Tonic seizures?

[amlowe]

Hi all! I am brand new to this site and this is my first time posting...

My 8 yr old daughter had her first seizure 10 days ago. From what I've read, it seems she had a tonic seizure.

-seizure happened early morning, minutes within waking
-seconds before it started, she complained she didn't feel well (an aura?)
-strong muscle contractions all over (both arms, legs, torso, neck)
-i saw no convulsions, trembling, or jerks whatsoever
-loss of consciousness
-loss of bladder control
-lasted approx. 12-15 seconds
-"woke" confused, with no memory of seizure
-rest of the day she was tired, and complained of dizziness, headache, some more stomach pains
-family history of seizures in paternal grandmother and maternal grandfather

Now, I'm a big believer in educating yourself in order to advocate for yourself and your children. So, I google, cautiously...and Usually, this works for me. Usually, I find it empowering, having gained some knowledge. Except, there isn't a lot of information available online about tonic seizures, at least when not related to Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome.

I have read that tonics are rather uncommon, and frequently occur at night.... Which is kinda unsettling, because how would I know??? No bed wetting incidents, so that's a good sign. She does sleepwalk sometimes though, and I'm to the point that I'm starting to wonder if it's related in anyway. When she sleepwalks, she acts confused and sometimes distressed... Very similar to the state that she was in when she "woke" from her seizure. Perhaps I am over thinking everything!

If anyone here has any experience with tonic seizures, or more information about them, I would love to hear it. Specifically, what other kinds of seizures typically occur with tonic seizures? Even a reliable resource/link would be helpful! Thanks in advance!

[epileric]

Sorry to hear about your daughter. I can only imagine how you feel since I"m the one in my family with the seizures.

When you say "loss of consciousness" do you mean loss of awareness of everything around her or that she passed out? If she lost awareness of what was around her then it sounded very much like an absence seizure

[amlowe]

More like she passed out...

She sat down on the bathroom floor and complained she didn't feel well, I told her maybe she should go lay down in bed for a bit, then left the room for no more than 10 seconds. When I came back to check on her I saw her foot extending into the bathroom doorway, and I found her laying flat on her stomach, arms pulled up with her hands turned in. She was completely unresponsive, then she lost bladder control... I tried helping her up, thinking she must've fallen asleep? I lifted her up, she was literally stiff as a board. That's when it finally hit me what was happening.

[Cint]

Amlowe,

It is a scary thing to witness seizure(s). Like Eric, I am the one in my family who has epilepsy and have two now grown children who've witnessed many complex partial and a few tonic clonic seizures over the years.

It does sound like a tonic seizure to me, too. Here is a good website that explains seizures: http://www.epilepsy.com/EPILEPSY/seizure_tonic

[amlowe]

Thank you for the liNk! I'm pretty certain it was a Tonic also, and this link just confirms it.

So, quick update--

My daughter had a sleep deprived EEG this morning. The first part of the test was 2min of intermittent photic stimulation, followed by 3min of rapid breathing/ hyperventilation, then a 25min sleep test. Immediately after the hyperventilation part of the test ended, she began having multiple, rapid myoclonic jerks. The "twitches" happened all over, (shoulders, stomach, arms, legs, feet, hands...in random order) for at least a minute. She remained responsive and fully aware the entire time. It almost looked like she was shivering, but she was actually hot from the 3min of rapid breathing...

Like I said, I am brand new to all of this... But it is clear to me that my daughter reacted in an abnormal way to this test. Right? I'm not sure exactly what I saw, but my gut tells me there is something most definitely going on. Hopefully the results will tell what...

[JMusy]

Yes, what you describe sounds like a tonic-clonic seizure. You should be able to ask your daughters neurologist for clarification on the different types of seizures as well.
Sorry that she is having these.