New Here...Have Questions regarding husbands epilepsy.

Hi Lisa My husband has had epilepsy since he was a teenager, had a few years seizure free then gradually started getting worse.  (We are now both 36).  He has 3 kinds of seizures - grand mals, simple partials and complex partials.  Not going to go into the details of it all, as that won't help you! You are not alone.  My husband has the same problem. Basically my advice is that it could be either partial seizures, med side effects or an unfortunate effect of having epilepsy itself.  I am not a neurologist but I think it depends where the seizures focal point are (i.e. what part of the brain the seizure starts from).  My husband has left temporal lobe epilepsy and as part of the package it means he has memory problems and sometimes struggles to find a word for something.  He knows the word but just can't retrieve it from his memory.  He is not fitting at the time, but just struggling to get the words out. However, he also gets seizures which cause communication problems.  Sometimes he has a partial seizure (where he is fully conscious of what is going on) where he can understand what people are saying to him and is desperately trying to talk back but can't.  He also has complex partials (where he is not conscious of what is going on, but he is not unconscious like in a grand mal) - then he talks gibberish sometimes, BUT he has no recollection of what happened. Meds can cause sluggishness or memory problems as a side effect but I wouldn't have thought they would cause gibberish speach. Sounds like it could be a form of partial seizure BUT I am not a doctor and you really should discuss this with your husbands physician.  I hope that the doctor you have is happy for you to go along with your husband when he consults with him/her.  It is so important that you can describe to them what you see as your husband may not be fully aware of what is happening.  It is a good idea to keep a seizure diary - i.e. write down when, what happens and roughly how long it lasts for, and if there were any triggers e.g. lack of sleep or alcohol for example (there might not be any - my husband doesn't get triggers). I know it can be a really freaky thing to experience - I've been through it.  You do get more used to it over time (though I sincerely hope that you never have to) but it is hard - it's ok to feel the way you do.  It can be a bit frustrating too, but on the bad days you just have to swallow hard and remind yourself that he isn't doing this on purpose! I am sorry you don't have anyone to support you.  This site is great for finding like minded people.  I don't know what it is like where you live but it is worth seeing if there is an epilepsy support group in your area.  I am from the Uk and although I don't go to one myself, I know they are around.  Try your doctor/neurologist - they may well know of one, or google it on the web.  It may surprise you what is out there. You are not alone, even when it feels like it.  Epilepsy can be as much of a struggle for the partner as the one who is actually affected, but a lot of people don't realise that.  It makes it harder, but when people say insensitive things it is often through ignorance, not malice, and it helps to remember that.  On the plus side, even if your husband is having more seizures than you thought, it doesn't mean that the road ahead is necessarily bleak.  The vast majority of people with epilepsy will get good control over the seizures.  On a site like this, you will probably hear a lot of difficult or tragic stories, because it is the ones at the extreme end of the spectrum of seizures that will need this kind of support the most.  A lot of people out there are diagnosed with epilepsy but you would never know because they have good control from the medication.  My husband is part of the unfortunate few who has seizures almost daily but we have 2 other friends who are also diagnosed (both of which are well controlled) & 1 who had a seizure once and never again.  Get to the doctor and talk about this with them. Wishing you all the best in learning to live with this. Julie

Hey Lisa,  My name is Tony and have been seizing for a few years now.  Everything from grand mal to aural siezures and some craziness in between.  What you described is very similar to what I experience regularly.  I used to be a finance mgr. in the car biz. and made a living with my mouth.  I have always been proud of my verbal skills, especially problem solving and negotiating, but  have had to change to another line of work where I walk on roofs instead of talking as much.   It is great that you are able to be so involved with your husbands condition.  I tend to keep most of my issues to myself to keep my wife from freaking out but I know she see's more than she lets on.  When  he's feeling crazy and trying to find the missing parts of his life and memory remind him that he's not the only one going through this hell and that he's not alone either.  This may sound sappy but hugs have a lot of healing power.  Good luck to you both, T