First ever seizure at 34 years old

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Chriscpaul

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I am 34 years old and had a grand mal seizure for the first time ever on April 2, 2013. The occurance with extreme dehydration, sleep deprivation, caffeine. It was pretty much a perfect storm for me as well as a freak isolated event. Keppra was prescribed for only a month however the Neurologist took me off it after only 5 days. I'm a full time fire fighter and now I can't drive until October 2, 2013. What are peoples thoughts as to if this can ever happen again. The neuros said I should be seizure free from here on out. I'm just worried cause of my wife, son and my career. Is it natural to live in fear of having another? I felt as if I were in a bad car accident after the episode, my jaw also hurt for a week.
 
Hi Chriscpaul, welcome to CWE!

My first grand mal seizure arrived out of the blue when I was 35 -- I sympathize. I know they are hard on the system. It can feel like you've been run over by a truck! I imagine that as a firefighter you are in pretty good shape, so that should help with your overall recovery. It takes time, but the body is amazingly resilient.

Unfortunately, there are no guarantees about repeat seizures, just statistics: About 2% of adults have a seizure at some time during their life. Two thirds of these people never have another one -- hopefully that number includes you.

If you have no no precipitating head trauma, no prior history of any seizure-like activity, and if the circumstances of your seizure (dehydration/fatigue/caffeine) were a freak occurrence unlikely to happen again, then there's a good chance it's a one-off. If you can make it to the 6-month deadline seizure-free that's another excellent sign that you will remain seizure-free in the future. Was an EEG done at the time of your seizure? And if so, did it come up negative? That's yet another hopeful sign. I assume your neurologists were aware of all the factors, and took you off the Keppra because they felt reasonable sure that you would remain seizure-free.

Despite this, it is very normal to live in fear of having another seizure. It's a traumatic event. Your memory is zapped and your body takes a beating. But the longer you go seizure-free the more likely it is that your anxiety will recede. In the meantime, it may help your peace of mind to be very proactive about your general health. Listen to your body -- moderate your intake of caffeine, avoid fatigue and stress, make sure you are eating and drinking properly, and make sure to relax and enjoy life.

Best,
Nakamova
 
Gday
For me stress was a big factor when i reduced the stress my siezures slowed then stopped ( i also take tegratol ) , don`t make yourself worry about the fact that you have had a siezure and can`t drive that will create stress , if you yourself can`t fix it don`t worry about it ! wish you all the best mate .
 
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