Simple Partial Seizures

[twc]

Good day to you all,
Could I see my self having a heart attack down the road in life, yes to that question. Could I see my self having seizures now or even down the road in life, no to that question. Well until recently I never understood what exactly was going on in the insides of me. I new I had high cholesterol at one time but was under control with diet and medication. I also new I was little on the over weight side of things especially for my height. To be diagnosed having something I never knew existed. Seizures, were in my definition falling on the floor shaking, not the felling sick to your stomach with chest pains, and tingling in your arms and legs that eventually let to weakness and caused you to sleep excessively.
I don't know exactly what to think about what I was diagnosed to be having even though it makes sense.
Last week, I was in my yard fixing my lawnmower tractor when I started to feel very weird, sick to my stomach with chest pains. Than my harms would feel warm inside with numbness and tingling down my left arm more than my right. I made it up to top of my stair case entering my home barely because I felt exhausted, tired and laid on the floor. My arms felt like weight or brick that I couldn't move. My wife called 911 cause she couldn't keep me awake but I remember all this just had to control it seemed like to respond to her. At the ER I had test done of my heart of course and discharged only to be told follow up with my primary doctor ASAP. Nice instructions huh... Well next day and half I did nothing but sleep and only to be waken to barely eat dinner and returned to bed. Followed up with primary Doctor and she ordered my test of my heart with instructions to go to ER again if this ever happen again. Well Next day after returning home from bringing my son to school I started again with all the same symptoms stated above but not exactly tired. This time I couldn't stay still pacing back and forth pains in my chest and tired like dead weight. Told my wife and returned to another Hospital instead this time and they immediately admitted me after running all the same test the ER did the first time around. Spent two days in the hospital after feeling like a patent on show HOUSE. Test after Test should nothing until MRI and EEG results were interpreted. Findings: MRI of the brain showed some nonspecific punctuate hyper-intensity in the white matter of the frontal lobes and than an area of the body of the corpus callosum posteriorly which appears small with some increased T2/Flair signal.
Doctor stated I was having what was called Simple Partial Seizures with abnormal activity seen in the left temporal lobe. I was in a car accident as a child at age 6 where I was run over by a car that placed me in a coma for 11 days. I guess now at 35 I didn't think I would see after effects.
Thousand questions and not sure how to ask them or who to ask.

 

[epileric]

Hey twc

Welcome to the club (you'll learn the secret handshake later). It sounds like this is going to be quite a learning experience. There are numerous kinds of seizures that just aren't exciting enough to make it onto TV as often as tonic/clonic seizures do.

I know what you mean about the complete tiredness, fatigue just isn't strong enough to describe it. That tiredness has been my main challenge with these.

This page might give you a bit more info that would be relevant to your seizures as well as the input from everyone else here.

 

[Endless]

Hi, TWE,

Welcome to Coping With Epilepsy (CWE)!

First of all, sorry you have seizures. That's not an easy thing to hear, or to live with for that matter. You are in good company here, though. We are all in it with you.

I found this website kind of interesting. It talks about different types of seizure symptoms, including cardiovascular:
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1184384-overview

Cardiovascular sensations12
The most common cardiac manifestation of any seizure is sinus tachycardia with arrhythmias, with bradycardia occurring infrequently.
Some patients have chest pain or a sensation of palpitation that mimics cardiac disease.
Respiratory inhibition has been reported with electrical stimulation of the temporal regions.13

Being tired sure is an after effect of seizures. After mine I can sleep all day. It feels a lot like someone put weights in my whole body, including my brain, and made me run a marathon that way. I'm kind of like heavy water that's not in a jar. If that makes sense.

I have temporal lobe epilepsy, too. Some of the seizure types are truly strange. I had been having seizures my whole life and didn't know that's what they were. Like not recognizing where I was or not recognizing a person or thing, or recognizing things that were actually unfamiliar. Or smelling weird stuff. Or seeing things that aren't there. Or having super-sharp vision or incredibly vivid colors for awhile. Feeling things that weren't there like a hand on my back. Hearing someone speak to me and it's all garbled (when it really isn't), or me speaking and I think it's garbled and the other person says they could understand me perfectly. Feeling disconnected from what I was seeing. Sometimes feeling an intense feeling of fear (like a deer in headlights). Or sometimes feeling like I had a direct pipeline to god. (I was very dissapointed to hear that last one was a seizure, not a special blessing)

That stuff would only last a few minutes at most. But that was enough. And that doesn't even count the Complex Partial seizures, which I won't go into here.

Read through the forum and see if you may have been experiencing any of the other seizure symptoms. You may start to recognize yourself in them.

Hang in there. The more educated you become on the topic, the easier it is to cope with some of this stuff and make informed decisions about your own health care. So ask all of those thousand questions. We're here to help.

Oh! Did your doctor put you on Anti-seizure medication? If so, which one and how much?

 

[Nakamova]

Hi TWE, welcome!

I had a bad concussion when I was 5, but didn't have any seizures until I was 35. So yeah, the after-effects can be quite delayed! But I also think that other factors can play a role in pushing you over the "seizure threshold". Maybe you were dehydrated and fatigued on the day of your symptoms. Or maybe you've had simple partial seizures in the past, but didn't recognize the symptoms. They can show up in all sorts of ways. Check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simple_partial_seizure for a list of partial seizure symptoms.

Anyway, keep asking questions. The more you know, the better prepared you will be to cope with a seizure disorder. CWE members are a great source of info and advice, so please don't hesitate to ask away!

Best,
Nakamova

 

[twc]

Thank you all for the advise... I will surely be looking at it more and watching for the signs as well. I guess at first it's scarcely but you learn to accept it I guess.

Tom:banana:

 

[Momcat62]

I have had some strange things going on with me my whole life, too. Fainting spells (waking to find myself away from where I started, so wondering if those were seizures), an episode in a store where I had no idea where I was, how I got there. (Please, read my post here about my experiences.) NOW, you mention the heart symptoms. I went to the ER last spring with some oon going "heart issues", or at least I thought they were. The chest pains, sometimes creeping into my jaws, neck. Nausea, fingers tingly, etc. Left with a DX of "Atypical chest pains", and a $1300 bill my insurance company was so sweet to throw at me. I never thought even once that they could be related. MY Neuro guy...went to him for the first time the other day...just stands there and grins at me strangely like I am crazy. Well, I have HAD it with this stuff. HOW do you get a physician to SERIOUSLY check into this stuff??? He IS doing an EEG next month, because I told him I was concerned about the episode in the store thing. He kinda grinned and said, "Oh, you may have had a seizure." OK..WHY?? LOL Will this EEG even SHOW anything?? Like past issues?? So worried he will blow my frustrations off.

 

[twc]

I have had some strange things going on with me my whole life, too. Fainting spells (waking to find myself away from where I started, so wondering if those were seizures), an episode in a store where I had no idea where I was, how I got there. (Please, read my post here about my experiences.) NOW, you mention the heart symptoms. I went to the ER last spring with some oon going "heart issues", or at least I thought they were. The chest pains, sometimes creeping into my jaws, neck. Nausea, fingers tingly, etc. Left with a DX of "Atypical chest pains", and a $1300 bill my insurance company was so sweet to throw at me. I never thought even once that they could be related. MY Neuro guy...went to him for the first time the other day...just stands there and grins at me strangely like I am crazy. Well, I have HAD it with this stuff. HOW do you get a physician to SERIOUSLY check into this stuff??? He IS doing an EEG next month, because I told him I was concerned about the episode in the store thing. He kinda grinned and said, "Oh, you may have had a seizure." OK..WHY?? LOL Will this EEG even SHOW anything?? Like past issues?? So worried he will blow my frustrations off.

Good day,
First calm down, need to have the EEG done first. I know kinda of what your talking about trying to explain the episodes. Keep a log of when and where these episodes occur. As soon as the EEG is done you will have a better understanding what is happening. Try not to worry, I know easier said than done.
The EEG shows patterns of normal or abnormal brain electrical activity. Some abnormal patterns may occur with a number of different conditions, not just seizures. For example, certain types of waves may be seen after head trauma, TraumaAn injury or wound caused by external force or violence.Close stroke, brain tumor, or seizures

Hope this helps,
Tom:soap:

 

[ColmanMac]

Hi twc - Hope this finds you well. My PS's are the episodes that always cause me the most grief rather than on the occasions I suffer a GM or or attack which progresses to SE.

Consultant says, in my case, my PS is not quite a Sz & I can see her reasoning as I always feel like death warmed up, sometimes taking 3-4 days to get over it. It's as if I'm walking around with my head in a grey cloud during the period of recovery and the headaches are something else!

In contrast, my GM Szs are as if I've stuck my fingers in the electrics and, consequently, I've succeeded in blowing away all the cobwebs from my head, enjoying a comparatively fast & easy recovery.

So, whilst the actual GM attack & the fear of it progressing to SE is a far from pleasant experience, overall I prefer that to the PS experience of up to 4 days+.

 

[Endless]

HOW do you get a physician to SERIOUSLY check into this stuff??

You can't change a doctor that's so closed-minded. So you might want to get a new one. Your doc isn't taking you seriously, and is not taking the steps to properly diagnose you.

The eeg may show nothing, if you're having partial seizures. That's because the seizures may be happening too deep in the brain and the electrodes can't pick it up. If you are experiencing the symptoms of seizures then a good neurologist would come in handy. He'd still diagnose you with a seizure disorder, based on case history.

I'm hoping for you that it's something else other than seizures. The meds suck in a huge way. They change you, and they change your life. It would be fabulous if you never had to go on them.

 

[Connie Tech]

TWC et al.-
There are also 24hr EEG monitors you can wear home--the EEG is only 30 minutes in the day--If your doc isn't willing to listen and follow up, time to move on. Google "Ictal cardiac arrythmia" and see what comes up. YOU need to be your own advocate. Keep in touch!!

 

[ColmanMac]

Hi twc - Agree with Connie - The lady has good advice there - I would act on it, my friend.

Col.

 

[twc]

Hi twc - Agree with Connie - The lady has good advice there - I would act on it, my friend.

Col.

So, December 10th I go have the 24 hour test done as explained earlier. I did look it up and than my doctor requested it.

Tom

 

[ColmanMac]

Take Care
Col

 

[twc]

Take Care
Col

Thanks,

 

[sbncmo]

TWC, Welcome.

I've had epilepsy since I was a year old. I didn't know it until many years later. But, there is soo much information available now. The thing is you have to be your own advocate. Educate yourself. I had been seeing one neuro for about 12 years. During that time three 24 hr EEG's revealed seizure activity, but my neuro never explained anything to me & I didn't have the sense to look anything up. He simply said I had a seizure disorder, nothing else, except to try several different meds. I had to stop seeing him as he went to working at a hospital only. I went a couple of years with no meds, then my family doc sent me to a new neuro because she believed I was having seizures. He asked if I lost consciousness, I said I didn't think so & he said "you aren't having seizures then." But he did order the 24 hr eeg & it showed very active seizures. Still he didn't explain anything. So I took matters into my own hands. Of the 40 types of seizures, I have 5 (CPS, SPS - sensory & psychic, tonic & myclonic; I had grand mal & absence seizures as a child). I was able to go back to him & tell him I'd found out that "seizure disorder" is the politically correct term for epilepsy (he agreed) & I described every type of seizure I have & it's name & he said I was correct with all of it. Being armed with this information changed our relationship. He started out with disrespect & doubt toward me, which caused me to dislike him, but now he treats me with great respect. He likes how I keep a diary & spends considerable time with me now. He asks me questions, getting me involved in my treatment. I'm not saying ALL neuro's will change when you come back to them having educated yourself, but it made a difference in my case.

So, please educate yourself. Ask lots of questions. There is always someone here who has a similar experience to what you have. And there is always support. I hope you are able to get proper treatment soon. One of my biggest problems is I have so many problems with meds & can't tolerate them. It makes it difficult to treat my epilesy. But I'm hanging in there.

Take care.
Shelia

 

[twc]

Shelia,
Thank you for the information, as I was too told I had a seizure disorder. Not knowing more than that other than the fact I am going to be taking medication to treat it and side effects that go along with it. I have been trying to educate myself which has brought me here. I also started using the "Patients Like Me" we site to try to keep track of my episodes as they are called. Like last night I was on the couch with my wife and my stomach started to hurt followed shortly by a very sharp stabbing pain in my chest on the right side. Lasted about 30 seconds happened two other times few minutes apart. I put my self to bed only to wake up few hours (3 later). Point I am trying to make is I get frustrated cause I have a hard time trying to figure out the severity of these episodes and what things cause them if any. I read was told by the doctor I had a seizure disorder trauma in my brain but no Epileptic activity. I don't understand why everything I read points to Epilepsy. As far as the doctor patient relationship, I can relate. He was very nice explaining things and the findings but I ask him to wait for my wife to come back so she could be told same thing. I have always had trouble trying to make sense of things quickly or even remembering everything short term. His attitude changed and couldn't be bother to wait few minutes or come back. So I had him later called and his reply was "I have explained every thing to Mr. Curran already." One of the other doctors were very nice and printed out everything that was explained to me for my wife. Since than he has been ok, with answering all my questions about work, driving, and medications. Thanks again,
Tom

 

[sbncmo]

Hi Tom. Yes, it is very frustrating trying to understand epilepsy, the severity of them & their causes. For me, I have never found a cause for any of them except the SPS sensory. Flashing lights, construction zone cones on the highway, flickering shadows from the sun shining thru the leaves, etc. will cause the sensory seizures, but I still have them sometims without any stimuli. My SPS psychic always have a warning - a vibration in the front of my left leg. But the myoclonic, tonic & CPS never give a warning & never have anything to trigger them.

I'm not sure what your doctor meant by seizure disorder trauma with no epileptic activity. Obviously you have trauma from the accident as a child and there are non-epileptic seizures, but your description points to epileptic seizures, specifically the SPS psychic which causes problems with speech & comprehension, but quite possibly a second type of seizure as well. I don't understand how the EEG showed epileptic seizure activity, then a doctor told you that you have no epileptic activity. It can't be both ways.

As to the seriousness of epileptic seizures, they are very serious. Epilepsy is caused by the electrical signals in the brain going haywire & those electric misfirings affect all parts of the body. I had a sister-in-law who died almost 2 years ago when she had a seizure that caused a fatal heart attack. She & my brother were sitting, talking, & with no warning she dropped over dead in mid-sentence. So don't let a doctor blow you off. And since you have the difficulty with memory, make sure your wife is with you. She needs to know everything about what is going on & what to do when you start having a seizure. If your doctor won't accomodate you on that, get a different one, if possible.

I am still learning a lot about epilepsy after being here for several months. For instance, Endless quoted a source stating that "The most common cardiac manifestation of any seizure is sinus tachycardia with arrhythmias, with bradycardia occurring infrequently." This was new to me & very helpful since I was diagnosed with sinus tachycardia & arrythmia shortly after my most recent 24-hr EEG. My family doctor didn't know why I had either of these conditions, but now I know that they are related to seizures. I still need to learn more about the connection. My BP unit picks up arrythmias almost daily. So I need to know if I am having a seizure I'm unaware of at the time of my arrythmia. There is always more to learn.

Just keep asking questions, Tom. Never worry about any of them seeming silly. Write down what you learn & take it with you to your doctor (along with your wife or a friend). At this particular moment, I'm waiting for my neuro to call me regarding a question - I had myoclonics lasting about 30 seconds each time occuring every 1-2 minutes all day Friday & Saturday. They dropped in frequency yesterday. But I want to know what I should do when this occurs. Always questions, always learning. Bring it all on here & then take that knowledge with you to your doc. Hopefully things will work out well for you. Remember the seriousness of it & take your stand for the right treatment!

Shelia

 

[sbncmo]

Hi Tom,

I just wanted to give you an update & maybe some info that will help. The day after I last wrote, I ended up in the ER with multiple seizures. I started out with a complex partial. I started feeling faint & dizzy & couldn't quite figure out what I was doing. After about 15 minutes, I called my husband & he told me to get my sister to take me to the hospital. By the time we reached the hospital 30 minutes later, I was pretty much unaware of anything. I couldn't answer any questions. By that time I was nauseated and had rather severe stomach pains. They got me to a bed & hooked up a monitor. Then they got me undressed & into a gown without my being aware of it. About an hour later, I started gaining awareness again, only to start another seizure with my left arm & had jerking. They kept me for 3 hours, the ER doc confirmed seizures & they gave me some valium.

It ends up I started with the CPS, then SPS - autonomic (it is the one that affects the stomach), then another SPS - motor (causing my arm & hand to jerk). It took three days to recover. Previously, I had the impression that SPS's weren't that serious, but I learned the hard way that they are very serious. Now, I am not a professional, but I wouldn't be surprised if part of what you are feeling are SPS - autonomic. It would be good to discuss it with your doctor. Before I saw my neuro, I printed out a list of the types of seizures & their symptoms & highlighted the symptoms I was having. At that time I was not aware that I had motor & autonomic seizures as well. So it would seem that my list of seizure types is now 7 instead of 5.

My trip to the ER was an eye-opener. Now here's a real kicker: While I was in th ER, having seizures, my neuro's nurse finally called to tell me that my neuro will no longer treat me! He said we have reached the limit on available medication, that it obviously isn't working & he feels that treating me is beyond his abilities. I told his nurse I was in the ER at that very moment & it's like she didn't even hear me. She just went on to say that she is getting hold of an epileptologist, but it may be at least a week before we hear from them. In talking with others, it seems very difficult to get in with an epileptologist. So, like it or not, my neuro will still have to see me until I can get in with the other specialist. I suppose I should be thankful that my neuro is willing to admit his limitations.

Anyway, just an idea about what you migt be having and a reminder that ALL seizures are serious. I'm not taking any of them lightly any more. Let me know how things turn out.

Shelia

 

[travel bug]

Hi Tom,

I have simple partial motor seizures which primarily affect my arm, neck and leg; I usually end up helplessly face down, feeling like I've been wrestled to the ground by a poltergeist. I had never really thought about it until reading your post and the replies by Endless and sbncmo, but I also have chest pain during these seizures. With me it's more like tightness making it hard to breath, but maybe it's a similar thing. I had always thought it was because I was hyperventilating, but maybe it's a part of the seizure itself.onder:

But more importantly, you had said that you were having an EEG starting the 10th; hope things go well and that you find something out. Let us know how things went

 

[sbncmo]

Hi Travel Bug,

You gave a good description of a seizure, as did Tom. With so many types of seizures & each type having it's own effects and some types overlapping, it can be difficult to determine the type of seizure(s) we have. Some types of seizures (such as the autonomic SPS) do afftect internal organs - heart, stomach, lungs, etc. The motor SPS cause jerking of the limbs. You may be experiencing multiple seizures as well.

I have read & reread the symptoms of all the types of seizures many times, but continue to go back & read them again as new symptoms occur. In fact, I'm getting reading to read them again. I've never fallen with a seizure yet, but I get so weak, I feel like I too have been wrestling & coming out the loser. Right now I'm feeling weak & am having trouble focusing, being forgetful, not remembering words, etc. So I am going to check it out some more. I encourage both of you to look up the symptoms again & again. You always catch something that you didn't catch the first time.

Let us know how you are doing - you & Tom.

Shelia