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Diagnosing temporal lobe epilepsy

Sat, 12/28/2019 - 03:45
Hi, I am currently waiting for my neurology appointment after what is now 16 episodes in just over a month. Symptoms are extreme dejavu (feeling like I’m watching a dream in my head I’ve had before that I havnt had before), this is then followed by fear and anxiety, extreme nausea and sometimes sickness, ear ringing or buzzing and then a very low mood for a few hours, I mean very very low. What I’m asking is the neurologist will probably order a EEG and/or MRI. What if these both come back clear? I’m almost sure I’m having temporal lobe seizures and just want to get some meds to get rid of them. Will they diagnose just on symptoms? Also any information of driving in the uk with just focal seizures and no other symptoms would be appreciated thank you :)

Comments

Emily,I'm a patient who has

Submitted by birdman on Sat, 2019-12-28 - 20:33
Emily,I'm a patient who has had seizures since childhood.  I've had several of the sensations you describe.  I think a good neurologist will be able to make a diagnosis based upon the detailed symptoms you provide.  But doctors will want to perform an MRI to rule out any physical damage that could be leading to the problems you are having.  Persons who have epileptic seizures often have an MRI that shows no structural damage.  A negative MRI result does not mean you do not have seizures or that your doctor will not believe you.As a child I was always disappointed when I went in for an outpatient EEG and did not have a seizure.  I thought the only way an EEG would confirm my diagnosis would be if seizures were captured during the test.  Later I learned that people with epilepsy often show abnormal "spikes" during the EEG that suggest the patient is prone to having seizures.  So hopefully your EEG will at least confirm and explain the sensations you are experiencing and lead to useful treatment.The doctor is trying to rule out physical causes and then confirm the neurological cause of your discomfort.  Also understand that doctors today face patients who have seizures that are not due to a neurological cause but, as I understand, psychological or psychiatric problems.  The symptoms are real but the treatment is different for these patients with "associative seizures" or as they call them in US "Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures".  Your spells do sound very much like focal seizures but to be fair every doctor needs to run the new patient through the tests to know the path to take.  Be patient and if you like let me know how it goes,Mike

Hi, Thank you for posting. We

Submitted by Anonymous on Mon, 2019-12-30 - 08:50
Hi, Thank you for posting. We are glad to hear that you’re continuing to follow-up with your neurologist to explore these episodes you’ve experienced further and for additional diagnostic testing. As Michael stated in his comment, the neurologist may want to run a series of various diagnostic testing to help determine what individual treatment plan is best for you. To learn more about diagnostic testing, please visit: https://www.epilepsy.com/learn/diagnosis/diagnosis-101-basics For assistance finding additional resources and information regarding the driving laws in the UK, please visit: https://www.ibe-epilepsy.org/about/ibe-chapters/europe/ https://www.epilepsy.org.uk/

Oh my this is somewhat

Submitted by sunshinedaydream77 on Fri, 2020-01-31 - 16:39
Oh my this is somewhat similar to what I just experienced.  However I had high nervous energy before and after.  It was very dark though, I was full of fear.  But, it began with that  all to familiar confusion, of thinking I forgot something really important and dejavu.  Were you ever able to get a diagnosis?

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