RunningGirl85
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Thanks to my last tonic-clonic I am currently not working, and I am finished with college, etc., so I have way too much time to peruse these boards, and while doing so I noticed a lot of people mentioning issues with memory/balance/etc. I only recently got diagnosed a couple of weeks ago, so I was just then put onto medicine (I explained this more in my introduction post in the Foyer), but I've also gone through a ton of changes in the past few weeks, so I'm wondering what is causing what at this point.
I guess my big question is this... do you think your memory or balance (if you have them) issues are more related to medicine or epilepsy? I have always had a terrible sense of direction, so that is nothing new, but I've noticed myself forgetting what I'm trying to say more and more often (as I've noticed several of you mention that you do)... I also noticed that I was misplacing things frequently, though I didn't attribute it to epilepsy at all because I hadn't even been diagnosed yet, and was only having simple partials, minus one tonic-clonic episode two years ago... My mom and I actually joked about when she came to visit me before I deployed, and I couldn't find ANYTHING, and I asked her if she was moving stuff around when I was at work, and she said no. We joked I had a "special friend" moving stuff around (actually, I seriously wondered if stuff was actually just moving on its own - I know, crazy). We were talking last night, and I was telling her about these forums, and she pointed out that that was happening a lot when she visited me... I guess that would make sense because this is right before deployment with a lot of stress/etc. going on (this was only a couple of months ago, actually). This was before I was on any medicine, but I have noticed it getting worse. Not just finding things, but I'll ask someone how to get somewhere, and they'll tell me, then I'll walk out the door, and forget two seconds later... So I'm wondering - what is the medicine's fault (Keppra) and what is just my memory getting worse? Did my last tonic-clonic have any affect on me that is making my memory worse? Is it because I've been dealing with this for LONGER that my memory is getting worse? Also, my balance... It's never been great (which, oddly enough, I was still able to do gymnastics!) , but it's also getting worse. They did notice at the hospital that I was staggering a bit afterward. Someone today asked if I was okay because he said I was "tipping" while walking (I was also extremely fuzzy-headed/detached feeling and felt like I was rambling when I was talking - similar to how I feel when I'm having an aura, but I didn't have the weird psychological sensations that I usually get, like deja vu and a rising stomach - though I had several this weekend). I also couldn't remember one of my doctor's names or where her office was today. It was pretty embarassing... I couldn't even ask where her office was because I couldn't remember her name! I also found my cell phone in my makeup bag, and my cell phone case that I use for running in an old plastic shopping bag today (looked everywhere for it yesterday). I also didn't get a ton of sleep last night... kept waking up, so that probably isn't helping me much either. Even before any type of diagnosis, I've always been super sensitive to a lack of sleep...
The medicine actually seems to be making things worse since I've only ever had three tonic-clonics in my entire life anyways, so I have no idea if it's even controlling those (I doubt I'd be having them WITHOUT the medicine)... *sigh*... Any input? Experience?
I guess my big question is this... do you think your memory or balance (if you have them) issues are more related to medicine or epilepsy? I have always had a terrible sense of direction, so that is nothing new, but I've noticed myself forgetting what I'm trying to say more and more often (as I've noticed several of you mention that you do)... I also noticed that I was misplacing things frequently, though I didn't attribute it to epilepsy at all because I hadn't even been diagnosed yet, and was only having simple partials, minus one tonic-clonic episode two years ago... My mom and I actually joked about when she came to visit me before I deployed, and I couldn't find ANYTHING, and I asked her if she was moving stuff around when I was at work, and she said no. We joked I had a "special friend" moving stuff around (actually, I seriously wondered if stuff was actually just moving on its own - I know, crazy). We were talking last night, and I was telling her about these forums, and she pointed out that that was happening a lot when she visited me... I guess that would make sense because this is right before deployment with a lot of stress/etc. going on (this was only a couple of months ago, actually). This was before I was on any medicine, but I have noticed it getting worse. Not just finding things, but I'll ask someone how to get somewhere, and they'll tell me, then I'll walk out the door, and forget two seconds later... So I'm wondering - what is the medicine's fault (Keppra) and what is just my memory getting worse? Did my last tonic-clonic have any affect on me that is making my memory worse? Is it because I've been dealing with this for LONGER that my memory is getting worse? Also, my balance... It's never been great (which, oddly enough, I was still able to do gymnastics!) , but it's also getting worse. They did notice at the hospital that I was staggering a bit afterward. Someone today asked if I was okay because he said I was "tipping" while walking (I was also extremely fuzzy-headed/detached feeling and felt like I was rambling when I was talking - similar to how I feel when I'm having an aura, but I didn't have the weird psychological sensations that I usually get, like deja vu and a rising stomach - though I had several this weekend). I also couldn't remember one of my doctor's names or where her office was today. It was pretty embarassing... I couldn't even ask where her office was because I couldn't remember her name! I also found my cell phone in my makeup bag, and my cell phone case that I use for running in an old plastic shopping bag today (looked everywhere for it yesterday). I also didn't get a ton of sleep last night... kept waking up, so that probably isn't helping me much either. Even before any type of diagnosis, I've always been super sensitive to a lack of sleep...
The medicine actually seems to be making things worse since I've only ever had three tonic-clonics in my entire life anyways, so I have no idea if it's even controlling those (I doubt I'd be having them WITHOUT the medicine)... *sigh*... Any input? Experience?