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Different Seizure Types with JME?

Tue, 12/26/2006 - 19:40
Short and to the point: I was recently diagnosed with Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy, something that took me by complete surprise on account of the fact that I'm twenty. Still, I took the diagnoses in stride, and decided to come out swinging. To bad that JME apparently swings back! My neurologist dismissed my concerns that I was having absence seizures and partials on top of the standard myoclonic and tonic clonic activity. I understand that JME is marked by myoclonic jerks, and during times of duress, tonic clonic activity, both of which I've had. (Tonic clonic I obviously don't remember, but piecing together bystanders' stories, and my own experience of coming to slightly blue on the bathroom floor...it's a fairly sure thing.) At times I "zone out," which consists of me becoming essentially paralyzed. I can see (although sometimes it's distorted) and I can hear, but I can't physically respond. Most of the time I can't even blink. There are parts of these episodes that I don't remember afterwards, as my husband has told me various times I've done it, and he's spoken to me, without much response. For the most part though I'm aware, albeit fuzzy. It almost feels like electricity is running through my entire body, too. More extreme forms of these episodes involve me blinking my eyes over and over again, something I'm hardly EVER aware of, until I start to come out of it, and I realize things are coming to my vision in snapshots haha. They can last anywhere from two or three seconds, to what seems like nearly a minute, although the longer ones I'm usually not out for the entire thing. I'll spend maybe 15 seconds zoned, and then as I come out of it I can speak, but I'm still visually out of it, and it feels like my brain is slowly restarting. Diagnosed with JME. Started Topamax, then stopped due to side effects, hospitalized for fourty eight hours after Tonic Clonic episode, they pumped me full of Depakote in those two days, thens ent me home on it for a week, before switching me back to Topamax. Got sick again, started Lamictal a week ago. Also on Zoloft daily, and Xanax as needed for sleep disturbances. I just want some sort of comfirmation that I'm not crazy. It seems to me that even if you have one specific type of epilepsy, that having epilepsy at ALL could be a trigger for multiple seizure types right? thnkx

Comments

Re: Different Seizure Types with JME?

Submitted by Patk on Sun, 2006-12-31 - 19:52
No you are not crazy. The longer you have uncontrolled seizures the more likely the electrical charges are to spread resulting in change in type and frequency. I went from partial complex, with a drop seizure every now and again. Even had petit mal on occasion.

Re: Re: Different Seizure Types with JME?

Submitted by Christina41586 on Mon, 2007-01-01 - 15:32
Yeah, I had a funfilled Saturday in the ER after a tonic clonic episode...outside...by rocks. I'm okay, sore, but okay. The ER doc doesn't know if the episodes are partials or something like that, or if they're just pre-ictal states as he put it. I mentioned that they hardly ever lead into a full blown tonic clonic episode, but that didn't deter him. He just said that it could e pre-seizure activity again, ad that not all pre-seizure activity leads to seizures. I get a new neuro soon enough. Blah.

Re: Re: Re: Different Seizure Types with JME?

Submitted by Patk on Mon, 2007-01-01 - 18:23
Not all my "moments" turn into full blown seizure either, but when they do...all bets are off. It has gotten to the point where I even have a "special place" to sit in the grocery store (refrigerated section in produce)and a moment starts/happens. I was told years ago because I always thought that I did not have a full blown moment because the "medication kicked in" and was told no. That the auras are a real part of the seizure (still uncontrolled part). Proper meds should be able to control this. Medication can sometimes help with the 'auras", but the seizures are still not controlled. After a couple of years of this, it was decided that I was a candidate for the surgery. Pat

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