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Simple Partial Seizures & Long-term memory
Mon, 07/07/2008 - 05:26Hi, I am new to this forum.
I suffer from what are suspected to be Simple Partial Seizures. They are currently under investigation, and having had an MRI and EEG with nothing abnormal showing, the doctor is starting to suspect epilepsy, although nothing has been diagnosed as yet. I have always thought since they started that these simple partial seizures are just a minor inconvenience which I can live with, and as such I probably wouldn't want medication in case the side effects were worse than the actual seizures.
However recently I've started wondering if these seizures are cumulatively damaging my long-term memory. Sometimes my wife talks of things we've done, places we've been, and it's worrying that, for some things, I have no memory of them at all.
If this is the case then of course I'd want to take medication in the assumption that controlling the seizures might prevent further memory loss.
Does anyone know of a link between seizures (I believe they are temporal lobe based) and long-term memory loss? Or maybe I've just always had a lousy memory anyway?
Comments
Re: Simple Partial Seizures & Long-term memory
Submitted by clcsidi on Thu, 2008-09-25 - 01:48
I hate to say it but s smart as most neuros and MDs have to be in general just to get to pratice medicine, there is a reason that it is called "practicing" medicine. The only thing certain is that every one born will die eventually. While the docs DO know a tremondous amount about how are bodies work, there is even more that they do not know, nor do they know how each person will respond to a given drug at any given time. Ca
Case in point, I have taken Tegrtol off and on since my 20s. This last summer after having been off it for two years, we tried it again and I had problems that sent the neuro running from me like a med surg nurse runs from chest pain.
I hate to say it but s smart as most neuros and MDs have to be in general just to get to pratice medicine, there is a reason that it is called "practicing" medicine. The only thing certain is that every one born will die eventually. While the docs DO know a tremondous amount about how are bodies work, there is even more that they do not know, nor do they know how each person will respond to a given drug at any given time. Ca
Case in point, I have taken Tegrtol off and on since my 20s. This last summer after having been off it for two years, we tried it again and I had problems that sent the neuro running from me like a med surg nurse runs from chest pain.
Re: Simple Partial Seizures & Long-term memory
Submitted by nickj on Mon, 2008-11-24 - 07:51
Hi,
Just catching up on my responses and found yours, which interests me greatly because it sounds so similar to my experiences. I also suffer from some the the other symptims you describe, and difficulty in finding the right word when talking is a concern. Strangely, I've never noticed such difficulties whist writing. I an not (yet) on any medication, so I think that your difficulty is from the seizure disorder itself and not the medication.
More recently I've found that my SPS's come in clusters. I can go for several weeks completely clear of attacks, and then the attacks will start, and I'll suffer dozens in the space of a few days. During the cluster and for a few days afterwards I feel vaguely depressed and paranoid, even slighly scared. This is just a vague feeling, I do not think it severe enough for others to notice through my behaviour. It's not nice feeling that way, and so very hard to describe. As I write, I'm on the downside of a cluster and right now I don't feel quite right, I'm just a little bit nervous and scared but I don't know what of. I can sort-of control it through logical reasoning but it's not easy.
Hi,
Just catching up on my responses and found yours, which interests me greatly because it sounds so similar to my experiences. I also suffer from some the the other symptims you describe, and difficulty in finding the right word when talking is a concern. Strangely, I've never noticed such difficulties whist writing. I an not (yet) on any medication, so I think that your difficulty is from the seizure disorder itself and not the medication.
More recently I've found that my SPS's come in clusters. I can go for several weeks completely clear of attacks, and then the attacks will start, and I'll suffer dozens in the space of a few days. During the cluster and for a few days afterwards I feel vaguely depressed and paranoid, even slighly scared. This is just a vague feeling, I do not think it severe enough for others to notice through my behaviour. It's not nice feeling that way, and so very hard to describe. As I write, I'm on the downside of a cluster and right now I don't feel quite right, I'm just a little bit nervous and scared but I don't know what of. I can sort-of control it through logical reasoning but it's not easy.
Re: Simple Partial Seizures & Long-term memory
Submitted by MisaelM on Mon, 2008-07-14 - 14:49
Hello,