I don't get it

[kara_leigh]

I don't understand why my seizures usually only happen at the beginning of the month. There really isn't any change to my habits during that time. My mentrual cycle is not regular so it isn't that. I had a mild seizure yesterday evening, but the last one before that was March 7th. Then last night I had some beers and played Wii bowling with my husband and we stayed up pretty late. I slept in b/c, well, it's Saturday and I like to. lol I had 3 seizures in my sleep (all woke me up) at 9:50am, 11:00am, and 12:10pm. I tend to get a headache when I have clusters of them in my sleep, so I have a pretty bad headache now. I don't think it is caused by the alcohol, b/c I did the same thing last weekend (the beers, wii bowling and staying up late) and didn't have any seizures, though the "clusters" of them might be if I'm already prone to having them.

Here is a list of my logged seizures, since I started keeping track of them in early December. You can see the pattern.

12/4 5:10pm
12/15 2:45pm
12/30 3:45pm
1/2 2:15pm
1/3 2:15am
1/3 6:30am
(3 more times during that night in my sleep, I just didn't look at the clock to keep track of them back then)
1/4 12:30pm
2/5 10:40am
3/4 3:30pm
3/5 once in my sleep sometime in the middle of the night
3/5 10:55am
3/6 1:30am (I was still awake. That was a Saturday night, so I might have been up late drinking some beers. I drink, at most, 4 or so beers when I do drink them.)
3/6 - 3/7 Multiple (10-15) while sleeping. Each wakes me up. I had a TERRIBLE headache for the rest of the weekend.
4/2 6:05pm
4/3 9:50am
4/3 11:00am
4/3 12:10pm

I probably would have had more in my sleep today had they either started earlier or I hadn't got up after the last one. My cluster at the beginning of March started shortly after we went to bed and continued until I woke up.

Does anyone have any ideas? I haven't started taking my Tegretol yet b/c I want to talk to my Endocrinologist on Monday to see if it is okay to take with my other medications or if I need to change the dosing of my current meds, etc.

 

[becks]

hi there multiple thingas can cause change in your pattern, urinary infections too much and not enough sleep can cause seizures, are these seizures grand or petit mal. check all your medication and make sure you can take with your e meds, as i was told with keppra i can take anything, ibuprofen, nurofen and menstrual tablets since found out 12 yrs after being diagnosed i can only take paracetomal. stress, can cause problems maybe you should try meditation before you go to bed to release your mind of all worries. becki

 

[kara_leigh]

I'm having Complex Partial Seizures. What wakes me up in the middle of the night is mainly the nausea I get with my seizures.

 

[becks]

Hi I have nausea when i am due on my menstral cycle this is due to my polycystic ovaries that i suffer from.

 

[hootie]

I wonder if your seizures follow the phase of the moon. I would see when the full moon was each month and try to determine if there is a pattern. I don't know what you might do about it...except maybe consult with a homeopath (they ask strange questions like are you worse by the sea, what happens during how a thunderstorm, how do you feel, etc.).

 

[RobinN]

I am not making any diagnosis, only going on the info that you have given:

Do you travel much?
http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/forums/f22/dirty-veggies-tapeworms-cause-epilepsy-884/
http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/forums/f22/tapeworms-leading-cause-seizures-2143/

Most people are not aware that they have parasites until an autopsy is performed. Others are more severely infected, causing disease. It is also a common belief that intestinal worms are more active during the full moon cycle. With a little knowledge, parasitic infestations can be controlled.

http://www.innvista.com/health/microbes/parasite/intro.htm
http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/forums/f23/systemic-candida-causing-seizures-2915/

http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/forums/f23/seizures-caused-low-blood-sugar-5589/

 

[Nakamova]

The best way to try and locate a trigger/pattern is record other stuff too, like exercise and specific foods and mealtimes. Sometimes the stressor can be cumulative -- i.e. three nights in a row of fatigue or dehydration.

Maybe you've conditioned yourself to "expect" these seizures early in the month. I realize this is a longshot, but maybe try adding something like a half hour of meditation in the morning (and one in the evening too if possible) during the first week of the month. In that half-hour, focus on the reason(s) why you WON'T have a seizure, why you're feeling good, why your brain is rested and healthy. Or just listen to relaxing music and give your brain a rest.

Don't know if your seizures start on a particular side of the brain. If they do, I recommend trying to use the Wii in an opposite-handed fashion -- i.e if your seizures start on the right side of the brain, use the Wii with your left hand, even if you are right-handed. It can feel strange (tennis is probably easiest), but can be one way to re-train the side of the brain that misbehaves...

 

[kara_leigh]

We don't really travel, especially out of the country or anything. We're pretty much home bodies. We did go to Colorado about a month ago, but we spent most of the time in the car or the hotel.

Maybe it is that I've come to "expect" them at a certain time, but can someone control seizures like that? I don't know. It's REALLY bizzare though, that this morning I had seizures in my sleep at the EXACT same time as I did yesterday...again at 9:50am and 11:00am. How is that possible? I got up after the second one, so I don't know if I would have had one at 12:10 also. Isn't that strange? I was sleeping, so would it be possible to "control" them? *sigh*

I took my Tegretol for the first time today and surprisingly I don't really feel it like I thought I would. I expected to be "dopey" but I don't. The pharmacist has my husband completely freaked out about an allegic reaction, so he won't let me ut of his sight until we know for sure I don't have a reaction. lol Kinda cute. Hehe

 

[Endless]

Your husband does sound cute! Does he have a single brother? Or for that matter, does anybody in here have one? At least they'd already know a little bit about seizures. lol...


:hj:

 

[epileric]

In case they forgot to tell you too....

I took my Tegretol for the first time today and surprisingly I don't really feel it like I thought I would. I expected to be "dopey" but I don't. The pharmacist has my husband completely freaked out about an allegic reaction, so he won't let me ut of his sight until we know for sure I don't have a reaction. lol Kinda cute. Hehe

I've been on Tegretol since before I was a teenager (I'm almost 50) & 2 things about it that people forgot to tell me until about 10 years ago were not to take it on an empty stomach & not to have grapefruit or grapefruit juice since it interferes with the absorption.

Meanwhile, good luck with it. I hope the Tegretol works.

 

[kara_leigh]

They did tell us both of those. Thanks, though!! I made myself a cheese sandwich that I ate before I took it. Work days are going to be a challenge b/c I normally don't eat until lunch time, otherwise I'm starving and about ready to pass out by the time I eat. The only question I have is if I have to eat I AFTER I eat something, or can I take it and eat something immediately after?

On a normal day I take my other meds right before I walk out the door on my way to work. Can I take Tegretol with my other meds and eat a sandwich or a banana while I'm driving? Or do I need to eat something first? I just need to know if I have to wake up a bit earlier in order to do that.

Not eating grapefruit is going to stink b/c I LOVE it. Oh well.

 

[epileric]

I often do exactly that.... I"ll take my tegretol then have something to eat immediately after & so far I've had no problems.

 

[RobinN]

Most of Rebecca's seizures are around the same time of the day. I contributed it to low blood sugar and after a year of asking for specific testing, she was and her levels fell extremely low.
Dr Blaylock feels seizures during sleep can often be contributed to hypoglycemia. He believes it goes untreated many times.

 

[hootie]

In Chinese medicine, certain organs are associated with certain times of the day. I wonder if a specific organ (s) could be stressed. Maybe you could check out a TCM doc. Just a thought.:twocents: