Hello, my name is Bert

[Bertg]

Hi all,
I am here because I am very new to this and do not know what to do or where to start.

Last week (Thursday) I began feeling very strange. My head started spinning and I thought I was having a bout of vertigo. I shook my head to try to clear it, but continued to feel very strange. I said to my wife "I'm not okay", and apparently said the same thing 2 more times as she was running to catch me before I hit the ground. Everything else that I relate is second hand because I do not remember any of it until I got to the hospital.

My wife says that my eyes rolled back and I had a violent seizure that lasted almost 5 minutes. During the seizure, I bit my tongue very badly, though it did not need stitches (at least according to the doctor). I live in Mexico and my wife called the Red Cross who came and evaluated me, but would not take me to the hospital, as apparently they do not do that here. My wife and a neighbor took me to the hospital, and after they got me hooked up to machines and IV, I came to enough to realize what was going on.

They did a head CT scan and did a full blood panel. The CT came back fine, but the blood work showed low potassium and very low magnesium. The doctor decided that this was the cause of the seizure. I stayed at the hospital for almost 8 hours getting fluids and the minerals they said I needed.

This was my first ever seizure, and if I am to get further medical care surrounding it, I will have to know what kind of doctor to look for. Is it a neurologist that handles things like this, or should I just accept that it was low minerals in my blood that caused it and go on with life? I am 61 year old male, good overall health, fairly active, with a very sore tongue.

Thank you
Bert

 

[Bernard]

Hi Bert, welcome to CWE.

Yes, it is a neurologist that typically treats epilepsy patients. Here in the USA, you would need to see a primary care doctor who would then give you a referral. I don't know what the process is for Mexico.

Low salts can be a problem. Brook Shield was recently in the news for having a seizure in public caused by the same thing:

Brooke Shields had a grand mal seizure

Brooke Shields revealed that she had a grand mal seizure in September, just days before the debut of her cabaret show in New York City. The 58-year-old actor said the incident happened on Sept. 7 as she was waiting to be seated at a New York City restaurant. "I go [into the restaurant], two...

www.coping-with-epilepsy.com

One thing you might consider - something I have harped on for many years - is that there are many types of seizures and most folks don't know about them:

Most Americans don't recognize subtle signs of seizure

A seizure doesn't always look like what you see in the movies, but a new survey finds most Americans don't know what the more subtle signs of seizures are. ... The standard mental picture of a seizure is someone falling to the ground with full body convulsions, which can be what a generalized...

www.coping-with-epilepsy.com

I might suggest learning about the different seizure types and thinking about whether it is possible that you have been experiencing any of them prior to your recent tonic clonic/grand mal. If so, you should definitely seek out a neurologist for further testing (EEG or vEEG) and evaluation.

 

[Bertg]

Hi Bert, welcome to CWE.

Yes, it is a neurologist that typically treats epilepsy patients. Here in the USA, you would need to see a primary care doctor who would then give you a referral. I don't know what the process is for Mexico.

Low salts can be a problem. Brook Shield was recently in the news for having a seizure in public caused by the same thing:

Brooke Shields had a grand mal seizure

Brooke Shields revealed that she had a grand mal seizure in September, just days before the debut of her cabaret show in New York City. The 58-year-old actor said the incident happened on Sept. 7 as she was waiting to be seated at a New York City restaurant. "I go [into the restaurant], two...

www.coping-with-epilepsy.com

One thing you might consider - something I have harped on for many years - is that there are many types of seizures and most folks don't know about them:

Most Americans don't recognize subtle signs of seizure

A seizure doesn't always look like what you see in the movies, but a new survey finds most Americans don't know what the more subtle signs of seizures are. ... The standard mental picture of a seizure is someone falling to the ground with full body convulsions, which can be what a generalized...

www.coping-with-epilepsy.com

I might suggest learning about the different seizure types and thinking about whether it is possible that you have been experiencing any of them prior to your recent tonic clonic/grand mal. If so, you should definitely seek out a neurologist for further testing (EEG or vEEG) and evaluation.

Thank you for the reply. I will look for a neurologist. I don't need a referral here. As long as you can pay them, you are good to go. I will look into the different types of seizures and see if I have had any. I don't think that I have, but you never know.

I am really scared right now. I am afraid that I will bite my tongue off next time.

 

[Bernard]

I am really scared right now. I am afraid that I will bite my tongue off next time.

Biting/chewing up a tongue happens with tonic clonic seizures, but I'm not aware of anyone ever severing it (or choking on it) during a seizure - that's somewhat of a myth. While painful and annoying, the tongue does heal.

 

[valeriedl]

I've bitten/chewed my tongue and the inside of my cheek several times during seizures. I'll wake up in the morning with with it have happened and that's how I know that I've had a seizure while I was sleeping.

I know it hurts like crazy, especially when you're eating something. All you can do is wait for it to heal. It usually takes a few days for mine to heal up enough that doesn't hurt too bad when I'm eating, All you can do is wait.

 

[Porkette]

Hi Bert,
Welcome to CWE! Everyone here is a great friend and help take my word. I've had seizures for 51 yrs. I have seen
a neurologist for help over the yrs. but the person who helped me the most was an Epileptologist and this Dr. specializes
in epilepsy and is also a neurologist. The Epileptologist was able to find out what was causing me seizures and put me on
the best seizure med to control my seizures. One thing that you should do is cut back on the carbs and starch foods because
they turn into sugar and in turn that can sometimes trigger seizures for some people. I take vitamin B12 once a day and that
helps calm the nerves down so I have fewer seizures.

One thing you may want to start doing is keep track of any seizures you have get a calendar and write down what time
the seizure happened and the type of seizure you had by doing this the neurologist may be able to see a pattern in the
seizures you have had ex. if they are happening at the same days each month and if they happen at the same time in the
day or night. I always have seizures the first and third week of the month and that's do to hormones changing.

I wish you the best of luck and May God Bless You,

Sue

 

[Bertg]

Thank you all for your comments. It has now been almost 2 weeks since the seizure and I have not had another (thank God). What I am still experiencing though is brain fog and mental lapses. This has me concerned because everything that I have read says that the brain fog goes away rather quickly. For the first time in my life, I can say that my brain shuts off and I am not thinking about anything. Words and phrases that would normally come easily to me now take thought and consideration to get out. I feel like I am consistently on the cusp of being dizzy. It is hard to explain, but that is the best that I can do.

I have an appointment with a neurologist, but it isn't until the 22nd of December. I am afraid.

 

[Bernard]

Does it help (with the brain fog) if you reduce auditory and visual stimuli (finding a quite room without a lot of motion/video)?

 

[Bertg]

Does it help (with the brain fog) if you reduce auditory and visual stimuli (finding a quite room without a lot of motion/video)?

Unfortunately no.

 

[gigi]

Hi all,
I am here because I am very new to this and do not know what to do or where to start.

Last week (Thursday) I began feeling very strange. My head started spinning and I thought I was having a bout of vertigo. I shook my head to try to clear it, but continued to feel very strange. I said to my wife "I'm not okay", and apparently said the same thing 2 more times as she was running to catch me before I hit the ground. Everything else that I relate is second hand because I do not remember any of it until I got to the hospital.

My wife says that my eyes rolled back and I had a violent seizure that lasted almost 5 minutes. During the seizure, I bit my tongue very badly, though it did not need stitches (at least according to the doctor). I live in Mexico and my wife called the Red Cross who came and evaluated me, but would not take me to the hospital, as apparently they do not do that here. My wife and a neighbor took me to the hospital, and after they got me hooked up to machines and IV, I came to enough to realize what was going on.

They did a head CT scan and did a full blood panel. The CT came back fine, but the blood work showed low potassium and very low magnesium. The doctor decided that this was the cause of the seizure. I stayed at the hospital for almost 8 hours getting fluids and the minerals they said I needed.

This was my first ever seizure, and if I am to get further medical care surrounding it, I will have to know what kind of doctor to look for. Is it a neurologist that handles things like this, or should I just accept that it was low minerals in my blood that caused it and go on with life? I am 61 year old male, good overall health, fairly active, with a very sore tongue.

Thank you
Bert

Low electrolytes can trigger a seizure depending on who it is. I have had several due to this. Drink plenty of water, and watch your time out in the heat. Be aware of consumption of alcohol, super dehydrating.
Watch stress, which causes inflammation in the body. The best of luck with the neurologist.
God bless,
Gigi