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I'm scared
Sun, 09/02/2007 - 02:34Topic: New to Epilepsy.com
I've had grand mal epilepsy since my teens. Now I'm in my early 50s. I've only had seizures twice in four years but on both occasions I had to be hospitalised. Four years ago I had four fits in quick succession and the same thing happened last week. I had no fits inbetween so I'm well controlled. These are the only two times I've had multiple fits in nearly 40 years. And it's also the only two times that the ambulance crew have administered oxygen.
Is giving oxygen something new? Could that be the cause of multiple fitting? I always thought it best to let an epileptic sleep it off or come round in their own time rather than rush things.
I gave this post the title "I'm scared". Let me explain what I mean. During my 1st fit I was convulsing gently for around 5 minutes; after 15-20 minutes I was coming round and responding to questions. (Normal stuff for me.) The ambulance crew were asking me my name, address, date of birth, etc.. Answering the questions was a bit of an effort, but I was comfortable with the answers I gave. Later I found out the answers weren't 100% accurate. What I wasn't comfortable with was the gentle reassurance I was given after each answer. "That's all right," they said. But I knew that everything was not all right. And as the questions continued, I got more and more scared but couldn't communicate as much. I nearly broke down in tears when my wife arrived, because then I knew I was safe.
But could the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th fits have been caused by the constant questionning? Could the cause have been administering oxygen? When you get to my age, unlike a teenager you have become aware of your own mortality. So does recovering from a fit become more scary for all epileptics as they grow older? Or did they try to bring me round too quickly and simply exacerbate the argument between the left and right hand sides of my brain?
I realise that some answers can only come from a specialist and that is in hand. Nevertheless, I'd be very grateful for any anecdotal views. They will help me maximise my time with the specialist.
Re: I'm scared
Submitted by Laurie_Anne on Mon, 2007-09-03 - 01:04
Hi, I have had similar experiences to yours after a seizure--I know the questioning is important, but it can really freak you out. I've given some wrong info then too, apparently--the date, etc. I don't think the oxygen would cause multiple seizures. I had it administered after my first one and just had that one seizure, and without it at times I've had two. But maybe the stress of the questioning could, since it's at the time when what you really need is be peaceful and sleep if you can. I don't know about age as a factor, but if your seizures are getting worse, maybe your doctor will want to try a different medication. I hope it all works out for you :)