Why now after 20 years?

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Hello: I was diagnosed with Epilepsy around 1983 and was seizure free for the first six years. In 1989 i had a traumatic event that caused a seizure and the 90s were a horrible time of off and on seizures, sometimes once a week. I met my wife in 1996 and she hooked me up with a neurologist at Emory Hospital and he came up with the right diagnosis and "cocktail" of medicines (Depakote and Phenytoin) that kept me seizure free from September 1999 to February 2019. So after 20 years I had a grand mal seizure, no warning, nothing - a Sunday morning and thankfully I was in my home. But now I'm at a crossroads as I was also diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis last fall but thankfully the early onset and not dealing with a great deal of pain. Although one doctor indicated there was a chance Plaquenil could lower the effectiveness of the seizure medication they said that was a rare chance. Still, to not have a seizure for 20 years I can't help but wonder if the Plaquenil had something to do with it. I'm sorry to be rambling, just wondering if others have experienced a seizure free period for such time to suddenly encounter a seizure. Thanks for any help.

Comments

That's the trick with the

Submitted by Jazz101 on Tue, 2019-02-26 - 18:53

That's the trick with the brain my friend. There really is no "fixed time" for certain things to show up.I can understand, given you have gone some 20 years with the seizures controlled, coupled with the recent Rheumatoid Arthritis, that you can find yourself pondering whether they are connected. The neurologist would be able to give you a better idea. I would just be guessing.What I can tell you about the brain is that it is the most complicated functional organ we have. As my neurosurgeon. referring to the brain, said to me; "We learn new things everyday." And it is true.Also, once someone is diagnosed with Epilepsy, well, regardless of how long they go seizure-free, there is always a possibility of the seizures showing up again down the road. In fact, many are diagnosed with Epilepsy as late as in their 50s and up. What I would do had I been in your case, and I wanted to get to know more specifics, I would speak with my neurologist about getting a video EEG. The purpose of the video EEG is to hopefully catch a seizure to record its mapping; it's location. That way if you ponder other options then they might be able to tell you. Sometimes capturing data is not to make a same-day decision. It's more like having an idea of what other options you might be able to speak with your neurologist about. Just as seizures change in terms of some of the features that may come with them, similarly I would imagine someone can go years without seizures only to see one pop up again. Have a conversation with your neurologist. By the way, I hope your neurologist specializes in Epilepsy. After all some specialize in other neurological areas, such as Parkinson's or Strokes etc. It's natural for you to ponder my friend. That is how the brain works. As a result, speak with your neurologist. Or hopefully someone with a similar experience can tell you more.Take me. I underwent neurosurgery but I have to remain practical that because the brain is so unique, meaning tests can't really predict down the road with a 100 percent certainty, seizures can show up again, especially given there is a very tiny area we had to leave in place because it was way too close to language and speech. That said, we were able to remove more than we initially thought because the language mapping was done during the actual surgery. And inasmuch as we were able to do so much, I still have to remain practical that seizures can show up again. I don't think about it everyday. But I am very aware of it as a possibility. Best Regards

That's the trick with the brain my friend. There really is no "fixed time" for certain things to show up.I can understand, given you have gone some 20 years with the seizures controlled, coupled with the recent Rheumatoid Arthritis, that you can find yourself pondering whether they are connected. The neurologist would be able to give you a better idea. I would just be guessing.What I can tell you about the brain is that it is the most complicated functional organ we have. As my neurosurgeon. referring to the brain, said to me; "We learn new things everyday." And it is true.Also, once someone is diagnosed with Epilepsy, well, regardless of how long they go seizure-free, there is always a possibility of the seizures showing up again down the road. In fact, many are diagnosed with Epilepsy as late as in their 50s and up. What I would do had I been in your case, and I wanted to get to know more specifics, I would speak with my neurologist about getting a video EEG. The purpose of the video EEG is to hopefully catch a seizure to record its mapping; it's location. That way if you ponder other options then they might be able to tell you. Sometimes capturing data is not to make a same-day decision. It's more like having an idea of what other options you might be able to speak with your neurologist about. Just as seizures change in terms of some of the features that may come with them, similarly I would imagine someone can go years without seizures only to see one pop up again. Have a conversation with your neurologist. By the way, I hope your neurologist specializes in Epilepsy. After all some specialize in other neurological areas, such as Parkinson's or Strokes etc. It's natural for you to ponder my friend. That is how the brain works. As a result, speak with your neurologist. Or hopefully someone with a similar experience can tell you more.Take me. I underwent neurosurgery but I have to remain practical that because the brain is so unique, meaning tests can't really predict down the road with a 100 percent certainty, seizures can show up again, especially given there is a very tiny area we had to leave in place because it was way too close to language and speech. That said, we were able to remove more than we initially thought because the language mapping was done during the actual surgery. And inasmuch as we were able to do so much, I still have to remain practical that seizures can show up again. I don't think about it everyday. But I am very aware of it as a possibility. Best Regards

That's the trick with the brain my friend. There really is no "fixed time" for certain things to show up.I can understand, given you have gone some 20 years with the seizures controlled, coupled with the recent Rheumatoid Arthritis, that you can find yourself pondering whether they are connected. The neurologist would be able to give you a better idea. I would just be guessing.What I can tell you about the brain is that it is the most complicated functional organ we have. As my neurosurgeon. referring to the brain, said to me; "We learn new things everyday." And it is true.Also, once someone is diagnosed with Epilepsy, well, regardless of how long they go seizure-free, there is always a possibility of the seizures showing up again down the road. In fact, many are diagnosed with Epilepsy as late as in their 50s and up. What I would do had I been in your case, and I wanted to get to know more specifics, I would speak with my neurologist about getting a video EEG. The purpose of the video EEG is to hopefully catch a seizure to record its mapping; it's location. That way if you ponder other options then they might be able to tell you. Sometimes capturing data is not to make a same-day decision. It's more like having an idea of what other options you might be able to speak with your neurologist about. Just as seizures change in terms of some of the features that may come with them, similarly I would imagine someone can go years without seizures only to see one pop up again. Have a conversation with your neurologist. By the way, I hope your neurologist specializes in Epilepsy. After all some specialize in other neurological areas, such as Parkinson's or Strokes etc. It's natural for you to ponder my friend. That is how the brain works. As a result, speak with your neurologist. Or hopefully someone with a similar experience can tell you more.Take me. I underwent neurosurgery but I have to remain practical that because the brain is so unique, meaning tests can't really predict down the road with a 100 percent certainty, seizures can show up again, especially given there is a very tiny area we had to leave in place because it was way too close to language and speech. That said, we were able to remove more than we initially thought because the language mapping was done during the actual surgery. And inasmuch as we were able to do so much, I still have to remain practical that seizures can show up again. I don't think about it everyday. But I am very aware of it as a possibility. Best Regards

Thank you so much for your

Submitted by DJP_5c75c3c435d9e on Wed, 2019-02-27 - 14:13

Thank you so much for your insightful thoughts and for sharing your experience. I will be seeing someone who specializes in Epilepsy and am hopeful that it will be a positive interaction.My very best to you in your battle with Epilepsy. I hope you are seizure free.

Thanks for your wishes Don.

Submitted by Jazz101 on Fri, 2019-03-01 - 19:22

Thanks for your wishes Don. By they way, you are more than welcome my friend. Sometimes taking on Epilepsy is easier as you hear from others. I think it's great that you are going to meet with someone who specializes in Epilepsy. They often factor in many things that other neurologists might not. Best Regards