concussion and epilepsy

[LarryBC85]

As a 3 or 4 year old child, I suffered a concussioin when my sled hit a tree.
I had several seizures after that. Later at ages 16 or 17 I again experienced
seizures, was diagnosed as epilepsy, took phenobarbitol for four years.
Now at age 51 I have experienced several bouts of not being conscious
of things I have said when told about them by fellow workers and friends.
I have stopped driving. Recent CT scan was normal. Any connection
between childhood concussion and the seizures? LarryBC85

 

[Nakamova]

Hi Larry --

Head injuries can cause scarring on the brain, and even a tiny scar can lower your seizure threshold. I had a nasty concussion when I was 5. I didn't have my first seizures until I was 35, but the early concussion was at least a contributing factor, making vulnerable to other triggers.

And once you have seizures, you are at risk for having them again, even after a period of time has elapsed. Your most recent symptoms sound like complex partial seizures -- did you have an EEG in addition to the CT? Are you on medication?

Best,
Nakamova

 

[Endless]

Hi, Larry,

Seizures can emerge years or decades after a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). A TBI may not show on a CAT scan or MRI, either. The damage is microscopic and can be seen during a post-mortumem autopsy. Research on football players and soldiers has also shown that repeated minor TBI's can be as damaging as a large TBI.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traumatic_brain_injury

Saying or doing unsual things while unconscious is a pretty typical type of complex partial temporal lobe seizure. I get the same thing, and have said and done some pretty nutty stuff while unconscious.

The fact that you had seizures as a child and then again as a young adult vastly increased your chances of having a seizure as an adult. There are many members in here who have experienced the same thing, including Nakamova.

Are you on medication right now? Which one/how much?

 

[LarryBC85]

Thank you, Endless. It is a relief to see that you and other members of the
CWE Forum recognize the neurological condition I described and can
identify the tests to confirm it. Larry

 

[Elsie]

Welcome, LarryBC85. I also had a sledding accident when I was 12 or so. Not good driving one's sled into a telephone pole! I wasn't treated by anyone except by phone call to dr. at the time. I remember sleeping as girlfriends pulled me home on my sled. I remember sleeping on the couch for a long long time. Some time after I did begin having seizures. Maybe it was a year or 2 later, I don't know. I've always wondered why and did this contribute. Many years later, I still wonder, but just as a curiosity. For whatever reason, this is my life now. You may never know unless something shows up on a test. Nothing ever showed up on my test. Good luck and welcome to the forum.

 

[LarryBC85]

Thank you, Elsie. It was kind of you to comment. While the evidence of the
correlation between concussions and epilepsy may be anecdotal or
coincidental, I'm beginning to see a pattern, thanks to the comments of
the CWE members. Larry

 

[Endless]

I'm tacking some questions about TBI onto this string. I know lots of people here have traumatic brain injuries. I'm hoping you can educate me on some things. My physical therapist thinks that I have a number of problems consistant with TBI. I've had multiple minor head injuries over the years - so many I can't count. They were from sports and a couple of auto accidents. Would seizures, headaches, memory problems be getting so much worse now, years after the head injuries? Wouldn't it have been at its worst right after?

When I described some of the stuff I've been experiencing my PT just nodded and brought up TBI.

I've been complaining to my PCP and neuro that reading and thinking in general makes me exhausted. As in, can't function exhausted. My PCP says ask my neuro. My neuro says that's not due to epilepsy and he just moves on. So it's never been addressed. I get tired so easily when I have to think much. I have trouble tracking objects with my eyes in PT, and balancing while I focus my eyes on something. Reading makes my eyes hurt and I can only do it for so long before I have to lay down and rest. My doc says my eyes are blurry but otherwise fine, so get more powerful glasses. (thanks, doc)

I get blazing headaches that can last weeks. After doing eye tracking and balance exercises at PT my LT memory just goes "poof." My memory is like swiss cheese. It mostly comes back later. Chaotic patterns, noises, colors - chaotic stimulus of any kind gives me a headache at the very least, and often triggers a seizure. I can't pick a detail out of something visual to save my life.

Anybody experience any of the above? I felt lousy after each of my head injuries, but over time it seemed to get better. Then started getting worse again a few years ago. Can symptoms get worse again with age?

Anybody know a good head injury forum?

 

[LarryBC85]

Dear Endless: Since I began the thread on Nov. 15,2010, many CWE members
sent replies to report their concussions prior to epileptic seizures. Many asked
questions about my experience with treatment. I have now seen a neurologist, underwent an EEG, and am waiting an MRI. My neurologist
wants to see the results of these tests before making a diagnosis and
prescribing treatment. I am no longer driving and I notify my patients
('m an acupuncturist) of a possible loss of consciousness on my part during
the procedure. I will post a subsequent thread to tell of my neurologist's
findings and of his opinion regarding an early concussion and the later seizures. LarryBC85

 

[Nakamova]

Hi Endless --

Some neurological results of TBI, especially repeated "smaller" injuries, don't show up until much later as the brain gradually ages. As an example, Mohammed Ali developed Parkinson's as a result of his boxing career, but it didn't show up until after his retirement. Same goes for retired football players with early onset-dementia. I had a major concussion when I was five that caused some scarring that [probably] left me with a lowered seizure threshold. But I didn't have my first seizure until 30 years later. So it's not unusual for there to be a delay until neuronal aging or other shifting environmental factors (like hormones or dietary exposure) play a contributing role.

The statistical studies are still relatively new, but they indicate that a host of health issues MIGHT be linked to TBI. Headaches, seizures, endocrine disorders, arthritis, sleep disorders, obesity/overweight, cholesterol, high blood pressure, early dementias, falls, and swallowing disorders, among other health issues, have been noted among people aging with traumatic brain injury.

Interestingly, progesterone has been shown to benefit people with TBI in the early, acute phase. It also has been used to treat some seizure disorders. Maybe down the road it will be shown to help in post-TBI treatment as well...

 

[Elsie]

I find all this so very interesting. A few years prior to my sledding accident I was knocked out with a softball, not exactly to the head, but right to my eye. I was only out a few seconds (?) and came to on the floor surrounded by people. Nothing was ever done about this, I just put ice on it for a while.

Just a coincidence maybe.

However, Endless, I was just making a mental note of how very exhausted I've been this past week. I've been at my desk almost non-stop finishing up year-end work for DH's little company. I am not computerized and had to learn how to do some of that on the computer. Typing W-2's and 1099's where one cannot make any typos at all I came away with raging headache and I've been sleeping at least an hour more every day. Just exhausted as if I've been digging ditches. All this thinking hard on our brains?

Larry, please let us know what the dr. thinks.