Community Forum Archive
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Have I got epilepsy?
Sat, 06/02/2018 - 10:55Topic: Share Your Story
I'm 19 & at the start of last month (may2018) I had a seizure. I remember getting out of bed, making a drink and sitting in the living room with my brother and cousin. I was speaking to them but not all of my words was coming out properly. I remember one of the words was "Internet" & instead I said "interVET", I thought it was just because I was still feeling tired .. I don't remember anything after that, but apparently my brother & cousin left the room, when my brother returned he said I was on the floor and my whole body was jerking/twitching. Not knowing what to do, he called for my cousin who came running in, and rolled me on to my side.. I don't know how long I was like it for but the next thing I remember was waking up on the floor, and as I stood up the paramedic was sat in front of me.. Apart from having a really bad headache, I'd lost control of my bladder and bitten both sides of my tongue. I have a hospital appointment in just over a month, but I'm so worried because I have never experienced anything like this before. Could someone please tell me if they think it's epilepsy/ if they have experienced this.
Not everyone who has a
Submitted by Amy Jo on Sun, 2018-06-03 - 02:05
Not everyone who has a seizure has epilepsy (1 in 10 people have a seizure but only 1 in 26 get epilepsy at some point in their lives). And some seizures are due to other medical conditions. So that’s why it’s important to follow up with a neurologist. When we saw a neurologist for staring episodes we were pretty sure were seizures, we realized that our child was having lots of seizures that we didn’t know were seizures. Our child has not had a tonic clonic (that’s the classic seizure people think of) but has had hundreds of seizures in the past six years. A good neurologist will talk with you about your medical history and what other things are going on and will likely order some other tests. Your primary care doc might be able to order some preliminary tests. Know that tests might exclude or include various issues but there is no definitive test for epilepsy - EEGs can be clear in people with epilepsy. Please keep a record of any recurring complaints/strange happenings, sometimes those can be seizures. Please be aware of other medication and supplements you take. Know your habits - don’t get enough sleep, recreational drugs or alcohol, general diet, stress levels, if you’ve been ill, etc...