Is it possible to have both

[tinyfrogs]

Everything I've read other places on the internet says it is "almost always impossible" for adults to have absence seizures especially if they didnt have them as children. My doctors and I are still trying to figure out exactly what type of seizures I'm having. My psychiatrist was actually the one who suggested maybe it was more than one type and that could be why it has been so difficult to diagnose. My question is, is it possible for an adult to have both absence seizures and partial complex seizures?

 

[jh2]

i know i had absence seizures as a child as well as complex partials and i still have both as an adult.i do believe you can have more than one type of seizure.i believe there are over 40 different seizure types that have been identified to date.

 

[C0urt]

i have several types of seizures, and only started having them in the past 8 years due to an un-diagnosed condition weeeeee! But I have grand-mals, absence several things that appear in several books, with out that stuff I am supposed to buy to at the store, the sides effects can be more fun than what I can get on a corner, the customer service, is only mildly nicer. prices tend to be about the same in some cases.

 

[Nakamova]

It's definitely possible to have more than one kind of seizure. And absence seizures can appear in adults, even without a prior childhood history. When they appear in adults, they can last several seconds to minutes and they might occur just a few times a day.

 

[tinyfrogs]

Thank you all for the replies. They do occur a few times a day but then I get several days without any seizures. I wonder though if Im just missing some of them. Living alone makes it difficult to tell sometimes. One neurologist gave up on me after the first visit because she said she didnt understand how I could be aware during the seizures at all. I dont understand either but thats because this is all new for me. I dont think a Dr should give up that easily. I have new doctors now so I guess it was better than wasting time.

 

[Nakamova]

If they are absence seizures you wouldn't be aware of them, but perhaps be aware of the "gaps." If you are fully aware, they are more likely to be simple partial seizures. If you are only semi-aware they may be complex partial seizures.

 

[tinyfrogs]

The awareness feels like snapping out of a daydream but I dont remember thinking anything during the time. Not sure how else to describe it. They usually seem very short. The other ones are a bit longer and have happened with other people around. I was aware that someone was talking to me but I couldnt answer them and I couldnt move.

 

[tom g]

I have been having all types depending on ALL SORTS of things. Medications. Time changes. STRESS. Lack of sleep......
I've had them in my sleep as well.

My Doc wants me to look into surgery, but I flat out refuse. I'm just not there yet.
He tells me that if i keep this up, I will eventually end up in a wheelchair. ??????
I'm fed up with the drugs (I feel punch drunk at times during the day). I'm tired (bone tired) sometimes, and very very depressed.
Sometimes when I take the med my body goes a little numb and i cannot walk or steady myself. (Lamictal 300mg 2x's/ day)
I broke up the dosage during the day and at night which has helped, but it is drugs drug and more drugs. The latest is Trileptal......my Doc. tells me the titration to my theraputic dose and weaning off of lamictal will take about 2 months, but that he was going to pull my driving priviledges, which means I cannot work. I am about to be divorced and simply cannot afford to go on disability. Besides, not driving is not considered a disability (screwed).
I'm at a point where I just want to tell my Doc's and the world I'm seizure free and to leave me alone. The stress is beyond words. it's like the weight of the world is on my back and i have seriously thought about just killing myself at times (no plans - just wish I were no longer around to deal with this crap). If I were not crazy before this happened, I think I'm well on my way. I really need help.

 

[Nakamova]

I was aware that someone was talking to me but I couldnt answer them and I couldnt move.

This sounds like a complex partial seizure.

 

[tom g]

Thank you. Exactly what my Doctor said, but when it happened in the hospital (I just could not walk or hold anything) the EEG (I was told) was normal. I had no doubt since they were pumping me up with my current drugs plus Trileptal. It just makes NO SENSE.
The other thing I do know is that there is really nothing anyone can do. This is my life and i have to get used to it. IT SUCKS!

 

[tinyfrogs]

Tom, I wish I had a better answer but I just wanted to say you are not alone. I understand the crazy feeling. I was put on anti-psychotic meds on & off for 12 years before anyone figured out the hallucinations were a big part of some of my seizures. The meds never really worked so they kept trying different ones. Thankfully I finally got a psychiatrist who figured it out and sent me to a neurologist and doctor and called them to explain that she was fairly certain Id been having seizures for years. Its hard to get anyone to listen when you already feel crazy.

 

[tom g]

Thnak you. It's like they have a diagnosis looking for a symptom, not the other way around. It's simply crazy.
I really think I am losing my mind, but nobody seems to understand what it feels like losing control over your own body. At first it's just sort of spooky.....then it turns into terror (for me) because I truly beleive this stuff is really not for real. Maybe I am crazy afterall and this is just the beginning of my decent into madness. I have been struggling with depression for a very long time, but this has put rocket fuel in that tank and shot that possibility over the moon. We see the test results, but it's as if nobody is willing to sit me down and give me really firm answers. I am in such denial at times and would like to just flush the whole mess of drugs down the toilet and let the chips fall as they will. I'm truly out of gas.

 

[tinyfrogs]

I take an antidepressant among other things. Some antidepressants can lower the seizure threshold, making it easier to have more seizures. My antidepressant does this but its the only one that works for me so restarting trileptal was my best option. There are days when I just want to say forget it too but Ive stopped meds cold turkey a few times and it never ends well.

 

[tom g]

I've never stopped cold turkey, but I'm about at that point. They gave me Xanex to chill out sometimes, but that whole mess is an emotional roller coaster.
Temporal Lobe Epilepsey (again, this is all conjecture none of these noodleheads seem to want to get on the same page with0 is front and center to one's emotions. of course I'm flipping out at times. Not an excuse, but I feel i have no more control over that then having a seizure. I am clearly not in control of one Goddamn thing, and all I hear when this stuff does not work, or I have another seizure is "I'm sorry that happened to you." maybe a few of these Doc's should put their careers on the line and "deal with this" like we are. It's not a head cold, it's a life, and i am not living a productive one.
This is just way too much to process at the moment. Now my wife (does not give a crap one way or the other) wants me to take care of her the rest of my life. She is as healthy as a horse, and refuses to work. 47 years old, college degree in science education, two boys 17 and 19 and she just does not want to work. Never has!
Tell me how you would feel? Seriously?
i should NOT be driving. Period, but I under report and take my life in my hands every single day so she can stay at home (BTW, she cheated on me).
if I stop work the family court system does not care. That is a fact. i get $2K/ month disability and SHE GETS it all......How does one not want to jump off a bridge?

It's insane and I've done OTHING to deserve this.

 

[SlimBlue]

Hi psyche, I only started having absences in the past 2 years, but I've been having grand mals for nearly 20 now.

I live on my own too, so I understand how difficult it can be to notice/record them. Usually I have a few seconds warning, so I go down the 'Inception' route, and take a trinket out of my pocket if I have time- doesn't allways work, but it's easier than trying to fill in the blanks...