Hello everyone. I'm a 48 year old male who has suddenly started having tonic seizures. Please forgive my ignorance as I am new to this condition. I do not understand my symptoms and I'm hoping to get some clarity. Without warning I had my first seizure in mid September 2022. I was with my wife and have no memory of the event. I was having trouble speaking for about 30 minutes before then my entire body stiffened and i lost consciousness. My first memory is about 20 hours after in a hospital bed wondering how I got there or what had happened. I was very sore but recovered after a week or so. But I started having strange symptoms immediately after including numbness around my mouth and chin and what can only be described as head rushes. A feeling of liquid pouring over my brain then down through my arms and legs. These symptoms lasted until about mid January 2023 then just seemed to vanish. Then February 26th I had another seizure. Same circumstances however the confusion and loss of speech lasted for an hour and a half before the seizure. This time I lost all memory of my morning activities and have no memory of the entire day. The confusion started at 12:30 pm and and I had the seizure at 2pm. It took much longer to recover this time but the facial numbness and head rush did not return until mid May of this year. Now I have daily pins and needles in my lips and chin and a random sensation of almost like floating. My neurologist cannot explain the sensations and I'm wondering if anyone else is experiencing the same things. My older sister has also developed epilepsy at around the same age as me but her seizures only happen when she is asleep and she does not have any other residual symptoms. Her seizures cannot be explained either. Sorry for the long post. Just hoping to get some help. Thank you for reading. Be well.
Adult male suddenly experiencing tonic seizures
- Thread starter Brian W.
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Hi BW, welcome to CWE.
Sorry to hear about the seizures. The "having trouble speaking" prior to the tonic clonic seiziure sounds like you were experiencing some seizure activity that generalized into the tonic clonic. There are many different types of seizures and most don't involve convulsions and some don't even impair consciousness.
Most people never get a definitive reason as to why they have seizures. Epilepsy is an umbrella term that encompasses a wide range of seizure conditions.
Did your neurologist prescribe any medication for you?
Sorry to hear about the seizures. The "having trouble speaking" prior to the tonic clonic seiziure sounds like you were experiencing some seizure activity that generalized into the tonic clonic. There are many different types of seizures and most don't involve convulsions and some don't even impair consciousness.
Most people never get a definitive reason as to why they have seizures. Epilepsy is an umbrella term that encompasses a wide range of seizure conditions.
Did your neurologist prescribe any medication for you?
Hi Brain,
Welcome to CWE! I'm so sorry to hear that you and your sister are having seizures. I've had them for 51 yrs. Stress and lack
of sleep are the 2 main things that can trigger seizures. Does epilepsy run in your family because if it does it could be genetic
and that's why you started having seizures and also when a person goes through their change in life they can sometimes stop
or start having seizures if it runs in the family. A person speech is on the left side of the brain so this is telling me that something
on the left side of your brain may be triggering the seizures. The loss of speech and having a hard time speaking sometimes
is part of a seizure. My advice to you is to go to a Epilepsy Center and see a Epileptologist which is a Dr. who specializes in
epilepsy. The Dr. will do tests on you and from there they will be able to pinpoint the cause of your seizures and get you on
the correct seizure med to reduce if not stop the seizures. Whatever you do stay away from nutra sweet ex. diet soda it has been
proven that nutra sweet will cause more electrical activity in the brain and in turn that can trigger seizures. Be sure to keep track
of your seizures write them down on a calendar stating what time the seizure happened by doing this the Dr. may see a pattern
in your seizures.
It sounds like your sister is having myoclonic seizures which are seizures that happen when you get up in the morning and
when you go to bed. I had that type of seizure for a short time until my Dr. did a sleep study and e.e.g. on me and found I was
having seizures in my sleep about 2 hrs. before I would wake up in the morning. I was put on the drug vimpat and that stopped
that form of seizure but I have been dealing with absence and complex partial seizures for 51 yrs.
Cut back on the carbs and starch foods and start eating foods high in fat this is known as the ketogenic diet and it helps
build keytones up in the body which in turn will either stop or reduce the seizures. I wish you and your family only the best
and May God Bless You,
Sue
Welcome to CWE! I'm so sorry to hear that you and your sister are having seizures. I've had them for 51 yrs. Stress and lack
of sleep are the 2 main things that can trigger seizures. Does epilepsy run in your family because if it does it could be genetic
and that's why you started having seizures and also when a person goes through their change in life they can sometimes stop
or start having seizures if it runs in the family. A person speech is on the left side of the brain so this is telling me that something
on the left side of your brain may be triggering the seizures. The loss of speech and having a hard time speaking sometimes
is part of a seizure. My advice to you is to go to a Epilepsy Center and see a Epileptologist which is a Dr. who specializes in
epilepsy. The Dr. will do tests on you and from there they will be able to pinpoint the cause of your seizures and get you on
the correct seizure med to reduce if not stop the seizures. Whatever you do stay away from nutra sweet ex. diet soda it has been
proven that nutra sweet will cause more electrical activity in the brain and in turn that can trigger seizures. Be sure to keep track
of your seizures write them down on a calendar stating what time the seizure happened by doing this the Dr. may see a pattern
in your seizures.
It sounds like your sister is having myoclonic seizures which are seizures that happen when you get up in the morning and
when you go to bed. I had that type of seizure for a short time until my Dr. did a sleep study and e.e.g. on me and found I was
having seizures in my sleep about 2 hrs. before I would wake up in the morning. I was put on the drug vimpat and that stopped
that form of seizure but I have been dealing with absence and complex partial seizures for 51 yrs.
Cut back on the carbs and starch foods and start eating foods high in fat this is known as the ketogenic diet and it helps
build keytones up in the body which in turn will either stop or reduce the seizures. I wish you and your family only the best
and May God Bless You,
Sue
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Hi Brian -- sounds like your seizures have a genetic component. Some folks just have a lower seizure threshold -- it can be due to genetic susceptibility, trauma, infection, etc. -- or a combination of that and secondary triggers. The "pins-and needles" and floating sensations can be a kind of seizure called a partial seizure. Alternatively they could be medication side effects -- some of them do cause tingling. For one of the meds (I forget which one) the tingling can be a sign that you are low in potassium.