Understanding absence seizures

[Elljen]

In addition to my post about my 12-year-old son's meds, I was wondering about other people's experiences with absence seizures.

My son said that, when he has them, he can see and hear, but it's almost like through a fog. It's like he's sort of focused on something in the distance, but not really. I'd thought that with absence seizures, it was like people totally lose time for those brief moments.

It also seems like his absence seizures occur when he's NOT active. Usually when he's talking or listening to someone else talking. Is this typical?

It's interesting that he showed classes absence seizure patterns on the eeg during the hyperventilation portion. He does some super heavy exercise. He lifts weights (not crazy heavy, just to learn safe/proper technique with a qualified coach), and sometimes for that they have to take a deep breath, lift, then release. It seems very much like how one induces absence seizure activity during a hyperventilation test. But he never had an episode doing that. Of course, we have to consider how much lifting he can do now. Maybe nothing overhead.

Also, his athletics sometimes have hard-core, all-out cardio that leaves him and everyone else completely winded. Again, wouldn't that typically induce an absence seizure given the hyperventilation aspect?

I'm just trying to understand all this.

Thanks!

 

[Nakamova]

My son said that, when he has them, he can see and hear, but it's almost like through a fog. It's like he's sort of focused on something in the distance, but not really. I'd thought that with absence seizures, it was like people totally lose time for those brief moments.

You're right -- absence seizures are generalized seizures, which mean the whole brain shuts off, even in the very brief ones. The person isn't responsive during the seizure and has no memory of what happened during the attack. If your son can see and hear during the seizure, then he is only "partially" impaired, and he may be experiencing what is called a partial seizure instead. Absences and partials can sometimes resemble one another, but they are different in important ways and often respond differently to different medications. Your son may be experiencing both kinds of seizures. You should let his neuro know.

It also seems like his absence seizures occur when he's NOT active. Usually when he's talking or listening to someone else talking. Is this typical?

Yes, typically absences occur when someone is not highly active. If they happen when someone is walking, the person might stand still for a moment or might continue to walk. they are so brief that motor skills aren't necessarily interrupted.

It's interesting that he showed classes absence seizure patterns on the eeg during the hyperventilation portion. He does some super heavy exercise. He lifts weights (not crazy heavy, just to learn safe/proper technique with a qualified coach), and sometimes for that they have to take a deep breath, lift, then release. It seems very much like how one induces absence seizure activity during a hyperventilation test. But he never had an episode doing that. Of course, we have to consider how much lifting he can do now. Maybe nothing overhead.

Hyperventilation is different from intensive aerobic breathing or deep breathing. In fact, deep, diaphragmatic breathing (not chest breathing) such as your son may be practicing during lifting can sometimes have a beneficial effect on seizure threshold. Because hyperventilation lowers CO2 levels in the brain, it can lower seizure threshold. This is because the "excitability" threshold of the neurons is highly sensitive to the CO2 concentration in those cells. Of course, other factors can influence the seizure threshold as well, but hyperventilation can be a relatively reliable way to provoke a reaction during EEG testing.

 

[Elljen]

If it's more likely to happen during inactive times, does that mean if he were, for example, skiing, he might be less likely to have an absence seizure?

 

[Nakamova]

Less likely, yes. But there's no definitive answer because everyone's different. Best path is to get the seizures fully under control if at all possible. You might find this article helpful:
http://www.seizure-journal.com/article/S1059-1311(14)00266-0/fulltext?cc=y=

 

[Porkette]

Hi Elljen,

When I have an absence seizure I will start to stare like someone with a daydream look on their face but I blank out for about 30 sec. at the most. If someone is talking to me or asking me questions I will answer them I just don't remember anything that I said or did during the seizure. The best example I can think of is someone who had a few to many drinks but they don't remember driving home.
What you are describing sounds like a simple partial seizure also called aura seizures. The person is conscious during the seizure but they may smell weird odours, get a nervous feeling in their stomach or see colors in their eyes. This is what happens to me when I have a partial seizure but I have found that the moment I start to have this type of seizure to tighten up all of my muscles and make my hands into tight fists for a few seconds by doing this it has stopped many seizures. My neuro taught me this back in the 1970's.
In regards to skiing I think it would be fine. I have water skied gone mountain climbing and much more and I didn't have any problems if I had a seizure during these times. I wish you and your son only the best and May God Bless the Both of You!

Sue

 

[Elljen]

Thank you for your response. It's heartening to hear all you've done, and it's good to know that such adventures could still be in my son's future!

I've asked him about sensory or physical experiences during these events. He said he doesn't smell or taste anything, or have any physical discomfort. He doesn't see colors or anything like that. Basically, it's as if you're kind of staring off into space but not really deliberately focused on anything, from what he seems to imply.

It's confusing.