Dazed and confused

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Redranger

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I'm a 58 year old woman who just started having grand mal seizures. I am on Lamictan and Kolnopin as well as a handful of Rx for treatment resistant depression. I feel totally frustrated by not being able to drive as we iive in a rural area. Seems like my independence disappeared in a flash.

My MRI and EEG are both normal, yet I'm still on Rx. Why? I'm going to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN next month in the hope that they can find the cause of my seizures.

Thanks for listening.
 
Welcome Redranger

Not driving seems to be the main complaint recently. I keep thinking I"m lucky to have never driven because nothing was taken away. It's just normal for me to use cabs, buses & to hitch-hike when in small towns where everyone knows everyone else.

Please realize that many people with seizures have normal EEGs and MRIs. Just because they don't show anything doesn't mean that your seizures are gone,Especially if the cause of your seizures is deep in the brain an EEG might not catch the misfiring & it won't be visible on an MRI.
 
Hi, Redranger.

Welcome! I'm glad you found us here.

Wow. You said it very well. "Dazed and Confused" is how lots of people (including me) feel when they are first diagnosed.

Tonic Clonic (Grand Mal) seizures are generalized seizures. In other words, they spread over the whole brain. Usually generalized seizures can be picked up by an EEG. Focal seizures (partial-brain seizures) often aren't picked up by an EEG if either they aren't happening at the time, or they are too deep in the brain to pick up. MRI's are sometimes negative when the seizures are a relatively new thing.

Your doctor did the right thing to send you to the Mayo Clinic. You deserve the best brains to figure this out. As a first step, they'll do a bunch of tests to rule out conditions that mimic epileptic seizures, like some cardiac conditions, sleep disorders, TIAs (mini-strokes), etc. If you are suffering from one of these diseases, your seizures wouldn't show up on the EEG. Get ready to be poked with needles, every kind of picture taken, a cardiac work-up, sleep study, and probably an inpatient video EEG. It's tiring, but needed.
http://professionals.epilepsy.com/page/seizclass_nonepileptic.html

I'm guessing your doctor still has you on meds because he doesn't want the seizures to continue, or to get worse, until you are seen in Rochester. He's covering your bases. Seizures have a nasty way of perpetuating themselves. The quicker you get them completely stopped, the better the chance you will someday be medication free and seizure free for life.

Will you keep us in the loop and let us know what they say at the Mayo Clinic?
 
:paperbag: I sure will keep you informed. My appointment is Jan 26th, so I have a long nervous wait.
 
Hello and welcome to the community. Sorry to hear about the tonic-clonic seizures; I am also relatively new to epilepsy as well and it is frustrating losing driving privledges when you have had them for so long. I am glad that you are going to the Mayo Clinic for testing, and hope that you can find a treatment plan that works for you.
 
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