partial seizures

[Courtneysmum]

Hi I'm a newbie wanting to learn as much as possible about partial seizures, Simple & Complex. Also secondary generalized.
I would love to hear from others with this form of epilepsy.
I'm interested in your warning signs & how long they last, what happens during your seizure & how you feel after (and for how long you feel the after effects) particularly interested in visual disturbances.
Any info would be greatly appreciated, I think my 8yo daughter is having seizures. Her EEG's (short) showed benign focal epilepsy. She is on clobazam to see if it helps with her "episodes" but she is not yet "diagnosed"
TIA For any info u can share xx

 

[momof3boys]

I can tell you about what I experience when I have simple partial seizures.

I start out by just not feeling quite right. Its just a different feeling. Then my stomach feels like Im sick, my heart begins to race, I get a feeling of fear and sadness, by that time, Im getting a tingling like pens and needles that starts in my left side of my body. It goes from my left hand and foot, and works it's way up my body, to my face, where it feels like a million pins and needles are attacking the roof of my mouth. My head turns to the right, and my left side, sometimes my right side too begins to jerk. Im aware of whats going on, and I can hear what people are telling me, but I cant respond til the seizure is over. They last between 1 and 2 minutes. Once its over, my body is weak, and sore. I have a headache and Im very tired feeling.

 

[Courtneysmum]

Thank u for sharing momof3
All of those things my daughter experiences! except turning her head or jerking.

 

[momof3boys]

Ive found alot of information on simple partial seizures online.

here are some links that may help you.


http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/s/simple_partial_seizure/symptoms.htm

http://www.livestrong.com/article/76075-simple-partial-seizure-symptoms/






Simple partial seizures:

Simple Partial seizures are usually put into categories depending on the type of symptoms the person experiences:

MOTOR seizures:
These cause a change in muscle activity. For example, a person may have abnormal movements such as jerking of a finger or stiffening of part of the body. These movements may spread, either staying on one side of the body (opposite the affected area of the brain) or extending to both sides. Other examples are weakness, which can even affect speech, and coordinated actions such as laughter or hand movements.

SENSORY seizures:
These cause changes in any one of the senses. People with sensory seizures may smell or taste things that aren't there; hear clicking, ringing, or a person's voice when there is no actual sound; or feel a sensation of "pins and needles" or numbness. Seizures may even be painful for some patients. They may feel as if they are floating or spinning in space. They may have visual hallucinations, seeing things that aren't there (a spot of light, a scene with people). They also may experience illusions—distortions of true sensations. For instance, they may believe that a parked car is moving farther away, or that a person's voice is muffled when it's actually clear.

AUTONOMIC seizures:
These cause changes in the part of the nervous system that automatically controls bodily functions. These common seizures may include strange or unpleasant sensations in the stomach, chest, or head; changes in the heart rate or breathing; goose bumps.

PSYCHIC seizures:
These seizures change how people think, feel, or experience things. They may have problems with memory, garbled speech, an inability to find the right word, or trouble understanding spoken or written language. They may suddenly feel emotions like fear, depression, or happiness with no outside reason. Some may feel as though they are outside their body or may have feelings of déja vu ("I've been through this before") or jamais vu ("This is new to me"— even though the setting is really familiar).

 

[Nakamova]

Here's some general info to get you started:

Simple partials are odd sensations -- sensory, emotional, psychological, physiological, usually brief. They can be things like phantom smells or sounds, sensations of fear or nausea, mild hallucinations, deja vu, jamais vu, jerks, etc. The person is conscious throughout, and memory is unaffected. Visual disturbances can include flashing patterns/colors/shapes (similar to with a migraine), mild hallucinations, tunnel vision, blurred vision, and "Alice-inWonderland syndrome when things seem to shrink or grow or change in shape. They are called "auras" when they precede a larger seizure like a complex partial seizure or generalized seizure. More info here: http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/neur...y/seizures/types/simple-partial-seizures.html and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simple_partial_seizure

Complex Partials involve partial consciousness or impaired awareness. The person may be say or do things that they aren't entirely aware of or can't control. A bit like sleepwalking in this regard. There may be no memory, or limited memory of events before, during, and immediately after the seizure.

Secondary generalized tonic–clonic seizure is when the seizure activity spreads ("generalizes") from a partial area of the brain to the entire brain, with resulting loss of consciousness. This is the "classic" seizure most folks are familiar with. Tonic-clonic refers to the two phases. The tonic phase is when the muscles of the body go rigid, and lasts just a few seconds. The clonic phase is the convulsions.

 

[Courtneysmum]

Thanks guys

I'm really interested in how long peoples warnings, seizures, auras & after effects (headaches etc) last.

My daughters full "episode" is lasting about an hour.
Her vision is YET to return 100% she says everything is still blurry to the right, in between "episodes"

 

[momof3boys]

For me, the warning comes on seconds before the seizure occurs. Sometimes, when I dont get enough sleep, I can start to feel some symptoms. Usually by then, I have to stop what Im doing, and relax. I lay down, take it easy, or if its later, I might even get to bed earlier that night. Usually during those times, Ive seen those signs pop up when Ive gone for a couple of nights with not as much sleep. Or if Im really stressed about something. As for my headaches, depends on how often my seizure are occuring. Ive had headaches that last all day, and some only last a few hours. I can sleep all day or night long and be really tired afterwords.