Head Trauma, Seizures YEARS later

[AngelwithDentedHalo]

Has anyone had a head trauma that resulted in seizures YEARS later? The doctors have asked me again and again if I had head trauma previously after I had my seizure and at time I only recalled one but then came up with 6 more recently.

I just saw a video that says that head trauma CAN cause seizures as much as TWENTY YEARS later and I have had a couple in that time period. It also said that most occur in severe head trauma but I do believe that it can occur in mild trauma too, after all, when we hit our heads, it can jar the brain. I think if you get an immediate headache after, even with no bleeding, that can be considered at least moderate head trauma.

I'm going to ask the Neurologist of course but been thinking about this and perhaps the bleed was from a previous head trauma, along with the seizure and in my weakened state, it just set things in motion. I've had at least one concussion as far as I know and maybe that's part of it.

 

[KarenB]

Is your neurologist asking you this based on something he's seen on your MRI or CT scan?

It reminds me of a relative of my husband. He began having seizures when he was in his 40's. Well, his mother mentioned that the neurologist said that he had "scarring" (not sure if it was an MRI or CT scan) that was from some old head trauma. Apparently, they can tell if the damage is new or old -- not sure how.

Well, the interesting thing is that the grandmother of the relative had confided in me that when he was a toddler, he had run away down the road, and his parents were so scared about that, that his father took him into the bathroom and beat him very badly. The grandmother said he was hitting his head and everything, and that the boy's mother wasn't doing anything to stop the father (and apparently neither did she).

Anyway, not sure if it really happened (my husband says that the grandmother in question has a habit of spinning tails). And if it did happen, the mother is in deep denial, as she adamantly insists that he had no head injury as a child.

 

[AngelwithDentedHalo]

Neurosurgeon asked me, as well as Hospital doctors, not so much the Neurologist but Neurosurgeon said that the bleed was definitely from a head injury.

 

[Nakamova]

I had a severe head injury when I was 5 years old. I didn't have my first seizure until I was 35. There's no way to know for sure if there's a connection. My neurologist thought it was possible that some tiny scarring from the old injury might have been a factor. The MRI I had at the time didn't pick up anything. MRIs are more accurate now, so I sometimes wonder what might show up if I had one done again.

Small repetitive head injuries can also cause also cause neurological problems (including seizures) over time -- recent studies of of football and soccer players seem to indicate that.

 

[thornton8000]

I had a severe TBI 17 yrs ago and in the last 2 yrs ive been having seizures that are getting more noticable. I may have had them before but didnt know what was going on and with no body looking out for me during that time i'll never know how long they have been going on for am just thankful that I now am getting the medical attention to them and trying to keep them at a min, so yes i agree with the statement that you can have a TBI and not have any issues for many many yrs i'm more than likely one of those people who it took many years for seizures to show up and am now thankful for treatment, when they didnt do any standard pre seizure treatment (like I read they are suppossed to do after a TBI)

Mike

 

[kathya410]

I had my first seizure, a t/c, at age 30. Perhaps I had been having other temporal lobe seizures for years and didn't recognize them. When I first saw the neurologist at age 30, they questiioned my mother forever about possible head injuries I might have had as a child. We never did come up with a reason for the seizures and they have continued for 30 more years. I'm on 3 different meds but not fully controlled.

 

[Janus]

YES, I had a TBI and that caused me seizures that started as only, M/C and have turned into T/C now after 20 years.

 

[KarenB]

Wow...that's scary. Jon's first seizure was immediately after a bump to the head (which wasn't even enough to cause a concusion), and all subsequent CTs and MRI don't show any sort of injury there.

But my daughter, who's now 21, DID have a bad head injury as a tiny baby. My husband was holding her over his shoulder, and then reached over to the kitchen counter to pick up something, so he just had one hand holding her, and all of a sudden she lurched backward and flipped right out of his arm, and hit her head on the tile floor. She had a skull fracture, but no concussion -- was kept in hospital overnight for observation. I'd hate to think that she could develop seizures in adult years from something that happened in infancy. (From that day on, I've always warned new parents about holding their newborns over their shoulder. I started carrying her on my hip, facing outward, and people would say, "You're carrying that baby like a sack of potatoes," but it really is the safest way to hold a baby.

 

[AngelwithDentedHalo]

The worst head trauma was when I was a baby and my mother had to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting a child and at the time there was no car seats so I was only in a seat belt and I came out of it and hit my head on the window hard enough to crack it. That was the first, second worst was when I was 4 and fell down a flight of cement steps and hit my head, needed 12 stitches. Had a mask on and couldn't see and when I reached for a railing I missed.

 

[Cint]

We never did come up with a reason for the seizures and they have continued for 30 more years. I'm on 3 different meds but not fully controlled.

I never had a head trauma and we've never come up with a reason for my seizures, either. They started out of the blue at the age of 22 and have continued for 30+ years, also. I'm now down to two meds, plus the VNS.

 

[Janus]

Hi, all. KarenB, That sounds scary. I know now that CTs and MRIs do not show bruises to the brain and are not even that accurate. Having a TBI myself years ago and paying careful attention to my brain as Brain trauma is cumulative, I can't get another without a big problem. Last year I had a T/C by myself and fell down, hit my head and the doc sent me to have a MRI which showed nothing and My doc said that does not show much. So best of luck. And keep watching. I am impressed with your astuteness for nutrition and brain health. Keep sharing.