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Fatigue, weakness, tiredness...all part of TLE?

Sat, 04/17/2010 - 19:25

Hey,

I'm still waiting for my EEG next week to confirm the diagnosis of temporal lobe epilepsy (however, I'm convinced the EEG will come back normal because my seizures have been so widely spread out over the past year). 

I'm just wondering, for those of you who have TLE, have you found fatigue, muscle weakness, being tired all the time (in other words, 'feeling like crap') to be symptoms as well? Since my grand mal over a month ago I have not been myself. I'm always tired and feel very weak. I find it very difficult going to work in the morning and getting through the day. It's frustrating, but I'm hoping once I'm put on meds they will help? 

Also, I'd never had a problem with my memory before the grand mal seizure a month ago. Now I found that I'm forgetting a lot. For instance, I forgot my social insurance number about a week ago and again a few days ago, something I had memorized since my first year of university (6 years ago). I'm also remembering stories people have told me days before, but cannot for the life of me remember who told them to me. That's been happening a lot actually. 

I'm starting to get worried and wonder if what is going on is something more than TLE...I'm not convinced that's all that is wrong. But I'm probably being paranoid. 

Comments

Re: Fatigue, weakness, tiredness...all part of TLE?

Submitted by phylisfjohnson on Sun, 2010-04-18 - 12:41

 

ME TOO!  What you're feeling, from my experience, is totally "normal" for a TLE. 

For a summary of TLE after effects, (The Aftermath of a Seizure) click on: http://my.epilepsy.com/node/984715

"For the following two days after that seizure, I just kinda feel out of it, although physically I continue with my daily duties. I cannot, for those two days, remember to call friends, to do things like I normally would, and I just kinda stay at home and perform things at home. The ideas don't come in as fast as they normally would to do things. Energy level during those two days is way down. My mood is kind of just down and I kinda enjoy being by myself. "

Postictal thinking problems come on suddenly and resolve over time. In the immediate aftermath of a seizure, a person may not be able to speak, recognize his/her own name or follow instructions. Fortunately, this severe disability usually lasts only minutes. Then the person seems to be mentally recovered. But are they? A less obvious impairment of thinking may in fact continue for days. The head seems "fuzzy," words are elusive, level of absent-mindedness is high. Some patients have likened it to having a hangover. For those who have prolonged postictal impairment of thinking, it must take a great effort to function well.

There's a good section on Thinking and Memory here: http://my.epilepsy.com/node/105  where they talk about the  relationship between epilepsy, thinking, and memory as well as diagnostic and treatment issues.

Hope this helps!    Phylis Feiner Johnson   www.epilepsytalk.com

 

 

ME TOO!  What you're feeling, from my experience, is totally "normal" for a TLE. 

For a summary of TLE after effects, (The Aftermath of a Seizure) click on: http://my.epilepsy.com/node/984715

"For the following two days after that seizure, I just kinda feel out of it, although physically I continue with my daily duties. I cannot, for those two days, remember to call friends, to do things like I normally would, and I just kinda stay at home and perform things at home. The ideas don't come in as fast as they normally would to do things. Energy level during those two days is way down. My mood is kind of just down and I kinda enjoy being by myself. "

Postictal thinking problems come on suddenly and resolve over time. In the immediate aftermath of a seizure, a person may not be able to speak, recognize his/her own name or follow instructions. Fortunately, this severe disability usually lasts only minutes. Then the person seems to be mentally recovered. But are they? A less obvious impairment of thinking may in fact continue for days. The head seems "fuzzy," words are elusive, level of absent-mindedness is high. Some patients have likened it to having a hangover. For those who have prolonged postictal impairment of thinking, it must take a great effort to function well.

There's a good section on Thinking and Memory here: http://my.epilepsy.com/node/105  where they talk about the  relationship between epilepsy, thinking, and memory as well as diagnostic and treatment issues.

Hope this helps!    Phylis Feiner Johnson   www.epilepsytalk.com

 

Re: Fatigue, weakness, tiredness...all part of TLE?

Submitted by ShonYamane on Mon, 2011-06-20 - 02:21

Stress builds! Living with constant family and social pressures may cause fatigue. If this is happening, you must look inward, examining yourself and your life style. Evaluate what is occurring in your life and how you can deal with it. Maintaining a well-balanced diet and exercise program that embraces the physical limitations of the person is another coping skill one must initiate. If a person is not already familiar with these life-skills, it may take some professional counseling or attendance at workshops offered by the many community outreach programs sponsored by local medical centers. There are many facets in the physiology of fatigue as well as degrees of fatigue. Until you evaluate the circumstances in which you have fatigue, you will not be able to assist your doctors or counselors in developing a holistic view and approach to your health and life situations. homework help

Stress builds! Living with constant family and social pressures may cause fatigue. If this is happening, you must look inward, examining yourself and your life style. Evaluate what is occurring in your life and how you can deal with it. Maintaining a well-balanced diet and exercise program that embraces the physical limitations of the person is another coping skill one must initiate. If a person is not already familiar with these life-skills, it may take some professional counseling or attendance at workshops offered by the many community outreach programs sponsored by local medical centers. There are many facets in the physiology of fatigue as well as degrees of fatigue. Until you evaluate the circumstances in which you have fatigue, you will not be able to assist your doctors or counselors in developing a holistic view and approach to your health and life situations. homework help

Re: Fatigue, Weakness, Tiredness...All Part Of TLE?

Submitted by michellejohnso1 on Fri, 2018-02-23 - 06:03
Weakness and fatigue are terms that are often used as if they mean the same thing. But in fact they describe two different sensations. It is important to know exactly what you mean when you say "I feel weak" or "I am fatigued" because it can help you and your doctor narrow down the possible causes of your symptoms. Safety and health procedures. General weakness often occurs after you have done too much activity at one time, such as by taking an extra-long hike. You may feel weak and tired, or your muscles may be sore. These sensations usually go away within a few days.

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