Seizure, bad fall, cant sleep and need info.

[EducatedGuessWork]

I had a seizure on October 2nd, I was at a gas station and they had cameras which recorded the incident and after watching the video I can decisively state that I fainted, fell and hit my head(really hard, apparently) on the tip of a metal chips rack bar, which i subsequently bounced off and fell on the ground(2 times my head landed on something while I was unconscious), I had a seizure, convulsions for exactly 4 minutes and 40 seconds. I don't recall this last part from memory but I remember little hazy details after I was conscious and had an extremely high heart rate(147) and had trouble breathing all the way to the hospital, about a 5 minute ride. I'm giving details because I've had trouble breathing, albeit in a positive way since its gettig better, but trouble breathing nonetheless and I am unable to sleep more than 5 hours since i had that seizure. What type of seizure did I have? I'm aware of what caused it, but I'm not sure if I need to see a neurologist since I don't have insurance, our healthcare system sucks and I can't afford that Now with college. I'd like to know if anyone here has had a similar experience to mine and can tell me what to expect, any tips, advice or just general information about the seizure will help. Thank you and sorry if this is monotonous or repetitive(I don't use forums often), I'm just looking for some help, I've never had a seizure and its really terrifying. The doctor said all my tests came back allrite and he saw no trauma to the head but he did recommend I go see a neurologist(i also cant figure out why im unable to sleep if my CT scan was okay? i know its because i hit my head, i wake up and my head dpesnt really hurt, but aches mildly). i dont have any other serious symptoms that im concerned about, just the sleeping and possible head injury the doctor might've missed. I'm a little critical of doctors because they do over diagnose shit and a lot of times just plainly miss the cause of the problem due to having too many patients...anyways, thank you in advance.

 

[RunningGirl85]

Even if the CT scan came back normal you could have some type of TBI (traumatic brain injury). After my last seizure I had hit my head on a couple of things- my desk on the way down and the flagpole once I was down. I was diagnosed with mild TBI. That can cause headaches, ringing in ears, memory issues and so forth. I'm no expert but being in the military they're always asking these questions to see if incidents have caused this.

Now for your seizure... were you excessively sleep deprived, dehydrated, did your blood sugar get looked at? I know those can cause seizures in people withou epilepsy. Now if there was no reason for the seizure you could have developed the condition (I had my first tonic clonic - the type yoi described - when I was 24). I would recommend going to a neurologist to have an EEG done, though it's possible it will come back normal even if you have.epilepsy. My first one did - then two years later I had another seizure and was diagnosed.

As for the breathing ... I can't say. I'm not sure.if I've had that after a seizure. Someone else might have some insight though.

Sent from my Vortex using Tapatalk 2

 

[Fedup]

EducatedGuessWork

RunningGirl85 makes a good point about traumatic brain injury and for the CT to come bake normal is not unusual an MRI would be better I think, its more detailed. The questions asked are good ones and it does sound like a Tonic Clonic but you really do need to see a neurologist. You will probably get an EEG among other and it could come back normal but this is not unusual. The breathing can be caused by a lot of things, it could be anxiety because of having the seizure or it could be part of it, these are reasons you need to see a neurologist.

 

[jyearta]

Hi Educatedguesswork,

Welcome to CWE. You are in the right place.

I can't really add any inform. that whar Runinggilr85 and Fedup have said.

I hop you can see a Neur. ASAP

 

[Nakamova]

Hi EducatedGuessWork --

The kind of seizure you had is called a tonic-clonic or grand mal seizure, also sometimes referred to as a generalized seizure. I wasn't sure from your description whether you fainted, and then had the seizure as a result of hitting your head as you fell, or if you were already in the midst of seizing (rather than fainting) when you fell and hit your head. In the first situation, you want to try and find the reason for fainting. In the second scenario you want to find the reason for your seizing. It's entirely possible with either scenario that your seizure is a one-off, but you may want to follow up with the neurologist just to get some more information either way. It's not unusual for a CT scan to come up negative, even with lingering symptoms from your head injury. A neurologist could schedule an EEG and/or an MRI -- standard to tests to rule out any neurological issues -- and may help set your mind at ease about any lingering symptoms. I agree with RunningGirl85, that the head injury make have caused some Traumatic Brain Injury, and that you should be gentle with yourself as your brain and body heal. It's been less than two weeks -- be patient.

The breathing issues you experienced in the ambulance may actually have been what's considered fairly normal following a grand mal seizure. It's typical for the breathing to sound loud and labored, like awkward snoring. If you're still having breathing problems at this point though, that's something to discuss with your regular doctor or neurologist.

Do you have sense at all of what precipitated your faint/seizure? If you can identify any trigger or trigger(s), (things like fatigue or low blood sugar) try and avoid such triggers in the future, especially now while your brain is still healing, and particularly if you decide not to see a neurologist. Play it safe with your behavior and habits. And keep paying close attention to how you are feeling. I hope your symptoms diminish over time, but if they don't you may have to bit the bullet and see a neurologist.

Best,
Nakamova

 

[EducatedGuessWork]

Thanks for all your quick responses. I know what caused the seizure and i did have insomnia for like a week prior to the seizure, mixed with stress. As for the head injury, I'm almost certain I didn't faint. I fell because I had the seizure and then hit my head which might've caused a head injury, so I went back to the hospital earlier today and the doctor did have an MRI done that night and it didn't show anything either, thank god, but I plan on going to a neurologist anyway Monday. I feel better today than I did yesterday, felt better yesterday than the day before and so forth. I'm guessing it takes a while to fully recover from a grand mal because I do feel a little off mentally and I'm still tired physically from the lack of sleep, I have gained some weight since last Tuesday though I'm hungry like all the time! I've been crossing my fingers and hoping all is well with me and I don't have any permanent brain damage, i always thought a grand mal seizure lasted for more than 10 minutes? the <5 minutes thing was encouraging to me. I'm just happy I didn't pass out while I was driving..thank you again.

 

[EducatedGuessWork]

One more thing I forgot is that I've been really sensitive to light when I wake up, more so than usual but even that's been getting a lot better.

 

[Nakamova]

i always thought a grand mal seizure lasted for more than 10 minutes?

Grand mals usually last 1 to 3 minutes (though they may seem much longer!) A ten minute grand mal would be considered a medical emergency.

 

[AlliOz]

I hope you work things out. I just wanted to agree with you that it's really lucky you weren't driving. I zoned out while driving on June 20 with my 10yo daughter in the back seat. Thank God we were in a quiet suburban street close to home so I wasn't going fast and I didn't hurt my girl or anybody else. I ended up sideswiping a fence and on a nature strip, just stopping short of a tree. I must have been half with it as I turned off the engine and braked. No memory of going against the fence ...just being really surprised when I got out of the car and saw bits of metal all around the vehicle. Ambo and police came but we didn't need to go to hospital. In my state you automatically lose licence for 12 months if you seize at wheel.
I HATE not driving but understand why it's not safe until I have better control
I'm on Keppra and am weaning off Epilim and onto Vimpat. I'm finding Vimpat has really helped reduce frequency of my complex partials. I've only had a couple in the past five or six weeks, as opposed to at least two a week. I'm having an MRI today before I see my neurologist again next week.