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im new with lots of questions
Thu, 09/21/2006 - 16:33i just recently found this forum while i was at work (in a call center of all places, which probably isnt the best job for me) and i have questions for other people who may be having the same problems as i do:
1)all of the people i know around my area have seizures related to diabetes or heart conditions or as a side effect to meds....but i am completely healthy on that- i mean, i am overweight, but i only started drastically gaining weight when i started my medication- Dilantin (and alot of ppl have told me it makes you gain weight, because i havent changed my lifestyle)- but my blood sugar is fine, my blood pressure is described as "athletic" and so on... no other health probs.... should i be taking a diff medication?
2) i only have seizures at night (unless i space out during the day), and never in a car- but the ones at night usually last 1-2 minutes, are always grand mal, and even on meds they happen once every 2 weeks or so.... they are always laying down- i have had one standing up but managed to fall on my bed before it went crazy... i feel auras during the day which often means i will have one later at night.... i have only lost bladder control on this recent one (had it last night at 1:30 AM) but i feel like they are getting worse even though i have increased my dosage....normally i pass out, but i feel like i am dying...do grand mal seizures kill people- like if they dont come out of them?
3) i do not qualify for any kind of leave at work because it is a "pre-existing condition", so eventually i would lose my job due to attendance (we can only take days off if we have worked at certain amount of time back-to-back with perfect attendance) i can do my job fine, in fact i do it well, but i feel like maybe i should be trying to get SSI or something given that i cant find work with flexible enough considerations for my "condition"?
4) what all do you guys think are the best medications? dilantin has so many bad side effects i had to abort my pregnancy as soon as i found out (in the 3rd or 4th week) because i wouldve killed the baby or caused it to have birth defects....
sorry this is so lengthy but everyone treats me like seizures arent a big deal but they wipe me out for the rest of the day....
-amanda
Comments
Re: Re: im new with lots of questions
Submitted by Les on Fri, 2006-09-22 - 06:36
OOPS ! Mispelled gelastic seizures. As for can people die, look up SUDEP . It is the term for sudden death in epileptics. I know the E foundation has a se[arate forum for the topic but I am new here so am not sure yet what all is offered here.Les
Re: Re: Re: im new with lots of questions
Submitted by westerday on Fri, 2006-09-22 - 09:15
yeah, and the other problem- is i have had MRI and EEG and they said there was nothing abnormal about them--- i am from a tiny town (but now live in OKC) and now i feel ripped off because i know that i have them- ER nurses have seen it, ive woken up with a soaked bed and a hole bitten thru my lip.......
what other tests are there? because i want them to stop! i have only had them for 7 years, i keep hoping that means they will go away at some point in my life....
Re: im new with lots of questions
Submitted by Les on Fri, 2006-09-22 - 06:33
Those auras are actually small seizures and yes they can be a warning of something bigger yet to come. I am on Depakote ER and that causes weight gain - especially for me since I also have thyroid disease. It is also not a good choice for anyone who wants to get pregnant as it too can cause birth defects.Look around under medications and see if there is one you may want to try but most importantly talk to your MD about the fact that you want to avoid weight gain ( I hear topomax causes weight loss instead ) and that you also want to preserve the ability to get pregnant and have a healthy child. You can also google your meds or visit the epilepsy foundation website for more information and forums as well since there are multiple posts in there at the Women with E forum on pregnancy etc. You want to remember one thing - some drugs affect the ovaries by causing ovarian cysts and PCOS . It is polycystic ovarian syndrome and I had it as soon as I became "a young womnan" so I finally had everything removed after my third laparoscopy for multiple cysts on the tubes and ovaries before I even started any E meds. The hysterectomy actually was followed by a short period of hormone treatments that caused increased seizures that were gelatic primarily . ( laughing seizures ) Once the hormones were stopped I got better but still had untreated E for another 4 years.Les