Hey Guys

[punkchica321]

Hey guys, so I'm Andrea. I'm 20 years old and was diagnosed with a seizure disorder when I was three years old. I like to think that I'm lucky in the sense that I've only had 3 grand mal seizures my entire life, but I do take medication everyday. For those who are curious I take Depakote. I really don't get that bad of side effects from it, just an irregular period and insomnia sometimes. Up until I was about 11 I believe, I took Phenobarbital and I'm so glad they took me off of that stuff. It gave me the worst mood swings ever. The last seizure I had was in July of 2003, so it's been a long time and I hope I never have one again. The only reason I got it was because my doctor wanted to see how I would do without the medication, I was seriously like a month away from it being a year! GAH! The doctor's don't know what cause mine (aren't I just lucky/sarcasm) but all of my seizures have happened in my sleep. I do tend to feel ill before I get them, a headache and stomach ache. Also, my dogs have followed me around before I get them. That happen to anyone else?

Anyway enough babbling. :P

[Bernard]

Hi Andrea, welcome to the forum.

Lots of people never discover any root cause for their seizures. You aren't unique in that respect.

[Nakamova]

Hi Andrea and welcome!

That's so interesting about your dogs. I've heard of companion dogs that are trained to sense when a seizure is about to happen. I wonder what it is they pick up on?

There's lots of information on this forum, as well as good places to vent and chat. I hope you enjoy it here and feel free to join in and contribute.

Best,
Nakamova

[Rae1889]

welcome to the forum andrea. I'm also 20yrs old, but not yet diagnosed. CT scan on thursday. If you need some advice from someone your own age, let me know.

Im not too knowledgeable in the Epilepsy things yet, but I'm usually good about handeling other things. *except when it come to me of course *

[skillefer]

Hi Andrea! Welcome to CWE! Feel free to ask questions, chime in, vent when needed, etc. We're a really friendly group. Like you, I have grand mals. My original med was phenobarb, followed by depakote when I turned 13..(don't you just love hormones...) About a year or two ago, the depo started to not work as well...so now I'm on Dilantin. Like you, Depa worked really well for me with almost no side effects. For me it was weight gain. I'm sure your doc has already talked with you..but remember to take folic acid if you are ever considering having kids.

For me, it was my cats. They would act differently. One of my cats would just stare at me and lay down by my head the night before I would end up having a seizure. My hubby learned to watch my cats for clues.

[RobinN]

Rae - curious why you are have a CT scan and not an MRI?

FYI:
CT Scans

[RobinN]

Hi Andrea - welcome
Have you ever checked your blood sugar levels when you get the headache and feel the strange sensations in your stomach? Dr Russell Blaylock says there is a large percentage of people with blood sugar imbalances that have seizures. He says doctors do not tend to look at this seriously.

[punkchica321]

Wow, thanks for the welcomes guys! Oh and an edit to my first post, it was July of 2001. My bad. :P

Bernard: Thank you! I'm glad to know I'm not alone with not knowing what causes mine.

Nakamova: I've always wondered that too, and how they teach them and stuff. o.O Both of my dogs just followed me around before they happened. I didn't expect my second dog to after my first dog passed away, but he did. And he's not the type to follow me around much, unless there's something tasty in my hand. :P

Rae1889: Thank you hun. That's a comforting thought and good luck!

skillefer: Wow we got a lot in common then. o.O I don't know if this is one of the side effects of Depakote but I have weight loss, or well trouble gaining weight anyway. Though everyone in my family has a fast metabolism, my twin sister(who is lucky enough to not have seizures) weighs more than I do and we're identical.

RobinN: Thank you! Oh and I ask my mom and yes my blood sugar is low when I have one, apparently. *Shrugs*

Again, thanks for the warm welcomes guys!

[RobinN]

Some info about low blood sugar.

Neuroglycopenic Manifestations of hypoglycemia symptoms

Abnormal mentation, impaired judgement
Nonspecific dysphoria, anxiety, moodiness, depression, crying, fear of dying
Negativism, irritability, belligerence, combativeness, rage
Personality change, emotional lability
Fatigue, weakness, apathy, lethargy, daydreaming, sleep
Confusion, amnesia, dizziness, delirium
Staring, "glassy" look, blurred vision, double vision
Automatic behavior
Difficulty speaking, slurred speech
Ataxia, incoordination, sometimes mistaken for "drunkenness"
Focal or general motor deficit, paralysis, hemiparesis
Paresthesias, headache
Stupor, coma, abnormal breathing
Generalized or focal seizures
Not all of the above manifestations occur in every case of hypoglycemia. There is no consistent order to the appearance of the symptoms. Specific manifestations vary by age and by the severity of the hypoglycemia. In young children vomiting often accompanies morning hypoglycemia with ketosis. In older children and adults, moderately severe hypoglycemia can resemble mania, mental illness, drug intoxication, or drunkenness. In the elderly, hypoglycemia can produce focal stroke-like effects or a hard-to-define malaise. The symptoms of a single person do tend to be similar from episode to episode.

In newborns, hypoglycemia can produce irritability, jitters, myoclonic jerks, cyanosis, respiratory distress, apneic episodes, sweating, hypothermia, somnolence, hypotonia, refusal to feed, and seizures or "spells". Hypoglycemia can resemble asphyxia, hypocalcemia, sepsis, or heart failure.

In both young and old patients, the brain may habituate to low glucose levels, with a reduction of noticeable symptoms despite neuroglycopenic impairment. In insulin-dependent diabetic patients this phenomenon is termed hypoglycemia unawareness and is a significant clinical problem when improved glycemic control is attempted. Another aspect of this phenomenon occurs in type I glycogenosis, when chronic hypoglycemia before diagnosis may be better tolerated than acute hypoglycemia after treatment is underway.

In the large majority of cases, hypoglycemia severe enough to cause seizures or unconsciousness can be reversed without obvious harm to the brain. Cases of death or permanent neurologic damage occurring with a single episode have usually involved prolonged, untreated unconsciousness, interference with breathing, severe concurrent disease, or some other type of vulnerability. Nevertheless, brain damage or death has occasionally resulted from severe hypoglycemia.