partial complex progressing...

[socogurl]

My boyfriend has complex partial seizures. Over the past few weeks, they have been getting worse and closer together. In one day i believe he had three, i have found ways to cope with them. However last week i woke up to him having a normal seizure, and i made sure he knew i was here and to go back to sleep. However less then 30 minutes later he had another partial complex seizure that progressed in a grand maul. It was the scariest thing i have EVER witnessed. His lips turned a pale blue, his skin was clammy, his mouth was bleeding, and he hit his head. I ended up calling 911 to get him to a hospital. Which he thanked me for later, but my question is. Does Grand Maul seizures ever get easier to witness? is there anything i can do if he has another?

- a scared girlfriend.

[epileric]

I can't tell you if it gets easier because I'm the one having them & I don't even remember having them but trust me, I know when I've had one.

As far as what to do, move everything out of the way, if you can put a pillow under his head then do so. Also start timing it & if its more than 5 minutes that means he's going into status epilepticus (status for short). I would call 911 then.
Don't hold restrain him in any way, that can be dangerous to both of you. Also don't put anything in his mouth, the old wives tale about him swallowing his tongue is just that.

Is he on any medication & if so what?

[Nakamova]

Hi socogurl --

My friends have seen me have a few grand mals, and while it's no party for them, I do think at least some of them have gotten used to it. If it's any comfort, the seizures look a lot worse than they are. The lips turn blue and the skin turns clammy because all the oxygen is being sent up to the brain -- it may look odd, but the body is behaving properly when that happens.

You can help by making sure your boyfriend's comfortable, and letting him know what happened when he comes out of it. If there's a possibility that he's seriously injured himself during the seizure then call 911. If he's otherwise okay, you don't necessarily need to call 911. When in doubt go ahead and make the call.

The fact that his seizures have been progressing in frequency, duration, and kind means he needs to see his neurologist as soon as possible to get a handle on things. Having uncontrolled seizures leads to having more uncontrolled seizures -- the brain gets "in the habit" of seizing. I hope he gets things figured out soon.

[Meetz1064]

I'm also the E patient. So, it's hard for me to answer the question, BUT.

Based on what my family has told me, some got used to it, others didn't. It's all an individual thing, I think. I know my t/c's are particularly violent, and they're no picnic afterwards. It's probably very shocking to watch the first time as a caretaker, especially if you really don't know much about E.

Personally, it wouldn't bother me--but then again, I work with others that have E on a daily basis in many different forms. I've seen t/c's before for different people, and it didn't scare me....but that's ME, NOT YOU.

Now take a deep breath, and start poking around in here. There's lots of information to be had, lots of friends to make.

Good luck!

Meetz