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Strange headaches and changes in seizures

Thu, 10/05/2006 - 09:54
I started having seizures when I was 12. Went to Kosairs Children's hospital in Lousiville, KY. I was in there for many weeks and went through many tests, but the doctors could only come up with Idiopathic Epilepsy, and they put me on Tegretol. As the seizures stopped, I was weened off the meds and stayed seizures free for a few years. They started back in my college years, and I was put back on Tegretol. The meds were not working, so I was switched to Depaakote. The Depakote was so strong that it messed up my stomach and caused vomiting. I was switched to the sprinkles and was told to take it with baby food. The medicine still caused stomach problems, and I was switched to Topamax. The Topamax caused memory loss and loss of appetite...but it stopped the seizures. I was seizure free once again and weened off all medicine. The thing about my seizures is that I can tell when they are coming on. I have what my doctor and I have termed a "seizure headache" that starts in the top of my head and "moves" or radiates to my temple area right before the seizure occurs. It can take days before the headache "moves" and the seizure occurs. These headaches are excruciating, but after 18 years, you get a little used to them. They are much worse than my really bad migraines. On the Doc's scale of one-to-ten that he likes to use, a migraine is a 5 and the seizure headaches are an 8 or 9. Last week, however, I had a headache that was debilitating. It felt as though someone had taken an awl and hammer and fractured my skull. It literally felt as though something had popped in my brain. The pain spread outward as though it were a seismic wave. I have never been so scared before in my life. The pain was so intense that I could not move and screamed in agony. My husband has been through many headaches and seizures with me, but this one scared even him. It passed after some time, but I had one of the most violent seizures ever afterward. Usually I blackout during my seizures, but I was cognant during this one. I called my doc and scheduled an appointment for this week. Last night the same thing happened. Fearing that I might die in my sleep, my husband took me to the ER. The CT caught my seizure, but the ER doc said it was just a migraine, gave me a shot of phenergan and demerol and sent me home. I am very concerned. Has anyone ever experienced anything like this before? My doc does not seem concerned, but I know that this is not normal.

Comments

Re: Strange headaches and changes in seizures

Submitted by motherearth52 on Thu, 2006-10-05 - 11:27
I have the same excruciating headaches when a grand mal is going to happen. I would like to say GET A NEW DOCTOR!! If your doc was having these symptoms you know darn well he'd get some answers, and fast. I pray you will get some answers and some peace of mind. I find talking to the wonderful people I've met on this site really help.

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