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Partial seizures/any other seizures, or Panic Disorder?

Thu, 03/12/2015 - 19:37

(Sorry for spelling errors! I typed this fast.)I'm a 15 year old male and since August, ive been having these attacks at any random time, including in my sleep, that last no more than a minute long. They started out occuring once every  few weeks, and I have grown to having them 3-4 times every single day. When i first started getting them, all that would happen is a weird short period of, i guess, dizziness and i would feel out-of-body i guess you could say , and then tiredness after. I would not say or do anything during these. In november when i was getting sick of getting these all the time, i told my parents about them and we went to the doctor's. our doctor gave us a referall for a blood test, which showed nothing wrong. After this, we went for an ECG, which came out fine too. This showed our doctor that it must be panic/anxiety.

Then around the holidays, they started getting verbal. My friends and family noticed I would repeatedly say "mhm" while getting them. Then in the new year, they got even worse. I got one while presenting an oral at school, which i wasnt too nervous about, and people noticed that I was grabbing my chest while getting the attack, which i didnt notice. However, after the teacher stopped the presentation because of the attack, I felt fine and went up to do my oral right after, which surprised others. After this, i started seeing the school psychologist who thought that they were panic attacks. We discussed possible triggers and really talked about my feelings that could have led up to them, but i still continued to get them the sam amount of times.

Then, they became really verbal around January. When getting them, I started to frantically ask what time is it(because i wanted to write down the times i was getting the attacks just in case there was a pattern, which there wasnt. However, even though i have long stopped writing the times down i still ask the question.) and asked people to feel my heart(I used to want to see how fast my heart was beating during them and even though i dont care anymore i again still ask this) I didnt remember saying these things during the attacks, and i always had to ask people after what i said/did during my attacks, with everything i dont remember saying/doing.

Now in march, i am still getting them and they have not went down at all. I just got an EEG scan this wek and am hoping for an answer soon. However, since i didnt get an attack during them, i dont know what to expect. I have also gotten a referral for a neurologist from my doctor, and am waiting to see when i will be having an appointment with one.

While getting the attacks, they happen at random and i dont feel them coming on. I don't remember anything from during the attcks, and when i ask people what i said/did during the attacks, i dont remember saying/doing anything they have said. Here's a list of the symptoms I have during them to summarize them, since i didnt include them all yet.

Symptoms during attacks:

  • duaration of no longer than a minute, 3-4 times a day(even 5 sometimes)
  • deja vu feeling
  • fast heart beating
  • paleness
  • repepated use of same phrase(what time is it/feel my heart)
  • at the beginning, groaning/choking sounds(although i am not choking)
  • trembling of arms and legs afterwards
  • frantic for comfort during them
  • no remembrance of what i have said/done during them
  • sadness afterwards
  • tiredness aftewards(not feeling as tired now after as i used to)
  • look of fear
  • unresponsive to people when they call my name
  • something someone told me that happened this weekend was during one, my hand was bent inwards and was shaking.
  • at the beginning of these attacks, i will sometimes have negative thought, like what im doing is feminine, making fun of whatever im doing at the moment, questioning what im doing at the moment, or a thought that doesnt even make sense. However, it doesnt really feel like a trigger because the thought comes after the weird deja vu feeling has sunk in. It honestly feels like a brain glitch!

The reason my family and i arent sure if its epilepsy or panic disorder is because of this: I'am a swimmer, and while i am at practice swimming laps i have gotten them severa times. However, i dont get out of the water or anything and i keep on swimming. During them, the water feels different and weirder(it feels like im not grabbing anything and my technique probably looks different) The fact that i dont sink or have trouble swimming is what we dont understand, because someone having a seizure would probably sink to the bottom or not be able to keep swimming, no?

Anyways, im not on any medication or anything for whatever this is. I am currently seeing a psychologist in case it is panic, but mt problem is not making total sense to her as panic either. I'm really hoping for a diagnosis soon because i can't just keep going on with getting these. I am constantly thinking about the trouble of getting one while i am in class and at swimming, and its hard to live like this. I hope anyone can give their share on my situation.

David

Comments

It is possiable that your

Submitted by just_joe on Fri, 2015-03-13 - 09:58
It is possiable that your episodes are epileptic seizures.  With my focal seizures I knew everything going on arround me. If I was talking i became slower and at times it sounded like I might be mumbling. After a seizure the person will be tirerder mainly because of the electrical aout put being used. As the person having then thay learn how to sdjust their body to keep going so they aren't as tired as when they had their first seizure, To really be sure you need to see a neurologist that specializes in epilepsy. Tell him everything you have posted in here. He will probably want to have you take an EEG. For many people their EEG's come back normal.. The person doesn't need to have a seizure during the EEG for them to find the information they need. Kind of like a person with a heart issue doesn't need to be having a heart attack for an issue with the heart doesn't have to show up. They both work off of electrical output and the tests just show the electrical output.After you see the neurologist come back and let us know how things went. Joe

Jazz & Mereloaded I do concur

Submitted by nightfighter@nc.rr.com on Thu, 2015-03-19 - 02:26
Jazz & Mereloaded I do concur this does sound like Complex Partial. Dave! please follow through with the suggestion about documenting the activity. Date / Time / Duration or Intensity.MIke

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