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Possibly have epilepsy

Sun, 11/10/2013 - 22:07
I first noticed a major issue in 2007 when I was in work, I spent about 10mins wandering around the office floor, having no clue where I was or who anyone was. From there incidents would happen, where I could be sat watching TV and I'd look at the remote and the people around me and be unable to register who or what they were. These incidents would happen every few months and as I was being treated for depression for years it was linked with that. Around that time I fitted for the first time, I was round a friends house, I remember watching TV (seems to be all I do lol) and having that feeling of being detached, next thing I know she's on the floor with me trying to reassure me, after a minute or so I came to enough to know who she was again. Apparently I'd started fitting and collapsed to the floor, lasted around 2-3mins. Again, my dr put it down to depression. Nothing really happened until last year, where I would get that detached feeling and I would just immediately lay down and go to sleep, this would occur about once a month, as I lived on my own I couldn't tell if I'd just gone to sleep/passed out or fitted. I went to the drs and they arranged an EEG for me which found nothing and a brain scan which came back all clear. Since then I've had that odd detached feeling every few weeks/months but have just been able to ride it. Until last Monday...I care for my mother who suffers with arthritis and chronic depression, so i stay with her 4 days a week, I'd just done her a meal in the evening and watching TV and I started to feel detached again, that's all I remember. Next thing I'm on the floor in utter agony every muscle in my body is aching. Neighbours around me (one which is a former nurse) and paramedics in the room. Apparently id just kept saying "I'm sorry" to my mother and then my eyes rolled into the back of my head I turned grey in colour and I violently spasmed for 5mins+ I ended up being taken into hospital where they released me the next morning and I've stayed at my mothers since, I've been irritable, aggressive, feeling of nausea, exhaustion, wanting to urinate all the time, déjà vu and feeling very emotional. My moods are somewhat all over the place but I'm constantly down I've also noticed like a twitch and my memory has got worse and get difficulty speaking, I'd go as far as to say my personality has altered. I haven't felt like the trek home yet so haven't been to the doctor but will be going home Tuesday and seeing doctor first thing weds morning. Where I'm sure EEG and scans will start again. I hope I've written all this in the correct place, just needed a place to vent, because quite frankly I'm scared as I don't feel in control of my thoughts I'm everywhere in childhood you name it, it's like a vent has just been released and everything's tumbling out.

Comments

Re: Possibly have epilepsy

Submitted by Kayne57 on Sun, 2013-11-17 - 00:55

Well, I'm not a neurologist, but you have many of the same symptoms my son has had, and he is diagnosised with epilepsy, having Simple Partial, and Complex Partial seizures. Do some reading on this site about different seizure types, it might help you discribe whats going on when you see your doctor.

It took a very long time to capture his seizures, many being to faint and deep in his brain to show up with the normal EEG placement on the scalp. When you say your doctor, I hope you are seeing a neurologist, if not, please find one, and if they specialize in eplilepsy, even better.

Staying with your Mom right now is very wise, for your saftey untill you can get things sorted out, and get on medication that will hopefully control your seizures. Ask your Mom to help you keep a log and jot down your events, include the day, time, your symptoms, duration or lenght of time for each event. Take this to your doctor, it gives them a lot to help diagnos your seizures. 

You are not going crazy, and it wears on a persons mind when you have an illness, so yes you can be depressed to. Simple partial and Complex partial seizures, are taking place in and around your sensory and emotion centers in your brain. This is why you have no real control over your emotion, so don't worry, you just need a diagnosis. and a treatment plan.

If you need additional help with coordinating all of this, hook yourself up with social services through a hospital, or just the county you live in, reach out, it might take a while to find the right group, but I hate to see you go through this alone. And it sounds like your Mom has her health to worry about.

I wish the best outcome for you, take care of yourself, you will get everything sorted out!

Kayne

Well, I'm not a neurologist, but you have many of the same symptoms my son has had, and he is diagnosised with epilepsy, having Simple Partial, and Complex Partial seizures. Do some reading on this site about different seizure types, it might help you discribe whats going on when you see your doctor.

It took a very long time to capture his seizures, many being to faint and deep in his brain to show up with the normal EEG placement on the scalp. When you say your doctor, I hope you are seeing a neurologist, if not, please find one, and if they specialize in eplilepsy, even better.

Staying with your Mom right now is very wise, for your saftey untill you can get things sorted out, and get on medication that will hopefully control your seizures. Ask your Mom to help you keep a log and jot down your events, include the day, time, your symptoms, duration or lenght of time for each event. Take this to your doctor, it gives them a lot to help diagnos your seizures. 

You are not going crazy, and it wears on a persons mind when you have an illness, so yes you can be depressed to. Simple partial and Complex partial seizures, are taking place in and around your sensory and emotion centers in your brain. This is why you have no real control over your emotion, so don't worry, you just need a diagnosis. and a treatment plan.

If you need additional help with coordinating all of this, hook yourself up with social services through a hospital, or just the county you live in, reach out, it might take a while to find the right group, but I hate to see you go through this alone. And it sounds like your Mom has her health to worry about.

I wish the best outcome for you, take care of yourself, you will get everything sorted out!

Kayne

Re: Possibly have epilepsy

Submitted by just_joe on Sun, 2013-11-17 - 10:32

welcome

I read your post then thought of what I went thru before I had my first Grande Mal seizure. Hot quite the same but close sinceI was 12. I had had many absence seizures in class and at home or seizures that looked like they did. I was feeling wierd but knew what was going on.In class I had been written up for day dreaming many times. However I was in the top 5 in class when it came to pop tests and quizes. I had droped on the bed while my brother and I were messing around in the bedroom playing around. He thought I was joking but I wasn't joking I was in a wierd thing with a strange feeling. My right hand would go up without me wanting it to. After the grande mal a doctor started giving me medications. I was given EEGs that showed no abnormalities (seizure activities) but with the questions he asked it was obvious to him I had been having small seizures which were pettit mal seizures. Back in 1963 there were no types of seizures thre were names of epilepsy. The small seizures slowed down and the grand mal seizures went away, However I still had seizures which they could not name. After about a year and spring break was coming up I was ready to have some fun. Well the fun didn't happen since I spent that week in a hospital and having tests run to find out why I was having the seizures. Tests back then were a lot different since back then there were no MRI's CT scans and other tests now being used. They did have what those replaced which were not really nice. I went thru many tests one being an angeogram which was replaced by the MRI. They didn't see anything the last day was the day before I was to go home they ran anotherr EEG and in that EEG I fell asleep.During that EEG I fell asleep and that was when I had an EEG show seizure activity. By seeing where that was coming from they looked at the angeogram and closer to the area the seizure activity came from and bingo they found scared brain tissue in the left lobe of my brain. That is what was causing my seizures. They also came up with the names of epilepsy I had. I have Grande mal, Pettit mal and Focal motor epilepsy. The types of seizures can range from auras to convulsive seizures. Those confulsive seizures are not grande mal but focal motor. They start with my right hand rising by itself once it gets shoulder high I drop into a convulsion which starts on my right side but it can and generally goes to the complete body. At that time it will look just like a grande mal. However hte main difference is I am aware of everything going on around me I can see hear and understand what is being said and even by whom it is said.

Many of the things you posted and basically auras,partial and complex partial seizures. Those that you black out in could be grande mal seizures. I would suggest you get the diary located at the top of this page. Watch the video and learn how to use it. There is a place in it that you can use to note things so make note. Length of time in the seizure. The time it takes to get back to normal. As for being tired in convulsions your muscles are jerking using full strength. Which is why you will be tired and sometimes they will ache. At 13 my step father tried to hold me down rather then move the coffee table. He grabbed my wrist, I picked him up and tossed him across my body. We had a bar bell set and the top weight was 120 lbs and I could not pick it up using both hands.

I am no doctor and not a neurologist but speaking from someone who has epilepsy I am using experiance and what has happened in my life.

You need to have someone with you or you need to be with your Mom until you have seen the doctor and are put on medications

By no means are you crazy. What has been happening ti you can and does wear on your mind and body. There are areas in you brain where sensory and preception are and if that is the area effected that may be why you have no memory or control and in many reasons your emotions.

The medications today are being created to work on types of seizures and they do not work on the entirl central nervious system like older medications did. Which means you are not all drugged down like many of us were back in the stone age.

Basically you need a diagnosis an treatment. With treatment you may become seizure free.

I hope this helps and do come back and let us know what is happening take care and I do hope you get things sorted out.

Joe

welcome

I read your post then thought of what I went thru before I had my first Grande Mal seizure. Hot quite the same but close sinceI was 12. I had had many absence seizures in class and at home or seizures that looked like they did. I was feeling wierd but knew what was going on.In class I had been written up for day dreaming many times. However I was in the top 5 in class when it came to pop tests and quizes. I had droped on the bed while my brother and I were messing around in the bedroom playing around. He thought I was joking but I wasn't joking I was in a wierd thing with a strange feeling. My right hand would go up without me wanting it to. After the grande mal a doctor started giving me medications. I was given EEGs that showed no abnormalities (seizure activities) but with the questions he asked it was obvious to him I had been having small seizures which were pettit mal seizures. Back in 1963 there were no types of seizures thre were names of epilepsy. The small seizures slowed down and the grand mal seizures went away, However I still had seizures which they could not name. After about a year and spring break was coming up I was ready to have some fun. Well the fun didn't happen since I spent that week in a hospital and having tests run to find out why I was having the seizures. Tests back then were a lot different since back then there were no MRI's CT scans and other tests now being used. They did have what those replaced which were not really nice. I went thru many tests one being an angeogram which was replaced by the MRI. They didn't see anything the last day was the day before I was to go home they ran anotherr EEG and in that EEG I fell asleep.During that EEG I fell asleep and that was when I had an EEG show seizure activity. By seeing where that was coming from they looked at the angeogram and closer to the area the seizure activity came from and bingo they found scared brain tissue in the left lobe of my brain. That is what was causing my seizures. They also came up with the names of epilepsy I had. I have Grande mal, Pettit mal and Focal motor epilepsy. The types of seizures can range from auras to convulsive seizures. Those confulsive seizures are not grande mal but focal motor. They start with my right hand rising by itself once it gets shoulder high I drop into a convulsion which starts on my right side but it can and generally goes to the complete body. At that time it will look just like a grande mal. However hte main difference is I am aware of everything going on around me I can see hear and understand what is being said and even by whom it is said.

Many of the things you posted and basically auras,partial and complex partial seizures. Those that you black out in could be grande mal seizures. I would suggest you get the diary located at the top of this page. Watch the video and learn how to use it. There is a place in it that you can use to note things so make note. Length of time in the seizure. The time it takes to get back to normal. As for being tired in convulsions your muscles are jerking using full strength. Which is why you will be tired and sometimes they will ache. At 13 my step father tried to hold me down rather then move the coffee table. He grabbed my wrist, I picked him up and tossed him across my body. We had a bar bell set and the top weight was 120 lbs and I could not pick it up using both hands.

I am no doctor and not a neurologist but speaking from someone who has epilepsy I am using experiance and what has happened in my life.

You need to have someone with you or you need to be with your Mom until you have seen the doctor and are put on medications

By no means are you crazy. What has been happening ti you can and does wear on your mind and body. There are areas in you brain where sensory and preception are and if that is the area effected that may be why you have no memory or control and in many reasons your emotions.

The medications today are being created to work on types of seizures and they do not work on the entirl central nervious system like older medications did. Which means you are not all drugged down like many of us were back in the stone age.

Basically you need a diagnosis an treatment. With treatment you may become seizure free.

I hope this helps and do come back and let us know what is happening take care and I do hope you get things sorted out.

Joe

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