Grandma might have epilepsy

[valeriedl]

My 83 grandma started having problems about a year ago. One night when she was sleeping she fell out of bed and banged her face on the night stand, she got a pretty good black eye.

During the next few months while she was sleeping she'd have "spells" as she called them. She'd wake herself up kicking and sometimes even yelling. I think she even fell out of bed again at least once more.

After a few months of this she went to her PCP. He did a CAT scan (she can't have an MRI) but they didn't find anything. She also had a test done where they stick probes on her head with a moniter (I can't remember what that was called though). They didn't find anything with that either but he put her on a low dose of Keppra.

My grandfather started sleeping in the same bed with her again and she's waking him up at least once a week kicking and sometimes saying things, he's sure what though. She doesn't remember doing any of this. She's been pretty tired alot lately too.

She has a pace maker, arthrits and some of the other things that older people have.

She's used to seeing me have my seizures when I'm awake but I told her that there are people who have noctornal seizures, ones that only happen when you are sleeping. I'm thinking that's what she might be having.

Does anyone think that is what might be happening? If so is it possible that epilepsy could be hereditary? Her's just didn't show up till she's 83 though. I'm 35 and had my first seizure in 2003 when I was 27.

 

[momof3boys]

Im sorry to hear your grandma has had a tough time. Has the keppra helped much? I know when I was put on a medication for seizures, if it helped, we would see a difference in the amount of seizures I would be having. Im guessing she had a EEG done, based off of your description of the test ( probes on her head with a moniter). Ive had several EEGs and all mine have showed epileptic activity in my left temporal lobe area. Thats where my seizures are at. I know anyone could get Epilepsy at any age. I hope the medication works and she can get things under control.

 

[valeriedl]

She's been on the Keppra for about a month and a half now. The dr also put her on ranax (don't know if that's spelled right). I'm not sure if that's something to do with the seizures that she might be having or not. She said it's been about 3 months since she's actually felt good. She's tired all the time.

It's Monday that she's going to see the dr. She hasn't found out anything about the EEG yet but the dr will tell her about it then. Are there any questions she might want to ask or things that she might want to tell him about what's been going on?

 

[momof3boys]

I would probably have her write down anything she is feeling. Like being tired, sluggish feeling, if she's had a lack of appetite, headaches, etc. I was around the age of 17 when I started taking Keppra. I cant recall what side effects I had when i first started taking it, but as the years went on, I had alot of headaches. My neurologist thought it was seizure activity that was wanting to come on, so he increased my keppra from 3000mgs a day to 4000mgs a day and made it worse. I had alot of break through seizures. It was after then, that my dr switched me to Keppra XR. He explained that with Keppra, its like when you take it, it raises your level, but then starts to fall down, til you retake it again. Where as Keppra XR, is an extended release medication that doesnt go up and down like Keppra. It stays in your body longer and he was hoping the headaches I was having with being on Keppra, was from when my level was dropping, so he decided to switche me to the Keppra XR. Within days of taking it, the headaches went away. I had no idea there was a difference, nor did I know there was a Keppra XR. So that switched helped me out alot!

But like i said before, have her keep a diary or a small note book of anything that she experiences. Weather it be tiredness, dizzieness, headaches, or even seizures. Drs always like it when patients can give me a good idea of what kind of symptoms they are having, and how often it happens. My dr who I was seeing a few years ago, gave me a seizure diary. They must have got some from a medication company and he handed me one on one of my visits. Thats when I started writing down everything I was feeling. Just keeping that diary made my new dr, switche me over to the Keppra XR which helped with the headaches.

I hope things go good with the drs on monday. Keep us updated on how things go!