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First Grand Mal Seizure at 26. New to Forum

Fri, 09/30/2016 - 17:31
Hi all, I didn't know where to start in joining this site but knew I needed to join as half my Google searches led to here. What happened: I was driving down the highway when all of a sudden, I had another episode of deja vu (maybe jameis vu) that I had first experienced 6 months prior. Ten seconds later, I woke up in the ER and was asked if I remembered what happened. Both of my shoulders were dislocated and I recalled none of it (but did remember the weird deja vu episode right beforehand). They told me I had a seizure and crashed into the median wall. Bystanders saw me seizing and tried to smash out my windows to get me out. The ambulance apparently got me and took me to the ER. Background: I am two years removed from college and working as an engineer doing contract work trying to land a salaried position. The deja vu first started happening at my previous job. I was mildly stressed from not really knowing what I was doing, trying to get hired on, and had to buy a new car in just 2 weeks since my girlfriend was starting her job (I had been using her car). I was searching for a new job and pretty certain that I would need one since I wouldn't be hired on. A rough patch...but I was used to stress. I made it through a difficult engineering major and it was second nature. The only history of relevance is that my mom has tuberous sclerosis. She had seizures from her teens to the age of 25, but none since then. The deja vu: Stress seemed to trigger it. I recall at least 5 times where I just felt like I had experienced what I was staring at and feeling in a past dream or at another time...or that I just knew it was coming. It almost always happened when sitting bored in my cubicle or when driving. I realize now that these were partial seizures. I started my new job, there was no stress for 2 or so months while I was trained in, and then the deja vu came back when the stress started. The day of the grand mal, at my new job, I was very stressed with a stupid project that I shouldn't have been given in the first place. It was completely out of my realm of expertise, due in a week, and I had no idea how to get it done. I had the constant feeling of dread that I would put forth terrible work and be fired. I had a deja-vu experience/partial while listening to a coworker talk in my 2 pm meeting. It felt kind of good. Little did I know, I'd have the grand mal 5 hours later while driving. However, I went out golfing and was feeling perfectly fine when driving home...de-stressed, not thinking about work, just wanting to get home on a typical Tuesday. Then it happened. I should note that I had very little to eat that day as well, which is out of the norm (muscular, whey, lots of protein throughout the day person) and had a real lack of sleep (still that wasn't too out of the normal compared to other stages in my life). The doctors: I turned down MRI and EEG since I don't have insurance. I'm getting them within a month now that I have insurance. They put me on Keppra and I dislike it. It just feels like my brain and talking are a little slower than normal, along with some mild acne. However, it could just be that I'm still processing all this. I have an extensive list to cover with the neurologist regarding Now: I returned to work after 2 days in the hospital right away on Friday. I said screw it, finished up that stupid project even if done horribly, and it's now in the rearview. I now have been working diligently on other things because I know that these simple partials (and the grand mal) were triggered by my fears of what would happen from not getting my stuff done at work. I feel better...more in control. I want to just go off the Keppra to prove that this grand mal and these seizures are related SOLELY to this horrible feeling I have at work when I know I've been lazy, should do better, and am not living up to expectations (no, it's not being hard on myself- I have been admittedly not working to my potential and surfing the web). But I feel much better in my one week back at work with my renewed focus...and I think it will completely get rid of my seizures. I'd love to hear your comments. I can provide any other information related if someone thinks relevant (alcohol/drug use, supplements, medications, family history). Right now, I just think it was a perfect storm of cumulative stress, lack of sleep, no breakfast and a small lunch that caused this. Obviously I'll know more once the scans are done. But again, I'd love to hear your thoughts or from anyone with a similar situation.

Comments

To start with some of the

Submitted by just_joe on Sat, 2016-10-01 - 11:23
To start with some of the things you posted about keppra would have gone away after your body had gotten used to the medications. Seizure meds are not like aspirin where once taken it I gone after a few hours. The dosages are set to bring the therapeutic levels to a certain amount in your body. One that have happened your issues with it can be gone. Stress is a trigger for many, Lack of sleep is also one. But like I said for some people. The thing to do is leave the stress at the door when you leave and pick it up when you enter the next day. I did that and at times on the way home something would hit me and I wrote it on a not pad (real note pad) and referred to it the next day at work.As for the MRI and EEG they are the main tests used to fond the type of epilepsy you have.(EEG) by seeing where the electrical impulses causing a seizure are coming from the neurologists will look closer in that area of your brain. My EEG showed the activity on the left lobes og my brain. The MRI found scared brain tissue. So scared brain tissue caused my epilepsy.WATCH THE DRIVING Since there are laws in each state that requires people with epilepsy to not drive until you go a certain number of months without a seizure

Also, I am interested to know

Submitted by Autumn on Thu, 2018-03-01 - 18:43
Also, I am interested to know what your tests end up showing. I went through them very shortly after my first tonic clonic seizures, but now I have partials much more frequently, and my tonic clonics are only months apart. I'm so tired of it all. 

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