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Epilepsy Diagnosis

Fri, 05/13/2016 - 11:01
After having been dehydrated and getting a seizure during the night (losing consciousness), my 29 year-old son had an EEG with convulsions. The seizure occurred in California. He flew back to Florida, where he lived (with no further occurrences). He was then diagnosed with epilepsy in Florida after his EEG, due to convulsions occurring during the EEG, and put on medication. All of this occurred 8 months ago. I cannot understand how this diagnosis can be made so quickly and definitely. He has since moved to Philadelphia in order to have access to public transportation. I hear of recurring seizures and air travel bringing on seizures. He flew from California to Florida with no problem and has never had a reoccurrence. I am unable to get anyone to say that there MIGHT be a possibility that this diagnosis is incorrect due to these facts. He is taking his medication daily and has never had any further seizures. Can anyone explain how the EEG convulsions can confirm this diagnosis? I can accept it only if I can understand it and I can't find anyone to help me understand it.

Comments

All it takes to diagnose

Submitted by just_joe on Sat, 2016-05-14 - 10:41
All it takes to diagnose epilepsy is 2 seizures. That said the EEG is a brain wave test showing the electrical output coming from the brain. Now in the EEG the neurologists are looking for abnormal electrical activity )spikes or waves) aka seizure activity. Now if you didn't listen carefully you might think the neurologist said seizure and you thought about a convulsive seizure. A seizure is an electrical impulse hitting wrong in the brain. (abnormal activity). Which causes a chain reaction. Which is the seizure itself. It is basically or similar to the EKG used on the heart showing the heart rate and beating. An irregular heart beat can be found. Or a person having a heart a heart attack. Which is why they are done in the ER, The EEG can show the abnormalities whether the person has a seizure or doesn't during the test.I have flown to and from California and Texas and never had a problem. When flying I do let the flight attendent know I have epilepsy so they will know what might happen and can deal with it IF NEEDED.As for the diagosis being wrong.. I doubt it is. Two different EEG's by two different neurologists in different states both coming up with abnormalities,spikes, waves aka seizure activity. There are people that go seizure free for a long period of time and get their lcense back and are taken off medications. The EEG is also used to show that too. Other people go seizure free for long periods of time but still take their medications. My cousin being one of them. There are others like me that have gome lng periods of time without seizures only to have one and needs adjustments to their medications or completely different medications. Others have sergury. SO yes thngs can change. He is still doing what he needs to do and he has his life infront of him. He is taking his medication daily and has never had any further seizures. Have yo u ever seen him and thought he was daydreaming? Petite mal todays absence seizures look like the person is daydreaming. They las seconds oe minutes. A person with nocturnal seizures and nocturnal epilepsy may not know that they have a seizure, Some are convulsive and some aren't. Which means he might have been having seizures and no one knew it. I had weird feeling in my right hand. They were focal seizures. I passed them off because I thought I might have overworked causing weird feeling for digging the garden so fast. In reality I wanted to go to my friends place and play.I hope this helpsJoe

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