Inherit E?

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Mellismom

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Hi, I don't have a child with E but I do have some questions about being a mother with E. I'm still not sure that's what I have because I have some pretty weird symptoms. If I do they might be complex partials and petit mals. Cause is unknown.

I have some questions now because when I was a kid my parents never found out anything was wrong with me - except I lost my concentration in school and was impossible to get up in the morning. I had most of my seizures at night. My parents didn't suspect anything in that direction till I was 16 and it had gotten worse.

I have read that my children will have a small risk of inheriting E. Do you know if my symptoms and the baby's would be the same or could be a complete different type? I want to be able to spot if any of my children show signs of E. I'm confident my daughter doesn't have anything now. She is very quick developing and I don't suspect anything is "off". It would just be nice to be prepared. :)

How did you find out that your son/daughter had E? If it wasn't obvious.
 
I think there are different kinds of inherited epilepsy syndromes. Some of them are very specific, and some of are just a general tendencies, with a grab-bag of symptoms showing up in different ways in different family members.

You're right that the risk is fairly low for your kids. If you have epilepsy but their father does not, the risk is less than 5%. If both parents have epilepsy, then the risk is slightly higher. Even with the small risk, it's terrific that you have a sense of what to be on the look-out for and can intervene sooner (rather than later as happened for you.)

Maybe these CWE threads will be helpful:
http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/forums/f22/epilepsy-inherited-7762/
http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/forums/f23/genetics-seizures-18732/
http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/forums/f20/inherit-epilepsy-8493/
http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/forums/f23/2-out-4-kids-epilepsy-genetics-15009/
 
Thank you for your response, Nakamova. And for the useful and interesting links. Now I know more about inheritance in epilepsy. You know, I can't help but worry, just a little, that my kids would hide it if the same thing happened to them. I should have told my parents and not felt ashamed. I want to do my best raising my kids to not feel bad about talking to me if they experience some kind of seizure or anything else going on in their mind/body. I know how hard it is to carry such a burden alone. Let's just hope none of them inherit it. It's good to know the risk is so low. :-)
 
My E could possibly be inherited as a member of my family has it also...however mine is Juvenile Myoclonic and theirs is Grand Mal...if it is not inherited then I don't know what it is...I do have a cyst in my brain but it was never officially linked to my E in any way...only a coincidence...coincidence...yeah...right (more like a conspiracy lol)
 
I think I might have inherited E from my dad. He hasn't gone to the doc with it but he told me he has experienced some kind of seizures a few times. Also both my sister and I get migraines, so some things run in our family.
 
Like you, Mellismom, where my E came from is completely unknown. Thinking back on the past, I probably had it years before I was diagnosed at the age of 16. I recall punching and kicking walls in my sleep, which I now know is a simple-partial and controlled.

When I was having major problems in high school, I saw an out of school counselor. It just so happened that he was reading up on complex-partial seizures when he noticed my behavior. He suggested I see a doctor, and that was that.

I wouldn't expect the symptoms to be the same as yours. Mine have changed over the years. All you can do is observe. Be prepared for the worst, but expect the best. ;)

Best of luck.
 
Thank you N sperlo for your input. Mine have also changed through the years. Can kicking during my nocturnal seizures be b/c it's complex? Normally I'm completely still when I have the seizures. But my husband says I have kicked him sometimes but I didn't feel/remember anything afterwards and didn't know I had a seizure.
 
I BELIEVE (as does my neurologist), Mellismom, that the kicking in my case is from nocturnal simple-partial seizures, but it could just as easily be a loss of muscle atonia during REM sleep. You could be acting out your dreams. In my case, my neurologist noticed key behavior similarities during these stages moving him to determine I was not dreaming. Also the EEG read that I was awake. Most people don't dream about doing situps, anyway. :P
 
The muscle atonia is something I've considered could be why I'm kicking. I hope they can figure it all out soon.
 
Mellismom, if your husband isn't happy getting kicked, and you would like to make light of the subject, I suggest watching the movie, Sleep Walk With Me. Its one of the funniest movies I've seen in a long time. It is done by a comedian who has REM Behavior Disorder. It is available on the US Netflix. ;)
 
My father used to get terrible migraines as a kid,as did i.He as often said that i got the next step been seizures.How much truth is in this i just don't know to be honest,as my first seizure was a tonic when i was seventeen,but with epilepsy anything is possible from person to person.It has never been proven in my family just a theory.So who knows? Good Luck!
 
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