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One week after first seizure (I think?)

Fri, 01/23/2015 - 14:04

I'm a 39-year old man in pretty good health. Very early last Thurs. morning I went into the hospital. To make a long story short, they think I had some sort of seizure in my sleep because I woke up and did not know things like my name, the year, phone number, etc. I also had a very bad headache and was confused. I went through pretty much every test imaginable (MRI, CT Scan, CAT Scan, EEG, ECG, spinal tap etc) and all came back clear. I was released Friday night after things started coming back. They do not think it was a stroke and its not a tumor. They believe I had some kind of seizure in my sleep. I'm not allowed to drive until after I meet with an epileptologist in 2 weeks. As part of the tests, I had a spinal tap, which has left me with a continuing massive head/neck ache for the last 8 days. Laying down makes it almost go away but I have gone back to work so thats not exactly ideal.

The day before my seizure I had called out of work because I had stomach issues. I basically had the runs about 8-10 times. I know I did not properly hydrate myself during that day and night (stupid). Then, that night, I used a citris-based stripper indoors to strip a piece of furniture. It said it was safe for indoor use, however I did not really create any sort of ventilation. Although the doctors could offer no concrete explanation of what happened to me, they think it was a seizure. I am wondering if the day leading up to it had anything to do with it. I have had 6-7 concussions in my life as well. My best guess is that possibly I am predisposed to seizures and my sickness/stupidity the night before my seizure tipped the scale. Who knows. Anyone have a similar experience?

Not knowing what happened and whether or not it may happen again is really playing on my nerves. In the meantime I have been eating perfectly and making sure I get plenty of sleep and hydration. I appreciate any advice and am glad to have found this resource.

Comments

Most people do not

Submitted by just_joe on Fri, 2015-01-23 - 19:04
Most people do not understance how common epilepsy is. Eplepsy is more common then Parkinsons, Az and strokes combined. They fail to know that there are over 40 types of seizures and just by looking at some people they may be in a seizure rather then day dreaming.As for the tests they ran you had many thay didn't need to be run but the epileptologist can get information from those. They generally run an EEG and a MRI. The MRI will show the neurologist the brain from all angles. The EEG will show the electrical output comming from the brain. With many people they all come back normal so other EEG's are done. One an ambulatory might be done. Another might be in a monitering unit which has you hiooked up and you are being videoed. It is run for a few days.If the eeg shows abnormalities then it is showing seizure activity in a portion of the brain. Seizure activity does not mean yo uare in or having a seizure. It means the electrical impulse is hitting wrong. All a seizure is is an electrical impulse going off wrong in the brain causing a chain reaction. Go visit with the epileptologist and find out what he has to say. If you do have epilepsy then he will prescribe medications. The faster a person is put on them the better it is. I hope this helps Joe

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