Question about Auras and Grand Mal seizures

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Hi: I'm fairly new here. I had my first (and only so far) grand mal seizure last month. I am currently on 100 mg of Lamictal twice a day. I have read somewhere that people who have grand mal seizures do not usually have any kind of warning (aura). I was just wondering what some of you may experienced. About 5-10 minutes before my seizure I did have a very strange sensation that only lasted about 4-5 seconds: I didn't know where I was, or why I was there. I also felt kind of strange as if in a vaccuum, I couldn't hear what my friend was saying - or simply have no memory of it. I would love your input concerning this. Thank you, Ginger

Comments

Re: Question about Auras and Grand Mal seizures

Submitted by aquila316 on Thu, 2006-07-20 - 07:28

Hello Ginger, and welcome. =) My name is Susan, I've had E all my life, I'm 33 and currently diagnosed with Temporal Lobe E and 4 types of sz's. First, to start with the Grand Mals (Tonic/Clonic--T/C), apparently I've been told that I do get an aura (auras are just smaller sz's) before them but I have never been aware of it before. I had a T/C during my first EEG, and I was diagnosed as having absence sz's (used to be called Petit Mal) for about the first 30-45 seconds before a T/C. I, to this day, have never been aware of an aura, or absence sz, to signal the onset of a T/C sz. This is actually the reason my parents spent $8,000.00 to have my dog (that I had until last Christmas) trained to alert me of the onset of one. We noticed the dog acting strangley before each one, and actually saved my life by alerting my college room mates that I had a phone chord wrapped around my neck during one. My second comment was referring to the "vacuum" comment in your post. As I said before, I have 4 kinds, and the other 2 consist of Simple and Complex Partial Sz's. Now, with those I do get an aura, (which is the simple Partial-leading to the Complex P.) and it is eerily similar to that vacuum feeling you described. I am also aware of whats going on during the Simple Partial, but once it becomes a Complex Partial I cannot function as I normally would. You're right, if I actually heard something said to me, I'd never remember once the sz is over, however I can pick up with anything I was doing before the Simple P. started. That really freaks people out at work, too. Stopping a conversation, having a sz, and starting the conv. right back off in the same place confuses even ppl who've known me for years. As far as knowing where I am, the more I read here, and in publications, we all experience very different sympyoms, except one...disorientation. I think that is the one feeling that every one of us goes through before, during, and especially after a sz or series of sz's. I hope this helps, Susan

Re: Re: Question about Auras and Grand Mal seizures

Submitted by vrleigh on Thu, 2006-07-20 - 15:26

Thank you Susan. Since I have only had the one seizure so far, I was kind of hoping that I might get some type of warning before having one. The thought of no warning at all is freaking me out a little bit. I think the part I have having the most difficulty with is the unpredictability of all this - especially being so new to it. But, I keeping telling myself that it could be something far worse. Thank you for your input, yes it did help. Ginger

Hi there, Yes I had a

Submitted by ryter on Wed, 2006-07-26 - 16:14

Hi there, Yes I had a "warning."It began with my left hand jerking, that spread to my arm, then leg. I was actually in my GP's exam room for another reason (prolonged insomnia and nausea) and I told the doc, "I'm not nervous, really," then I'm told I lost consciousness. That's when the fun started.