Hi everyone

[johnz]

Hi I am new to this forum.
I had my first seizure nearly six years ago and had lots of tests done. I went for an MRI and these were the results: -
Clinical History: Meningitis aged 18 months. MVA 26 years ago with fracture to maxilla. Now presents with seizures - probably Temporal Lobe Epilepsy.
Findings: The left hippocampal body is considerably reduced in size and shows hyperintensity on the FLAIR images. No other abnormality is identified in the brain structure or signal intensity characteristics. In particular, there is no evidence of previous traumatic brain injury. The ventricles & subarachnoid spaces are within normal limits for age (49). No mass or surface collection is seen. The vascular flows are patent.
Conclusion Left hippocampal atrophy.

I was then prescribed tegretol of which I took for 4 years & returned to my GP who agreed there seemed no further need to continue taking the prescription.
In March 2008 I had another seizure and resumed taking 1 CR200 tablet per day.
I then had another seizure last weekend at mid day and had taken the tablet at about 5am.
The history behind each seizure is as follows:-
1st - was in the middle of the night after a hard 12km run earlier that day
2nd - Again in the middle of the night after a hard cycle race (16km) that same day.
3rd - At midday in the bath, fell asleep soaking after a 50km cycle race in the morning.

When I got taken to ER after the 3rd the doctor mentioned elecrolyte levels. All I had had during & after the race was water. Is there a pattern appearing here? Is it the fact that I have raced that day that is causing the seizures & maybe also that I have not slept well on the previous nights.
I have bought some electrolytes from the chemist & will now use them as part of my regime.
I am interested to hear everyones thoughts & also if this has happened to anyone else.
Great site & will be reading all I can
Regards........John

[Crazy Monkey]

Hi John

Welcome to CWE

It is good that you have been able to single out a trigger to strenuous exercise and low blood sugar levels, you do have a definite pattern appearing. This will be a great help to your doctors.

It might be a good idea to avoid having baths while your seizures are currently active, take showers instead.

Take Care

The Crazy Monkey

[Meetz1064]

mentioned low electrolytes, did they happen to mention which ones specifically? It's not hard to get around that, by changing your diet, just a little bit.......

[johnz]

No, they only asked if I had taken some as a "top up". This then got me looking into the ingredients of electrolytes & also that of Tegretol & saw the similarities i.e. Sodium & magnesium

[drarvindr]

Yes , hyponatremia (low sodium) is one likely cause of your seizures , especially if you drank only water during your races. Whenever you take part in any stressful activity (physically) you need to take adequate replenishment of the sodium that you have lost through sweat. You may need to drink gatorade or the ORS solution (don't know what it's called in your country. it's a sachet of salts that you dissolve in a litre of water).
Tegretol (Carbamazepine ) is also known for hyponatremia in some patients.
Hope you get better soon,
Arvind

[LivingFruity]

Welcome to CWE It's great that you were able to find a trigger for your seizures. It sounds like these can be easily controlled through proper nutrition. Exercise is excellent for epileptics, so don't give up the racing. Do what you can to keep up the electrolytes and take showers after the races

[RobinN]

Hi John - Welcome to CWE
I do hope it was a one time occurance and that you are well on your way to be controlled.

[skillefer]

Hi john! Welcome to CWE! As you can see, a knowledgeable and friendly group. Feel free to ask questions, chime in, or just vent when needed.

[brain]

John!

While I don't race, but I cycle (Trek touring/racing),
and I have to have things like Gatorade rather than
water to keep me going; as per what the Doctors had
strongly recommended. Talk to your Doctor in regards
to such drinks like these (since there are so many
on the markets that a different from each other and
they DO vary); and your Doctor would recommend
which would be best for you. Even a combination
of water and XXXX may be recommended as alternative
between each other as well.

Certain medications can have an impact as well
specifically upon the individual in regarding to sports,
so that can also be a factor as well. So it is important
to go over with this with your Neurologist or Epileptologist,
whomever is treating you. It is a wise decision to cover
that base rather than to risk it --- and then go trotting
along as usual without any more fears!

[johnz]

Thanks guys for all your words of support.
I wiil definetly talk to my doctor about this as there now seems to be some regularity to the seizures and how they happen.
Dr Arvind I'm interested in your comments & will investigate further.
Havn't been back on the bike for a long ride yet - I'm a bit worried about the consequences
Also is it normal to feel run down after a seizure?? I had it over a week ago and still don't feel 100%

[Bernard]

Hi Johnz, welcome to the forum.

... Meningitis aged 18 months. ... Now presents with seizures - probably Temporal Lobe Epilepsy. ... Left hippocampal atrophy.

All of that is consistent with Human Herpesvirus-6B with Mesial Temporal Lobe Epilepsy. In severe cases, HHV6B can cause meningitis or encephalitis.

[brain]

Havn't been back on the bike for a long ride yet - I'm a bit worried about the consequences
Also is it normal to feel run down after a seizure?? I had it over a week ago and still don't feel 100%

Yes, absolutely! There have been many times
(I've lost count *laughing*) where I have
posted I'm not 100% in sync (or synchronization)
or up-to-par. Either half there, or 75% there,
or sometimes like my brain is there, my head is
over there, but my body is here; would be nice
if all three were in one place! *laughing*

Especially if one went overboard! (I am guilty
of this!) I have had to learn to cut-back! This
is the hardest thing I have had to do! Easier
said than done! It sometimes takes awhile to
recuperate, regroup, and get all sorted out
again.

One thing to keep in mind "Easy does it", and
like my other Doctor said, "... don't try to do
so much in one sitting... there's always a tomorrow..."
(TRUE!) That's one fault of mine. I try to do it
all in one sitting and one heavy price to pay
in accomplishing this feat! (Will I ever learn?)

The best bet is to work your way up gradually
and know when to stop, never press beyond
your limitations. This is one thing I have learned
about having epilepsy; you can't push it to the
extremes for you will only push your seizure
threshold up. Like the old "Beer Commercials"
used to advertise "Know when to say when"
No further truth than that!

It's the matter of fact of knowing "When to say
When" and drawing the fine line and stop and
back off. Like I said, it's easier said that done.