I knew where I was and knew my legs were moving rhythmically but could not stop myself. I noticed I was still breathing so I did not panic. And that's all I remember. Oh, and today I no longer have the bad headache, but my head feels quite tingly/light instead. I have 2 questions: 1 - Do you think I could be having seizures for quite a while already (to explain the fatigue, sweating, and possible de ja vu - remembering previous nightmares)? 2 - Do you think I dreamed I was having a seizure or is it possible I really was? Thanks in advance for your help

Comments

Re: Could this be seizures?

Submitted by EarthMonkey on Thu, 2007-10-18 - 20:57
The fatigue, uncurable headaches, disrupted sleep, and sore muscles could be caused by seizures during the night. It also could be something else. I would contact a epileptologist.

Re: Could this be seizures?

Submitted by kgoodfl on Fri, 2007-11-02 - 09:22
Just because I have had other medical problems, I know that night sweats are a symptom of many medical conditions and should be investigated. I am new and don't know much about epilepsy but you should check that out probably first with an Epileptologist (?) as the other person said and if they say that's not what it is, go to an GP or internal medicine. Hope you feel better, I know how bad it is to be exhausted with little ones at home. Please be careful if you feel that you can't stay awake. On the few occasions that I was afraid I couldn't stay awake, I put on a show and then put up a baby gate and kept them in the room with me after making sure it was toddler safe or turned on the house alarm depending on how old they were to make sure they couldn't get outside or answer the door or something. Best bet is to call a friend or neighbor for help.

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