can seizures come on from viruses?

[momof3boys]

Im just trying to figure this out...

The past two nights Ive had seizures when I was sleeping. Sunday night I went to bed at around midnight, felt tired, but then I got this feeling that I get right before a seizure wants to come on... the best way I can describe it is that its a funny feeling that Im just not all there... so I went to sleep... but woke up around 2:30am, with my heart racing, that feeling was there... and I had this horriable nausea feeling in my stomach...

I tried to focus on something to avoid the stiffening and jerking from occuring during the seizures Ive had...

But that didnt stop it... and I found myself clinched onto my husband's arm and he awoke to find my head burried in the pillow, and I was stiff as can be! He tried to get my head from out of the pillow so i could breath and waited til my body wasnt stiff anymore.

The next night I went to bed earlier... and at around 2am woke up to the same feelings... beating heart felt like it was going so fast that it was going to pop out of my chest! My nausea stomach feeling... and then as I sat up in bed, my head was wanting to turn to the right and I stiffened up again and began jerking.

so today, i gave my neuro's office a call and the nurse got back with me later today and said that they dont want to change anything with my medication dose... I take 3000mgs of Keppra xr each day. But that they think since there are alot of viruses going around, that it could be related to that. But Ive been feeling great! I did get the flu shot in early November 2012. Ive been feeling great since. Luckly no one here has been sick! (I hope i didnt jinx us by saying this!)

But I found it odd that she said thats probably what caused the break through seizures?

So I just wondered if anyone else has been told this or know's if this is true?

She did say she would document this, and if anything else were to happen, to call them and let them know.

 

[JustAnotherName]

I only noticed an increase in seizure activity (had a simple seizure) when I had norovirus. I was pretty terribly ill for the whole day and couldn't keep anything down (even pills), and as soon as I had the slightest fever, I had symptoms of a simple seizure occuring. So I guess it just depends on the person.

It's strange that she suggested you had a virus. If you didn't notice any "sick" symptoms, I don't know what it could have been. That's really odd that she would come to that conclusion unless you had exhibited symptoms of a virus of some kind.

 

[momof3boys]

Thats the weird thing... I havnt been sick at all! Our whole household hasnt been sick. We all got the flu shot in November and with all the nasty stuff going around, Im suprised we havnt caught something! But I was taken back when she brought up it could be a virus! My mom is thinking that it could be alot with this past weekend. My dad's side of the family was in town and I got to see them, but some drama came down from it. So... maybe it was alittle too much stress related stuff on my plate. I dont know. I just found it odd should way bring that much. But in all.. Im praying she is right. even though my gut is telling me she probably is not.

 

[AngelwithDentedHalo]

Here's the thing with me. I have a heart condition called Cardiomyopathy and doctors have told me it' FROM a virus that attacked the heart muscle. Something that isn't cureable but very treatable with meds. I've had it over 8 years and am doing wonderfully but everytime I'm sick, it usually causes something else and I've had kidney failure 3 times and dehydration, high potassium. I go big or go home usually. lol

Anyway, a lot of illnesses can cause seizures. Kidney failure can cause them, high potassium, diabetes, heart problems, brain bleed like I had. Since our brains are the main part of our central nervous system that connects everything to it, any illness can do things to the brain I imagine and several key factors like I mentioned can cause seizures.

I'm no doctor but I'm guessing that not only illness can bring on seizures but perhaps everyone sick or not is suseptible to seizures at any time in our lives like everyone can be suseptible to heart attacks, just like everyone can develop allergies anytime in life. With me, I'm guessing that with everything that my body was going through at the time of my seizure, my brain told me it had enough and blew a fuse.

As far as my kidneys go, I've learned to listen to my body when it comes to getting enough fluids and knowing the signs of when I start to become dehydrated. Thanks to that, last time I was hospitalized for my kidneys, I got there in time before they failed completely.

With seizures & epilepsy or perhaps any kind of illness, if your immune system isn't up to par, it leaves it vulnerable to illness and complications of illness and you can have a seizure. That's when I worry about seizures the most, when I have an illness

 

[momof3boys]

Yeah I would be thinking the same thing. The only thing I dont really understand is that when I do get to feeling bad, either sneezing, coughing, sinus infections. etc I can feel like I dont feel good at all. even if its just a minor little something. But that past couple of months Ive been doing great. No colds or nothing. When I dont get enough sleep, I can feel the signs of a seizure coming on, which is a warning to me. Its times like that, that I can tell its from lack of sleep or stress, etc.

So when I heard this come from the nurse, it just made me want to ask her why the virus? When I havnt been feeling at all sick or crumy like. But incase, she said to make a note and if anythign more does happen, to let them know.

which makes me feel better... I just dont want to have any more seizures.

 

[MuayThaiFighter]

I think it is very possible. Whenever I have a bad flu, or got sick with something it seemed to affect me more mentally. I would feel auras and when I wasn't feeling ill they went away. I think the stress on the immune system could be a cause. Stress of any kind really.

 

[momof3boys]

Im going to chalk it up to the stressful events that occured over the weekend. At least Im going to pray that is what the seizures were from. Now only if I get a good night's rest tonight and wake up happy tomorrow!

Tony, I hope we both get a good night's rest!

 

[AngelwithDentedHalo]

There's another key factor. When you don't get enough sleep, that can bring on seizures but it also makes your immune system more vulnerable, lack of sleep I think is when people get the most sick. Here's an article to show that.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/lack-of-sleep/AN02065

I like articles from the Mayo Clinic, the Neursurgeon I had did his residency there, cool

 

[KarenB]

Viral infections (like any stress to the body) can lead to seizures. Sinus infections and ear infections (which can also be bacterial in nature) are especially notorious. Jon was landed in the hospital in 2011 in ICU for 3 days after a sinus/ear infection led to non-stop seizures. The ICU doctor told us that severe sinus infections can bring on seizures in people who don't have epilepsy.

The thing that irked me about all of that is that I had taken Jon in to the pediatrician about 10 days before all the seizures with what was clear to me was a sinus infection (thick bloody mucous from his nostrils and high fever). Of course, these days, pediatricians don't like to give antibiotics (for good reason), but the doctor said that Jon couldn't have a sinus infection because he hadn't had the symptoms long enough -- that it was most likely just a cold (a cold that presents with thick bloody mucous and fever over 102???) and sent him home. One week later, he finally put Jon on antibiotics, but only amoxycillin (which isn't powerful enough for a sinus infection). Three days later, Jon was in ICU. Of course, that was probably bacterial.

At any rate -- funny that the nurse thought you had a virus, when no symptoms of such -- sometimes I think that's just the medical profession's rote answer when they don't have a real answer. But perhaps she thought that the nausea was from a brewing intestinal virus??

 

[momof3boys]

Its funny they said it could be from a virus. But I told her that the nausea I get prior to a seizure is the typical symptom I get before a seizure occurs... beating heart rate, nausea feeling in stomach, feeling of fear, feeling like something isnt right... then comes on the physical stuff... my head automatically turning to the right, my body stiffening and jerking...

Im going to see how the next few days go and Im hoping it gets better. But today has been up and down on that feeling coming and going... its like something is wanting to come on, but doesnt have enough 'spark' to get it going yet....

 

[Nakamova]

Hope things even and out and you feel better soon. It doesn't help when seizures mimic symptoms of other illnesses, does it?

 

[momof3boys]

Thanks Nakamova. No, it doesnt help at all.

So far, today I had a good day. I didnt feel any symptoms of a seizure wanting to come on. But I did have a good nights sleep last night. It was the first night since sunday night when I started having the seizures. I hope they are gone and wont come back!

 

[MuayThaiFighter]

Viral infections (like any stress to the body) can lead to seizures. Sinus infections and ear infections (which can also be bacterial in nature) are especially notorious. Jon was landed in the hospital in 2011 in ICU for 3 days after a sinus/ear infection led to non-stop seizures. The ICU doctor told us that severe sinus infections can bring on seizures in people who don't have epilepsy.

The thing that irked me about all of that is that I had taken Jon in to the pediatrician about 10 days before all the seizures with what was clear to me was a sinus infection (thick bloody mucous from his nostrils and high fever). Of course, these days, pediatricians don't like to give antibiotics (for good reason), but the doctor said that Jon couldn't have a sinus infection because he hadn't had the symptoms long enough -- that it was most likely just a cold (a cold that presents with thick bloody mucous and fever over 102???) and sent him home. One week later, he finally put Jon on antibiotics, but only amoxycillin (which isn't powerful enough for a sinus infection). Three days later, Jon was in ICU. Of course, that was probably bacterial.

At any rate -- funny that the nurse thought you had a virus, when no symptoms of such -- sometimes I think that's just the medical profession's rote answer when they don't have a real answer. But perhaps she thought that the nausea was from a brewing intestinal virus??

This is really interesting to me. Ever since I was a kid I was pretty healthy. But as I've gotten older my sinus infections just skyrocket. I don't even want to see the specialist because I already know they just keep find a sinus infection. Though I wonder why really bad sinus infections could bring on seizures, maybe the proximity to the frontal lobe? Either way many of the infections I get are sinus related and I never feel like myself during those stints. Poor Jon, the little guy has been through so much.