Community Forum Archive
The Epilepsy Community Forums are closed, and the information is archived. The content in this section may not be current or apply to all situations. In addition, forum questions and responses include information and content that has been generated by epilepsy community members. This content is not moderated. The information on these pages should not be substituted for medical advice from a healthcare provider. Experiences with epilepsy can vary greatly on an individual basis. Please contact your doctor or medical team if you have any questions about your situation. For more information, learn about epilepsy or visit our resources section.
IN NEED OF ADVICE--seizure or PANIC attack????
Thu, 09/02/2004 - 14:19Comments
RE: RE: IN NEED OF ADVICE--seizure or PANIC attack????
Submitted by monalisa on Fri, 2004-08-20 - 13:41
Neither am I an expert,but even I raised an eyebrow at what you pointed out about her doc coming up with an instant diagnosis.
Her sister really needs an evaluation that is thorough, and covers everything to get her properly diagnosed then treated.That's just my opinion as well here,though you had the same idea in your suggestions too.
I hope as well that you, her quest for knowledge is sucessful and my suggestions are; why not try and read up on the different types of seizures there are,not just here but on other sites as well,and then pass on what she learns to her sister and others?
In the meantime, talking to her sister and asking her to go back and ask her doc to arrange that she does get the tests that will identify just exactly is going on for her sounds a good idea as well.
Neither am I an expert,but even I raised an eyebrow at what you pointed out about her doc coming up with an instant diagnosis.
Her sister really needs an evaluation that is thorough, and covers everything to get her properly diagnosed then treated.That's just my opinion as well here,though you had the same idea in your suggestions too.
I hope as well that you, her quest for knowledge is sucessful and my suggestions are; why not try and read up on the different types of seizures there are,not just here but on other sites as well,and then pass on what she learns to her sister and others?
In the meantime, talking to her sister and asking her to go back and ask her doc to arrange that she does get the tests that will identify just exactly is going on for her sounds a good idea as well.
RE: RE: IN NEED OF ADVICE--seizure or PANIC attack????
Submitted by ccs123 on Wed, 2004-09-01 - 23:10
Hi. I just replied to bigsisterofepileptic, then came across your reply. You put my seizures into words. I was telling her about the dejavu feeling but that the rest is hard to verbalize. Just like you, the dejavu feeling is scary and sends me into a panic. Once the seizure hits I whisper a few words, too, like "Oh God, please help me. Please don't let anyone talk to me or walk up to me" because movement and sound frightens me during a seizure. I'm unable to communicate verbally during a seizure and for a brief time afterward. I feel zapped of my energy as well, and feel like I could lie down and sleep afterwards. The only difference is I don't experience the sense of going from darkness to light physically...I see nothing because I clinch my eyes shut until the seizure passes.
Just wanted to respond because it's amazing to see the words that I could never gather. We're very much alike with our seizure disorder, and it's nice to know that you're not alone in something. Take care.
Hi. I just replied to bigsisterofepileptic, then came across your reply. You put my seizures into words. I was telling her about the dejavu feeling but that the rest is hard to verbalize. Just like you, the dejavu feeling is scary and sends me into a panic. Once the seizure hits I whisper a few words, too, like "Oh God, please help me. Please don't let anyone talk to me or walk up to me" because movement and sound frightens me during a seizure. I'm unable to communicate verbally during a seizure and for a brief time afterward. I feel zapped of my energy as well, and feel like I could lie down and sleep afterwards. The only difference is I don't experience the sense of going from darkness to light physically...I see nothing because I clinch my eyes shut until the seizure passes.
Just wanted to respond because it's amazing to see the words that I could never gather. We're very much alike with our seizure disorder, and it's nice to know that you're not alone in something. Take care.
RE: IN NEED OF ADVICE--seizure or PANIC attack????
Submitted by mommy2kyra on Tue, 2004-08-17 - 16:19
I'm no expert, of course, but it sounds like a complex partial seizure to me. Before suffering my first tonic-clonic (grand mal), I'd been having complex partial seizures for 5 or 6 years...I thought they were panic attacks and saw a psychologist to try and rid myself of the horror. Complex partial seizures can be very difficult sometimes. Those of us who have them have our own little pattern: where we do or say X whenever they strike.
Personally, mine start with a scary de-ja-vous feeling. And, BOOM, I know it's here. That's where my conscious mind stops though. From that point, I say a few words ("Oh my God..Shut up..shut up..") looking as if I saw a ghost. However, I am unaware of this. This lasts under a minute, and my senses comes back to me slowly. First, is sight (where it goes from dark to light)..then, hearing (I hear a big ssshhhhh sound and ringing, which becomes lighter and lighter)...it takes a while for me to be able to talk. I am physically unable to talk for several minutes after my seizures. As I am coming to my senses, all energy is zapped out of my body...and if I'm standing, I get help to a chair quickly. My only memory of the event is my de-ja-vous, and the senses coming back to me.
Has your sister had an EEG and MRI? Just curious how the doc could definitively tell her that she's suffering from panic attacks, rather than another type of seizure. It's very common for people with epilepsy to have 2 or more types of seizures. Was this a neurologist that your sister saw? I can also tell you that I was put on Dilantin (alone) at first, which wasn't enough to cut out my occasional nocturnal complex partial seizures. I needed something else to work on the complex partials, that something was Depakote. It worked great for me, and I became seizure-free for more than 2 years! I wish you and your sister the best of luck...hopefully, you will get to the root of her problem quickly and get decent treatment! Keep on your quest to learn as much as possible about epilepsy :)
Heather
I'm no expert, of course, but it sounds like a complex partial seizure to me. Before suffering my first tonic-clonic (grand mal), I'd been having complex partial seizures for 5 or 6 years...I thought they were panic attacks and saw a psychologist to try and rid myself of the horror. Complex partial seizures can be very difficult sometimes. Those of us who have them have our own little pattern: where we do or say X whenever they strike.
Personally, mine start with a scary de-ja-vous feeling. And, BOOM, I know it's here. That's where my conscious mind stops though. From that point, I say a few words ("Oh my God..Shut up..shut up..") looking as if I saw a ghost. However, I am unaware of this. This lasts under a minute, and my senses comes back to me slowly. First, is sight (where it goes from dark to light)..then, hearing (I hear a big ssshhhhh sound and ringing, which becomes lighter and lighter)...it takes a while for me to be able to talk. I am physically unable to talk for several minutes after my seizures. As I am coming to my senses, all energy is zapped out of my body...and if I'm standing, I get help to a chair quickly. My only memory of the event is my de-ja-vous, and the senses coming back to me.
Has your sister had an EEG and MRI? Just curious how the doc could definitively tell her that she's suffering from panic attacks, rather than another type of seizure. It's very common for people with epilepsy to have 2 or more types of seizures. Was this a neurologist that your sister saw? I can also tell you that I was put on Dilantin (alone) at first, which wasn't enough to cut out my occasional nocturnal complex partial seizures. I needed something else to work on the complex partials, that something was Depakote. It worked great for me, and I became seizure-free for more than 2 years! I wish you and your sister the best of luck...hopefully, you will get to the root of her problem quickly and get decent treatment! Keep on your quest to learn as much as possible about epilepsy :)
Heather