Simple Partial or Complex Partial

[AnneC]

I am new here. I was diagnosed with TLE, EEG showed abnormal activity in both lobes 6yrs ago, I have never lost consciousness while having a seizure yet my Neuro tells me I have Complex partials. I first became worried because I knew something was wrong with me ie. I was having trouble forming words , remembering things and would as I describe it "vacate my surroundings" for brief periods of time, this all resulted in me having terrible panic attacks when I was with people and I did my best to avoid prolonged contact. I was seizure free from 06/2006 til 12/2010 I still don't feel like I am having "real" seizures because most of the time all my seizures consist of is forgetting to do something, like sitting down to have a cup of coffee and when going to drink it realizing that I've put everything into the cup except the coffee, when this happened 3 times in one week I new my seizures had returned. Most of the time I don't even know that I'm have a seizure. I am afraid to cook when I am in the house on my own for fear of leaving a pan on the hob which I done a few time. I do have problem with my speech I can hear the words in my head, see them in my mind but can't get them out of my mouth or have difficulty with pronunciation. Now at night when I go to bed I am getting shivers like a clod breeze blowing over me is it possible that my seizures are changing and I am now have nocturnal ones???? Am feeling really isolated as I live in small country village with very bad public transport, also feel a terrible loss of independence Any advice welcome. Thanks Anne

 

[Endless]

Hi, Anne,

Things like the coffee cup could be a partial or a complex seizure, depending on the details. Were you able to stop filling the cup? Could you respond to other people? Do you remember filling the cup? If the answer to those all were "no" or if it was a dream-like state, it's probably a complex partial seizure. They are, by definition, altered consciousness, memory, or in a dream-like state.

http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/about/types/types/complex.cfm

During one of my complex partials, I can be talking to someone and say somthing that makes sense but is really nutty. I don't remember anything about it later. A couple of times I remember walking, but it seems really far away like a faint dream.

I'm thinking yours may be a seizure, or maybe the aftermath of a seizure. After a seizure is over my brain is a bit iffy - I'm confused, my memory short-circuiting. In a confused state after a seizure I could easily forget the coffee in my cup. I've also detached the leash from my dog and left him out on the front porch and locked the door (he's always on a leash!). I remember doing it. I was just really mixed up.

If THAT's what's going on with you, you may not even know you had a complex partial. Just that you had confusion afterwards.

What a puzzle we all have. It takes a long time to sort it all out, but you and your doctor will in time.

Big hugs.

 

[AnneC]

Hi Endless,

Thanks for replying, about the coffee as far as I recall I remember making it as normal in 2 stages....coffee & sweeteners in cup while water boiling so only thing I can put it down to is that somewhere in between a seizure occurred something similar happened the week before but when I went to pour the water in I realized that I hadn't put the coffee in the cup. About the same week I was stopped at traffic lights when they turned green I was fully aware that they were green but couldn't comprehend the fact that I should drive on until they turned red again. I've left taps running, burnt pans, have to record tv programs I like in case I miss something. I am fed up with people telling me forgetting things is normal. Any Ideas on the waves of cold shivers???? they are only from the knee up my feet are warm

Hugs Anne

 

[Endless]

Hi Endless,

Thanks for replying, about the coffee as far as I recall I remember making it as normal in 2 stages....coffee & sweeteners in cup while water boiling so only thing I can put it down to is that somewhere in between a seizure occurred something similar happened the week before but when I went to pour the water in I realized that I hadn't put the coffee in the cup. About the same week I was stopped at traffic lights when they turned green I was fully aware that they were green but couldn't comprehend the fact that I should drive on until they turned red again. I've left taps running, burnt pans, have to record tv programs I like in case I miss something. I am fed up with people telling me forgetting things is normal. Any Ideas on the waves of cold shivers???? they are only from the knee up my feet are warm

Hugs Anne

Oh, my. I hate the ones like the traffic light. That could be a kind of [URL="http://www.epilepsy.com/epilepsy/seizure_simplepartial"]Jamais Vu, which is a Simple Partial Temporal Lobe seizure[/URL]. They call them a type of psychic seizure. I get those on a regular basis, though mine is more not recognizing where I am, even though I am in familiar surroundings, or not knowing about a particular situation I've gone through or practiced for a hundred times.

Cold waves and shivers could be Simple Partial Motor Seizures. "Focal" and "Partial" mean the same thing - they occur in one part of the brain and not the whole brain (like a tc does)

 

[AnneC]

Thank you again for replying,

The 'psychic' seizure would be a normal occurrence if you can call epilepsy 'normal' :bigsmile: the cold wave are new so have made a note in diary to mention them to my neuro when i see him in May. I hope it's not an indication that my seizure are changing

Thanks again
Anne