Community Forum Archive

The Epilepsy Community Forums are closed, and the information is archived. The content in this section may not be current or apply to all situations. In addition, forum questions and responses include information and content that has been generated by epilepsy community members. This content is not moderated. The information on these pages should not be substituted for medical advice from a healthcare provider. Experiences with epilepsy can vary greatly on an individual basis. Please contact your doctor or medical team if you have any questions about your situation. For more information, learn about epilepsy or visit our resources section.

Atonic Seizure?

Tue, 04/01/2014 - 17:39

My little sister (18 years old) has had trouble with fainting in the past like 8 months. Out of no where she will just faint and fall to the ground, totally unconscious. Shes usually passed out for a couple minutes and then wakes up and feels totally fine. Right before she does this, she looks sort of out of it. She says she cant tell when its coming on but those around her can tell something's off. 

The most recent one happened a couple days ago in the car. I looked over and she looked very serious and tired. I asked her if she was alright and she nodded and said yes very quietly. Then just a couple seconds later her eyes closed and her head just lulled to the side. My mom got out of the car and shook her a little bit and she woke up. She was probably down for a little less than two minutes.

This is the first time I ever actually saw it happen and it was so very scary.

We have a history of epilepsy in our family. Both our older brother and our aunt have a history of it, though they had the type of seizure where you convulse I'm pretty sure.

I looked it up and theres something called an Atonic Seizure which seems to fit, but it seems to be more common in young children.

I don't know if I'm even going down the right track here but if anyone knows anything or they think I might be, I would be super grateful for any feedback at all. I have no idea what to do. She is my baby sister and I love her so much and seeing her like that scared me beyond belief. 

Thank you for any help at all. <3

Comments

Since there is a history of

Submitted by mereloaded on Tue, 2014-04-08 - 07:30
Since there is a history of seizures in your family, more than likely they are seizures. Your assessment is correct, she is having atonic seizures. My son had them before he had a grandmal. We didn't know he was epileptic and thought he was just tired. There are well over 40 types of seizures, so epilepsy is not exclusive of the convulsive type. Please make an appointment with a neurologist ASAP because partial seizures can and will get worse (generalize). Best wishes

Sign Up for Emails

Stay up to date with the latest epilepsy news, stories from the community, and more.