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.

At my wit's end

Mon, 04/24/2017 - 20:26
First off, I'm not sure I have seizures. However, everyone around me is convinced and whatever I have is getting worse. I'm working with a neurologist, but my first EEG was normal. Now they're going to do an inpatient EMU. I'm so frustrated, though, by the wait time. It seems to be getting worse. I can remember having these spells during the night since I was a child. I wake up from them paralyzed, panicked, and sometimes in a dangerous position. A friend that was sleeping over witnessed one and said I was making choking sounds, unresponsive, and my legs and arms were moving involuntarily. I just started a job in telecommunications and since that point, the ish has really hit the fan. I've had odd tics, random stutters, unusual mood swings/bursts of energy followed by crying spells, random staring spells, moments where I just lose chunks of time, moments where words make no sense and I'm confused and can't spell or speak right, and random spells where I make odd noises like a yelp throughout my whole life. However, now it has become full body shaking, muscle contractions, brain fog, dizziness, this odd feeling of going sideways (I have actually fallen from standing upright because my equilibrium goes so off kilter), this agitated and anxious energy...I don't know what to do at this point. It's getting to the point where I can't make it through more than 3-4 hours of work. I get in there feeling great, then I start to go fuzzy, I get upper stomach pain, I feel like I'm starting to tilt sideways, my speech begins to get messed up, spelling becomes difficult...I had a massive spell at work a day or two ago that lasted about half an hour (the physical spells are often lasting 5-15 minutes) and I still haven't fully mentally recouped from it yet. It was the worst I've had yet; I was bent almost double backwards and for the first time I had a few moments where I didn't breathe. My friend is pushing me to take Lorazepam because I did once at the onset of one of them and it stopped it in it's tracks. But I think it's a controlled substance. Is there any way to control this before I get fired from my job? Can I take a little of my friend's lorazepam or is that not a good idea because of work? My neurologist doesn't want to prescribe anything or offer work accommodations until she decides if I actually have seizures or not.

Comments

I had over 20 EEG's that all

Submitted by just_joe on Tue, 2017-04-25 - 10:36
I had over 20 EEG's that all came back normal. That didn't mean I wasn't having seizures because I was still having seizures. It was about the 26th that showed abnormalities. Those staring spells and lapses of time could be absence seizures. Most of the other things you posted could be seizures or parts of different seizure. The EMU is an Epilepsy Monitoring Unit. Several things can be done in one. A constant EEG with videoing can be done. Some people are in them for periods of time. I was in a couple of them to see if there were other procedures might be available to stop all of my seizures. Lorazapam is also a rescue medication for some people that have seizures that cluster. the dosage is different for those and yes it stops seizures and keeps the clustering from happening. But it can also be used as a daily medication used to control seizures. So please do not take it because you do not know the types of seizures you can be having. You also do not know that a medication to stop seizures in one person can cause them in another person. Yes it is not an over the counter medication and must be prescribed. Always ask your neurologist questions. Answer their questions truthfully. Oh and please start taking notes of the different episodes you have. note each day. Which keeps track of how your day was and if there was anything different that day. That information can be used by the neurologist to help with the diagnosis and treatment. You can get the EF My Seizure Diary in the help section . Use it and by giving the neurologist permission to bring it up thy can also check out the graphs and that could help too. There is a note pad in it.I hope this helpsJoe

You should not be taking

Submitted by lovelypinkx on Fri, 2017-04-28 - 00:18
You should not be taking someone else's medication. It could be bad for you depending on your situation. Honestly all your symptoms sound like epilepsy to me, but just wait and see.

If u feel yourself dazing out

Submitted by TeeshMoney on Mon, 2017-05-01 - 21:18
If u feel yourself dazing out or getting the random stutters try coughing... my fiancé was diagnosed with nocturnal epilepsy in 2013 and when I realize he's going through seizure like symptoms I tell him to cough and continue to cough until the seizure like motions stop 

Sign Up for Emails

Stay up to date with the latest epilepsy news, stories from the community, and more.