Abnormal eeg - no diagnosis

[kbro78]

Forgive me if I am posting this in the wrong category. This is my first post and I will include a brief introduction. I had my first TC in November but have been suffering with migraines my entire life. Looking back it seems that I may have had issues for quite a while. Anyway I had an eeg after seeing my primary doctor but before meeting with a neurologist. My ED came back abnormal with spikes and other things I can't remember. My primary started me on Keppra and it seemed to help. Mineralogist told me that there wasn't anything wrong and not to be concerned. Since the keppra worked he decided to the dosage and we have since added lamictal after another tc. Things are going well ... at least well enough for now. My question is has anyone had an abnormal eeg but not been diagnosed with anything? My neuro is just telling me not to drive and when I asked if there was any way to try and determine the cause, he simply said no, just take the meds and see me in 3 mos. I am not very pleased with my neurologist and am considering asking for a referral to a new one but not really sure what to do at this point. Any ideas?

Been lurking for a while now and have learned a lot from your experiences and wisdom. Thank you all for helping me through a very rough few months!!!!

 

[Nakamova]

If you've had two tonic-clonics, an abnormal EEG characteristic of epilepsy, and have been placed on anti-seizure meds, then yes, it's pretty likely that you have epilepsy, even if the doc hasn't spelled it out. You might want to talk to your primary doc as well as the neurologist to clear this up. And if your neurologist isn't helpful, by all means find one who is. Having the right doc can make a huge difference.

Your neuro may be right about not looking for a cause though -- for the majority of people with seizures disorders, the primary cause is never determined, and in thee situations, it doesn't make a difference in terms of treatment.

That said, it can help to try and identify any secondary causes. As someone with migraines, you may be aware of certain circumstances or behaviors that are triggering. The same can be true with seizures. Do you have any sense of what might have triggered your tonic-clonics? Triggers can be cumulative, there can be more than one, and they don't necessarily need to occur immediately before the seizure. The #1 trigger is fatigue, but triggers can also be things like food or drug sensitivities (aspartame, MSG, gluten, alcohol, etc.), metabolic/nutritional issues (celiac disease, deficiencies), illness/infection, hormonal fluctuations, environmental stimuli (fluorescent, flashing, or dappled light, computer monitors), and emotional stress. If you can identify and avoid any known triggers, that's a plus. A seizure/symptom diary is a good way to do so, and can help track how well the meds are working as well.