New to all this, please help!

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Hi All,

So I'm really new to all of this, I'm on here for any advice at all regarding my husband who has been recently having seizures.

My husband is 27 years old and has been in the US army just on four years and is about to make Captain. He has always been very healthy, no history of seizures/epilepsy in his family.

About a month ago I awoke to the sounds of him having a tonic clonic seizure in his sleep. It was about the scariest thing I have ever witnessed! This had never happened before and my husband is the healthiest person I know, so my first thought was he was having a heart attack or something. I called the EMS and they came really quickly, once my husband had come around they pretty much told me he'd had a seizure and was he epilieptic... I was shocked. They took us to the ER for further testing as it was his first known seizure. All basic testing came back clear and they told him/me to monitor it as it could be a one off seizure and referred us on for a neurolgist and EEG testing which we had completed and awaited results.

Almost to the day a month later my husband had another seizure, this time in the evening while I was driving him home from work. I pulled over as quickly as I could and managed to cradle his neck and head but his arm got pretty beat up on the plastic console in the middle of the car. (He now has a fractured shoulder!) He came to about 4 minutes later and requested to go home. I was reluctant because his arm was so sore but I took him home and within ten minutes he had another seizure on our sofa. Of course we ended up at the ER again. This time they took him more seriously but still couldn't really tell us why this was happeneing. He has no history of head trauma, infections, trauma at birth etc.. just minor things over the years but he was never treated for concussion or anything like that. I'm wondering if there was some exercise he has done that he has hurt himself, but ignored it as soldiers often do. He has been deployed once but denies being near any direct bombings/blasts.

I am totally stumped, this has come out of nowhere! Has anyone out there experienced anything similar to this? And being in the army, does this mean he will get med boarded out for epiliepsy? He is just about to make Captain in a month would they postpone this...that would just crush him! As it stands we still do not have a diagnosis of Epilepsy but the ER docs have pretty much said more than two seizures is classed as Epilepsy. We're awaiting a diagnosis from his regular neurologist.

Any advice/guidance anything at all would be so very appreciated! We are stationed away from our families, so we are feeling so overwhelmed right now.

Thanks for reading if you made it this far!

Comments

Sorry to hear of everything

Submitted by epihelp on Tue, 2014-04-01 - 06:50

Sorry to hear of everything your family is going through. The start of seizures can be very hard, especially at this age. For over half the people with epilepsy, the exact cause is never known. Testing focuses on finding out if there is a known cause that needs treatment, separate from the seizures, and determining if seizures should be treated with medication. Usually this happens when a person has had at least 2 seizures not provoked by a treatable medical problem. Here's a link to basic information about seizures and treatment. http://www.epilepsy.com/learn/about-epilepsy-basics, http://www.epilepsy.com/learn/treating-seizures-and-epilepsy/treatment-101-basics. You'll also want to go over seizure first aid or what to do when one occurs - http://www.epilepsy.com/get-help/seizure-first-aid. Each branch of military service has rules about medical conditions that interfere with persons ability to do their job and safety. Needing medications regularly is a contributing factor and so too is the risks of seizures to the individual and others. The neurologist can give individual advice about this situation. The impact on work and independence is so important to people, but keep in mind health and safety first! Visit Community Forums and Chat room to connect with others.... Wishing the best, epihelp

I have been an epileptic all

Submitted by Anonymous on Sat, 2014-04-05 - 01:23

I have been an epileptic all my life. Since 9 months old I have been having seizures. They have somewhat got better over the years. To this day I am 3 months seizure free. This is a huge accomplishment for me. My seizures are brought on by stress, inadequate sleep, not eating, and my menstral cycles. I take 3 seizure medications that my neurologist has found to work and control my seizures. These are a few suggestions of where to start. If you wish to contact me, my email is klm_alm@yahoo.com. Good luck in all you two must go through

Has your husband already been

Submitted by tcameron on Fri, 2014-04-11 - 22:49

Has your husband already been to the VA for help? They're usually extremely helpful and knowledgeable as well. They will give him the answers you're looking for. They should cover all of his treatments for this, and any other medical issues, for the rest of his life. I'm pretty sure you'll also be covered, but I'm not sure. If your husband needs a brand-name AED, please ask his doctor to enter "no substitutions" on his prescription, or he WILL get the generic. Most generics work just fine, but some don't. I take 4 AEDs, 2 generic, 2 brand-name. Did you know the U.S. FDA allows a 20%+/- in the absorption rate of a drug? This means a 40% difference. One Rx could get him stoned, the other might not be enough. The actual drug is the same. The binding particles that make up the capsules, tablets, etc. are different. This can change how well the drug is absorbed into the body. When taking any drug, generic or brand-name, make sure to check to see if its the same with each refill. One generic could work fine, another might not. I've always had seizures, but I wasn't diagnosed until I had my first convulsive seizure, at 16. I don't understand the new format for this site. It has a video, "Understanding Epilepsy", which will provide a lot more information than I can. No one in my family has it either. My seizures became refractory/intractable after a severe concussion in a car accident. There is another section on 'Seizure first aid' that can also help. Once the seizure begins, the only thing you can do is keep him as safe as possible and stay with him. The seizure should stop on its own within a couple of minutes. Afterwards, he will probably feel confused for at least 30 minutes. Try to get him home, or somewhere safe afterwards. Remain with him until he is aware that he had a seizure, and knows he is okay. One trick: The public is horrified when they witness seizures. I can't control mine. We sit next to each other when at a restaurant. When I start to seiz., he holds me close and keeps my head up. Then he tries to look as 'romantic' as possible, so people won't notice. Once I realize what has happened, he drives me home and makes me go to bed. I hope this answers some of your questions. He could be boarded out for having any medical condition, but I'm not sure. He will be able to keep his benefits from serving our country. Epilepsy is heartbreaking for all of us. Most of the time no cause can be identified.