Am I having simple seizures or just anxiety?

[Cruellight]

I cant see a doctor anytime soon because of my insurance. I really need answers please! I feel like im going crazy! I've never had a grand mal seizure or blanked out or lost consciousness. Throughout a regular day I have random twitching in my muscles that lasts for a second or two(legs, arms, face.) I also always see these green/yellow flashes of light (kinda like if you were to look at a bright light and then look away.) And the last thing that I experience daily is one of my pupils (right one) is slightly more dilated than my left one. My other symptoms are sudden or can gradually get worse over the course of 5 - 10 minutes and last anywhere between 5 - 30 minutes. It usually starts with either a burning sensation on one of my arms, headache, a deep pain in muscle, or a feeling of detachment from the world and my body feels numb. I feel pins and needles or fuzziness on my arms and legs. My hands start shaking, sometimes its worse than others. I get a little confused and if it happens when im driving I have a hard time comprehending how far the cars are in front of me because of how detached I feel. If im standing up I feel like my legs have weights on them and I get weak. I get a sense of impending doom and get really nervous. Today, I felt like this during dinner. I didnt tell my friend anything. She looked at my eyes in the middle of my episode and my friend said that my right pupil was way bigger than my left. I had about 2 or 3 of these episodes just today. My father had about 4 grand mal seizures with auras in his life. Possibly tied to his medication. I have a history of panic disorder myself. Although its been about 5 or 6 years since it went away completely.

 

[resaebiunne]

Not having insurance doesn't mean you can't see a doctor. I would recommend it based on what you have described here, but my opinion isn't a professional one. Just keep in mind that an emergency room visit without insurance will cost you a lot more than a simple doctor visit. Better to play it safe.

 

[Bidwell]

Cruel light, I guess the problem is to get help in the most low keyed kind of way when you already know that some of the symptoms you describe are beyond anxiety. Taking care of yourself [probably by getting help] is the first order of business. I wonder what part of the world you are in and if there is someone you can call for advice through the Epilepsy Society or AAPR consulting nurse service -- something like that. The whole issue of money and insurance just adds to a bad mix. Keep moving toward help while using your good sense. And let us know how things go. I will be wondering.

 

[masterjen]

Hi, Cruellight and welcome to CWE;
Keep a careful log of your symptoms, including things like when they occur (time of day), how you feel before and during and after each one, witness accounts of what they observed, any potential triggers you can identify (eg. did you have one after being sleep deprived or after alcohol or when you haven't eaten for a long time), and begin to write down your relevant medical history (illnesses, head injuries, etc.) and any relevant family medical history (you mentioned your father's seizures; also consider any family members who have other neurological issues such as migraines).
And, do get yourself to a doctor. Things you describe need medical evaluation!

 

[Seizures"R"Us]

I ask myself this question a lot when I'm feeling a seizure or anxiety attack coming on, I'm like uh oh is this a seizure or an anxiety attack?? But you know what this one medic once told me is that the more you think about something the worse, or in this case more severe it will become. I mean that's pretty much common sense but if you're in a situation where you are having a seizure or an anxiety attack or are feeling one coming on, your rational mind isn't very well, rational lol. With that said it's always good to monitor yourself or have a close friend do it and try to distinguish the difference between apples and oranges to get a better idea of what's really going on. That way you can know for future reference how to deal with the situation better


I recently lost my sunglasses which really help me to cope with the really bright sunlight as I go outside sometimes, I was so upset. But yeah the florescent lights in some of the stores also bother me too because of the constant flickering, so annoying.

 

[qtowngirl]

many of the feelings you listed are related to 'simple partial seizures' and the four main types: motor, sensory, autonomic, and psychic. as masterjen said keep close track of everything, write it down and def research sp's as often as you have the time to do so.

were any of your father's 4 when he was a kid/teen? my dad had 2 when he was 12 and we've been guaranteed it has nothing to do with my epilepsy. as each case is different, dig for the facts to get the answers you need.

 

[seagull]

this American insurance thing is diabolical,i read this time and again unable get treatmemt because of it..Anxity can do some of these things but it chicken and egg thing the symptoms you describe could be many things and panic attacks definatly will I know I get them awful things..You need full work up at some point if your pupil do that again is it poss they take you ER

 

[valeriedl]

During a simple partial seizure many times my lips and/or fingers will tingle. I'll also be light headed. I may be confused about things like furniture in the living room looks like it's in the wrong place but I know it's not. For me it might last 5 to 10 minutes but everyone is different when it comes to the length of their seizures. This will happen around 3 or 4 times a month but the number of seizures, if this is what they are that you are having, is different for everyone too.

A good bit of times when someone has a simple partial seizure it will go into a complex partial seizure. I would suggest not driving, because if you have a complex partial and even with what's happening now, you could have an accident.

I'll have problems with my vision, it gets blurry. I'm not sure if it has anything to do with the dilation of my pupils because no one has ever looked. Sometimes it's only slight and will last around 10 minutes. Other time's I can't see strait enough that I can't walk a strait line. Once it was so bad that it was making me sick and I was throwing up. During these times it will last for hours. My neuro said it's a side effect of one of the meds that I'm on.

I also have those 'twitches' and I get them all over my body. Sometimes they will just be a small twitch and if someone didn't know that I'm having them won't even notice. They will usually only happen around 10 times over about 10 minutes. Other times they are very strong, more like a 'jerk'. They only happen in one part of my body at a time, like I'm having a grand mal seizure, but I know I'm not. They've lasted several minutes to maybe an hour when they are like this. There are some people who will go into a seizure after having these twitches.

Defiantly keep track of what's going on, this will help make things easier for the dr if he has questions. Try everything that you can do to see a dr about this, even if it's your PCP. You can usually get an appt with them in a decent amount of time and they are fairly inexpensive compared to a specialist. He may not be able to give you as good of a diagnoses about what's going on as a neuro but it's a start.