What first triggered your epilepsy, if known? (i.e. first seizure)

[Deb12345]

Sorry if someone has already posted a poll similar to this one. Just thought it might be an interesting question to ask.
Kind Regards
Debbie

[skillefer]

You know how your parents always say, "No jumping on the bed" ? Well, I didn't listen. I was jumping on the bed, missed the bed, and struck my head on the concrete floor.

[Nakamova]

I voted for eating too little, but I actually think it was probably a combination of things:

1. A head injury when I was 5
2. Then, 30 years later, huge emotional stress and resulting lack of sleep and food
3. Plus having only diet soda (= lots of aspartame) in my stomach

[Rae1889]

Yeah that would do it.

Um...I put not sure. cuz I dont actually know what caused my epilepsy. It could be alot of things. Bike accident, drug use, Depo birthcontrol needle, my mum.

But my first tonic clonic was from stress and not being able to breathe (we think, thats the one we remember being the first. )

[knothing]

An adult was carrying egg cartons (don't ask) down to the basement at my grandparents house and they said for me not to go down there. I was 4 and I went. I went tumbling down the stairs and my skull found the concrete floor. 3 grand mals in 24hrs and a week in the hospital and everyone thought I was good to go. I grew up and never knew that the deja vu and jamais vu feeling I had were not normal for others. Several concussions later (4) and migraines developed and still I thought nothing of it. No doctor did either.

After a weekend of work and little sleep and late in the week I was in the call center having a normal but tiring day at work. Next thing I remember were my coworkers and paramedic surrounding me informing me I had a grand mal seizure.

If I had just listened and not gone down those stairs (never mind all the concussions)....
Worst part (outside of seizures and meds) was they always accused the adult of shoving me down the steps until the day they finally listened to me and him. Took 25yrs to free him of that blame.Grandma still blames herself for it so we lie to her...bad enough she blames herself for my uncle having E also.
Sure it is a long answer but it sure explains why I have to accept it because that 4yr old me did it to me.

[bigbro]

My sister's happened the first TOM. Her hope was that it would stop when she hit menopause.

I guess you have to ask the question though, was there something else that happened to bring her seizure threshold low enough so that all it took was her adult hormone levels to push her over the edge? Maybe there was a bump to the head that we have forgotten over the years that was actually what "caused" the seizure threshold to be that low in the first place.

[roo]

I put in for brain infection (due to myalgic encephalomyelitis) which is when my first seizures manifested.

But, I also had a nasty head injury when i was a little child and again was injured in a car accident when I was a young adult. So it could be a combination of all three to a certain degree.

[dfwtexas]

I had a severe trauma to my arm....who said that it would take a head injury! After having double compound fractures, I continue to develop bacteria infections. I had a port line for 2 years pumping very strong antibodtics into me 24/7 during this time. My neurologist said it could have been the infections, the meds, or a combination of the two.
My seizures didn't start until 3 years after my accident

[BuckeyeFan]

Mine has been diagnosed as idiopathic or no known cause. Three possibilities. Did not have tonic-clonics until age of 20, may have had others earlier.

1) At birth, I had a very mild case of cerebral palsy that effected my left leg, no other residual effects from that (just a little clumsy with my left side).

2) Head injury in a stupid teenage screwing around accident at 15. No scarring or other issues ever appear on MRIs.

3) Possible chemical exposure at work, maybe lead. Never tested for this, but the timeline is more accurate.

[flinnigan]

I certainly could have put more than one too. I voted born with it though I wasn't diagnosed until age 43. I was born with a malformation in the brain. My mom used to tell stories of me sleeping so long I would miss feedings and wake up shaking - dumb ass. I had absence seizures until puberty then simple partials. The lesion hemorrhaged at some point and all of that together created a lot of scar tissue.

[C0urt]

I skipped replying the first time because I thought mine sound silly.

I have had 7-8 concussions over the course of my life. motorcycles-bicycles-prowrestler. but there are no swelling, scars, or leisions.
When it all started.
When I went to the hospital that weekend, i was breaking up with my girlfriend, taking a job in guam, might have had lyme disease, and in consultation for a vasectomy. it was a little stressful. I dropped into a 113 degree fever. liver failed. was clinically dead twice. spent a month in a coma.

seems like that might have had something to do with it.

[cool1984]

i was born at 26wks so very elary, thats why i have epilepsy,

[stilldancing_98]

Chicken Pox. I had a very high fever had a couple of tonic clonic seizures and it That is that.

[Meetz1064]

born wit it...and there is no known cause...

[brain]

Born with it and Adopted and virtually and totally
unknown ... does this make me an "Area 51
Candidate"?

[seizingbeauty]

Had my first known seizure delivering my daughter. She was induced 3weeks earlydue to PreEclamptic(spelling?).
However, my bio mom used drugs during her pregancy and I've received numerous head tramas during my life so...

[myshele720]

i put other - due to i had a stroke and seizure 4 months after i had a c-section with my son (11lbs 15ozs). was put on dilantin and had another one 6 months later then was took off that and put on keppra.

haven't had one since but take my meds daily along with plavix

michele (myshele)

[CleptaK]

I was born at 26 weeks, too, Cool1984. In the 80s it was pretty rare (at least in Australia) for a baby to make it. Go us!

I have mild cerebral palsy but my epilepsy isn't related to the complex partial (according to my neurologist) as I have generalised seizures.

I was hit in the back of the head with a plank of wood when I was 18. That could have something do with it.

Aside from that, perhaps experimental drug use? Even antidepressants as I tried Prozac, Zoloft, Efexor and something else..? Who knows.

As for current triggers, stress and lack of sleep take the cake.

[Loopy Lou]

My neurologist thinks that i've always had the partials to an extent, but that it only got "triggered" properly by a fall i had on a school trip. Fell about 30ft down the side of a mountain but luckily my face and a handy boulder broke my fall

After that there was a lot more "dopey" moments and strange events, but didn't have my first waking tonic clonic until i was 22 and was diagnosed shortly after.

Edit - "waking tonic clonic" - couldn't get the words in my head of how to phrase it before, but i meant the first time i had a seizure during the daytime when i was awake before it started lol.

[Deb12345]

Sorry guys for not letting you choose more than one answer. Just wasn't sure how people reading the chart could see that someone voted on e.g. 3 answers rather than just 1. Sorry! I must admit though reading what people have typed is very interesting and sure onlookers would think the same. I hope you are all having a good weekend.

I voted stress / tiredness because that's all I can relate to at the moment (should of put depression with them 2 ). Waiting to hear more off my Neurologist.