Hello, I'm new here

[ribs1]

Hello Everyone,
This message board has been a comfort to me over the last week so I thought I would join.
I had my first seizure last Monday. Apparantly a tonic clonic in my sleep. Woke up in the ambulance. I have my first appointment with the neurologist on Wednesday.
Trying to stay positive and hope for the best. It helps to have a loving wife and baby boy.
Looks like I won't be driving anytime soon.
Thanks

 

[Endless]

Hi, Ribs,

Welcome to the forum! Yes, this place has been a comfort to me, too. Sometimes I felt like I couldn't go on another day, and the people in here got me through. I was also pretty confused. The folks in here taught me everything my doctors didn't.

Make yourself comfortable. I'm glad you joined.

 

[ribs1]

Thanks for the welcome.
Just so worried about the appointment.
Hopefully it goes well.

 

[Endless]

It's going to be okay. Just remember, if you aren't comfortable with your new doctor there are thousands of other ones.

You might want to write down all your questions in advance. Sometimes it's a good idea to take someone along with you to help remember everything the doctor says.

There are going to be a lot of tests. I mean a LOT. Like an MRI, EEG, etc. Take heart. In awhile they will be done, your meds will be steady, and you'll be on your way.

 

[valeriedl]

Don't worry, just like Endless said.

All the things that she suggested you bring to the dr appt are things that I do. I don't get an hour to spend with him trying to remember questions that I want to ask and don't want to get home and realize that I forgot to bring up something important that I wanted to talk with him about.

Also keep track of how many seizures you have, I'm hoping that you don't have any more but incase you do your dr needs to know.

I make sure I know how many I had, how long they lasted and what I did during it. That way if the dr wants to talk about a peculiar one I have the info about it.

 

[Nakamova]

Hi ribs1, welcome!

How are you feeling? I know a tonic-clonic can be hard on the back, the mouth, not too mention the psyche. I'm glad you've found us here at CWE. We're here for you, if you need support, or some friendly advice, or a place to vent.

Do you have any sense of what might have brought on the seizure? Fatigue is the #1 trigger, but there are others stressors that can play a role. It's also possible that this seizure is a one-time thing -- one in 20 people will have a one-off epileptic seizure at some point in their life, so that may end up being your story.

Let us know how Wednesday's appointment goes.

Best,
Nakamova

 

[ribs1]

Thanks for the kind words everyone.
Nakamova,
I am feeling pretty good now. It took about 3 days to recover, and I still felt a little funny for a few more days.
I am not sure what brought on the seizure, but I have a few theories.
1. I have night terrors sometimes. Not many and I think they are only once or twice a year. I think a night terror preceded the seizure, but not quite sure.
2. I have been a little more stressed than normal lately, although compared to most people I lead a pretty low stress life. I am self employed and work with my brother and love my work. I set my own schedule. My wife is also really great and has a great job with a flexible schedule. Mostly, our life is pretty good. Lately, things have been a little more stressful though. I lost my father a few months ago. I thought I was dealing with that pretty well. Also, we have a new son who is no 9 months old. Our son is a real joy but as everyone knows, babies can be stressful.
3. I was a little fatigued at the time. I was working a little more than normal and had a few tough nights with the baby but really nothing much more than I have dealt with before. I normally sleep 8 hours a night. Over the last few weeks I have had a few 5-6 hour nights which shouldn't be enough to trigger this I wouldn't think.

Seizures do seem to run in my family. My little sister had 3 or 4 when we were kids but seemed to grow out of it. My mom also had 2-4 when she was a kid.
Thanks