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Hypoglycemia? Anemia? Dehydration? Or Epilepsy? You tell me!

Tue, 06/30/2009 - 06:09

Hi everyone.

What a good find this site has been. I need to know if any doctor or experienced person can tell me if seizures can be caused by any of the aforementioned conditions because i have taken an EEG, ECG and even Brain Scan test and nothing has been found to explain the seizure i had six days ago. But perhaps a little background information on my story is needed so please bear with me if its a bit too long. 

Am 24 and about one month ago i had dental surgery under general anasthesia to extract 5 heavily impacted teeth from my mouth. As you can expect i lost alot of blood and my mouth was really messed up. Anyway, for 7 days after the surgery i virtually could not eat anything and so my diet was not good. Then on the eigth day, while i was home alone in the kitchen, i think, (am not sure), i fainted. it could have been a seizure or mere fainting, am not sure. But what i know is i was just standing there and then i just lost conciousness and fainted and fell on my back and also hit my head. 

Now the funny part is when i woke up from this faint (seizure?) i was in my bed and not in the kitchen! How i got there without remembering, am not sure! And i had hurt my back really bad from the fall and was in alot of pain. And i was also out of breath and fighting to breathe. I noticed i had also wet my pants. The only thing i could do was pick up my phone and call my sister who came over and they carried me to the ER. They did a scan on my back and told me that i had a small fracture on my back from the fall but that it would heal in a few weeks. As you all know, once you injure your spinal cord, the pain spreads to every part of the body because all nerves are connected to the spinal cord. Anyway the doc told me i must have fainted because of dehydration and lack of glucose because for 7 days i was not eating because of my teeth. Anyway, i was discharged with some pain killers and went to recuperate my back from home. 

It took an extra 3 weeks for both my back and teeth to get much better and i could finally eat some solid foods but i had been on a very poor diet. I had also noticed that i had developed heart palipitations possibly because i had become anemic or lost alot of glucose. I could just feel my heart racing for brief periods of time. So any way last week on wednesday at night, about 20 days after my fall and 27 days after my teeth surgey, i was in the living room talking to my sister and having a laugh when i decided to turn around and go fetch something from the kicthen. In turning around, i turned my neck and head to the right at a tight angle. On turning my head like this, i just felt it get stuck there, like it was going more and more to the right and i couldnt turn it back, however much i tried! Its then that i lost conciousness and just stood there with my head tilted to the right. My sister thought i was pulling a prank until she came around and had a look and saw that my head was actually stuck and my eyes were rolled up and i was having a fit. Its then that i lost my balance and felt to the floor and started shaking before just laying still with my eyes rolled up. Kind of like a grand mal. 

Now the funny thing is that seizures are supposed to last for like a few minutes right? Well i stayed like this for a very long time, around 20 mins. I woke up at the ER confused and could see my sister sitted there talking to the doctor in tears. Then another funny thing is that after about 15 mins, another 'seizure' started and i started convulsing and fighting with the nurses though i dont remember anything. This lasted about another 10 mins and i was passed out for about 20 mins before waking up on drip. I also realised i had bitten my toungue. The doctor then ordered 3 tests. An EEG, ECG and Brain scan. They all came back normal and the brain scan guys said they saw nothing wrong and it was probably dehydration or possibly a 'brain atrophy', something they also couldnt explain well when asked. 

Anyway, they did other tests and told me i was anemic and i had been on a poor diet too. So in addittion to folic acid, the neuro surgeon prescribed for me nootropil and phenytoin and sent me home saying i will be fine and i should watch my diet. I took phenytoin for 2 days but its side effects were so bad that i could not even concetrate at all and was always sleeping. I told the doc this and he said that thats how it was and i had to 'rest'. Well guess what, i wasnt having none of that! so i stopped taking the phenytoin and nootropil altogether and just continued with the folic acid for the anemia. I know many of you will condemn me for that but i do not believe that what happened was epilepsy and therefore was not going to continue on anti-epileptic drugs more over with very very bad side effects. 

Its now been 5 days and no seizures or anything like that and am on a proper diet and doing alot of research on seizures and epilepsy and how one can have a seizure with the EEG, ECG and brain scan all coming out normal??? A numer of websites have suggested that seizures can be a symptom of any of the follwing issues: Hypoglycemia, Anemia, Dehydration, Palpitation. All of which i was suffering from. Also another website suggested that turning the neck at an acute angle could lead to blocking a nerver that takes blood to the brain and can lead to fainting with seizure like symptoms???

Anyway, there are just too many opinions out there and it can all get a bit confusing so was just wondering what you guys make of my story? I know its been kind of like a movie or something but i had to just put it out there. Anyone with any suggestions or opinions is free to comment. 

Thanx alot for listening.

Comments

Re: Hypoglycemia? Anemia? Dehydration? Or Epilepsy? You tell me!

Submitted by xalixo on Wed, 2009-07-01 - 19:49
Hey, thanx for the reply. I agree its totally not so funny that this all started after the denatl surgery! Everything, the palpitations, the fainting, the anemia, seizures, everything! And guess what, after i called the dentist that did the op, ofcourse he had to deny and say everything went 'perfectly'. And who am i to say it didnt? I mean i was unconcious! I wouldnt also admit it myself if something went wrong anyway, so why would i expect him to admit it. All i need to know now is what nerves are there near the jaws or neck that are connected to the neuro? My God too many questions i wish there was a neuro surgeon on these forums to help us answer some of these questions! However, thanx for your replies, they are helping with my investigations. Will keep updating.

Re: Hypoglycemia? Anemia? Dehydration? Or Epilepsy? You tell me!

Submitted by pear on Tue, 2010-06-08 - 23:14

Hi, as part of the dental surgery did you have amalgam fillings removed? If so it is possible that the amalgam (mercury based) may have entered your blood and you may have been poisoned. If a seizure is caused by an imbalance in brain chemistry, then the presence of poisons in the brain (which would cause an imbalance) could lead to a seizure. For example, the mercury preservative thimerosal, used in vaccines, has been linked to autism. 

It is important to combine chelation therapy with amalagam removal, which binds up all the metals in the body and allows them to be flushed out. This must be followed up by replenishing the body with the minerals and vitamins lost. Spirulina for example is an excellent natural nutritional supplement, which is also high in available iron so can be used to treat and prevent anaemia as part of a balanced diet. 

A blood infection caused by a rotten tooth can also directly lead to a stressed heart. Dental problems are also physically linked with spinal/neck problems. I myself had corrective braces as a teenager. The tension on the jaw and facial muscles from the movement of the teeth cased me much neck ache and jaw clicking. I have since had cranial osteopathic treatment for this. 

A seizure is a frightening experience. Nevertheless I believe it is always beneficial to research and educate yourself as much as possible, while seeking alternative medical opinions. Not just a second, but a third, fourth opinion... from conventional as well as alternative practitioners. This is because drugs are all too eagerly prescribed these days! (and drugs themselves are poison when they are not absolutely essential).  Any test, be it a blood test or brain scan, has an inherint error margin - so it can result in a false positive. I once had a blood test for a thyroid hormone level. The test showed this hormone was far too low and the doctor immediately wanted to prescribe drugs for this. He said I might be on these for the rest of my life! I asked for a follow up test - it came back fine! The first test had been a lab error! 

I would never start taking drugs on account of a lab result. I would only resort to drugs as a last resort, having consulted trusted doctors and friends and exhausted other options first. Other options include living a healthy and balanced life style. A brilliant book that may be of help to you, as it is to me, is "Healing with Whole Foods" by Paul Pitchford. 

I wish you all the best in regaining your good health!

Hi, as part of the dental surgery did you have amalgam fillings removed? If so it is possible that the amalgam (mercury based) may have entered your blood and you may have been poisoned. If a seizure is caused by an imbalance in brain chemistry, then the presence of poisons in the brain (which would cause an imbalance) could lead to a seizure. For example, the mercury preservative thimerosal, used in vaccines, has been linked to autism. 

It is important to combine chelation therapy with amalagam removal, which binds up all the metals in the body and allows them to be flushed out. This must be followed up by replenishing the body with the minerals and vitamins lost. Spirulina for example is an excellent natural nutritional supplement, which is also high in available iron so can be used to treat and prevent anaemia as part of a balanced diet. 

A blood infection caused by a rotten tooth can also directly lead to a stressed heart. Dental problems are also physically linked with spinal/neck problems. I myself had corrective braces as a teenager. The tension on the jaw and facial muscles from the movement of the teeth cased me much neck ache and jaw clicking. I have since had cranial osteopathic treatment for this. 

A seizure is a frightening experience. Nevertheless I believe it is always beneficial to research and educate yourself as much as possible, while seeking alternative medical opinions. Not just a second, but a third, fourth opinion... from conventional as well as alternative practitioners. This is because drugs are all too eagerly prescribed these days! (and drugs themselves are poison when they are not absolutely essential).  Any test, be it a blood test or brain scan, has an inherint error margin - so it can result in a false positive. I once had a blood test for a thyroid hormone level. The test showed this hormone was far too low and the doctor immediately wanted to prescribe drugs for this. He said I might be on these for the rest of my life! I asked for a follow up test - it came back fine! The first test had been a lab error! 

I would never start taking drugs on account of a lab result. I would only resort to drugs as a last resort, having consulted trusted doctors and friends and exhausted other options first. Other options include living a healthy and balanced life style. A brilliant book that may be of help to you, as it is to me, is "Healing with Whole Foods" by Paul Pitchford. 

I wish you all the best in regaining your good health!

Re: Hypoglycemia? Anemia? Dehydration? Or Epilepsy? You tell me!

Submitted by Kandres on Thu, 2012-05-10 - 08:22
I have hypoglycemia, pvs, sleep deprived and latey feel dehydrated. I have always correlated my seizures to my hypoglycemia, when I was a teenager they were always the day after a party or holiday. I have been seizure free for almost 3 years and 20 years before that. I had a seizure Saturday night, 6 hrs after being at a party, eating a large piece of cake, and dieting and eating pasta all week. Also 6 months ago my insurance made me switch from brand name lamitcal to generic. I feel so shaky ever since the seizure.  I have been in contact with the doctor she wanted me to switch back to brand name and up my dosage to 100 mg, she hasn't requested blood work or an eeg. She feels my seizures are due to being sleep deprived. I have two children, 3 and 5, who always come in the middle of the night to sleep with us. I'm looking for answers as well just wanted to add my experience.

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