Might have epilepsy, please help?

[Periphetes]

As far as I know, my family has no history of epilepsy, though there is some history of Schizophrenia on my mother's side. My father was adopted anonymously. When I was age 10 (I'm 20 now) I got a moderate concussion falling off a trampoline.

These are my symptoms, which I'm not sure if they are 'normal' or not. None of these happened until the past 2-3 years.

1. A couple nights a week, right as my normal wake up time comes, I have a recurring night terror of being attacked in my room in the dark by some monster. They attack about 2-4 times repeatedly(as if the one before never happened) before I wake up, feeling like 5-10 seconds each. The monster is not visual, rather it is a sensation of fear and a very vague image. The sensation of fear is often accompanied by a tingling and sweating. During this 'fit' if i can call it that, I try to wake up and can't. This session cannot possibly be longer than 2 minutes real time. I've also noticed a corellation between this occuring and sleeping on my left side. (I sleep on either side). My dreams are normally positive, lucid, and adventurous. I am under no stress.

2. Rarely when I am doing something non-involving (like reading) I will 'zone out' so to speak and feel like an observer of my own being/body.

3. I am extremely behind on growth, and always have been. Since my tweens I've looked and sounded 5 years younger than I am. I was only about 4'6" and 60 lbs at age 14. Currently I am 20, look/sound 15, 5'9" and 90lbs. As far as appetite, food supply is not an issue and I eat as much as I can.

4. I have non-24-hour circadian rythym disorder. My average cycle is 27 hours. This can range from 20-35.

And the best for last.
5. A few times a week during the day, I will suddenly be onset by fatigue. This fatigue does not go away unless I lay down (usually I can't stand more than 10 minutes of it). Once I do, I experience eye convulsions and creative thoughts for less than 2 mins. I've drawn quite a few important ideas or my work in this process, oddly. Once the eye convulsions stop I experience a sort of 'freeze' of consciousness and stare into my room with a feeling of heavenlyness (otherwordlyness). After that I make some coffee and I'm good to go for the rest of the day.

Do I have any forms of epilepsy? Does anyone know what else I might have?

 

[Nakamova]

Hi Periphetes, welcome!

Based on the symptoms you describe, it's tough to guess whether you have epilepsy or something else going on. The "sensation of fear accompanied by tingling and sweating" can be a form of simple partial seizure. Out-of-body experiences can also be simple partials. By "eye convulsions" do you mean rapid blinking, or eyelid twitching, or your eyes moving backing and forth/up and down?

Have you spoken to your doctor about these symptoms and your concerns? There might be a few different directions he/she might want to explore. One possibility would be a panic disorder, or possibility a sleep disorder -- a sleep study could be helpful here.

Given that you are behind on growth, there may also be a nutritional imbalance or thyroid problem. Even though you are eating plenty, you could be missing out on certain nutrients in your diet, or have absorption issues that are throwing your system off. (Gut absorption problems can cause neurological symptoms.)

Make a note of your symptoms (and if they have changed or are changing in any way), and get in touch with your doctor. I hope you get some answers soon.

Best,
Nakamova

 

[Periphetes]

Hi Periphetes, welcome!

1. Based on the symptoms you describe, it's tough to guess whether you have epilepsy or something else going on. The "sensation of fear accompanied by tingling and sweating" can be a form of simple partial seizure. Out-of-body experiences can also be simple partials. By "eye convulsions" do you mean rapid blinking, or eyelid twitching, or your eyes moving backing and forth/up and down?

2. Have you spoken to your doctor about these symptoms and your concerns? There might be a few different directions he/she might want to explore. One possibility would be a panic disorder, or possibility a sleep disorder -- a sleep study could be helpful here.

3. Given that you are behind on growth, there may also be a nutritional imbalance or thyroid problem. Even though you are eating plenty, you could be missing out on certain nutrients in your diet, or have absorption issues that are throwing your system off. (Gut absorption problems can cause neurological symptoms.)

4. Make a note of your symptoms (and if they have changed or are changing in any way), and get in touch with your doctor. I hope you get some answers soon.

Best,
Nakamova

1. All of the above. They go CRAZY.

2. I've been without insurance or solid income for the past year, so doctors are out of the question. That, and that none of this has really caused me any immediate problems. My father however, is officially diagnosed with an anxiety disorder and is taking medication for it. I've never had the symptoms he has though. (Rage from heat, panic attacks in the day under stress, pressured speaking.)

Regarding the sleep, I would only confirm my non-24-hour circadian rhythm disorder which I already live with on a daily basis. There are no specific treatments for it, not that I need any since I'm running an internet business.

3. I eat a huge variety of foods, the only thing I eat often is my morning cereal. However, my grandmother has a thyroid disorder which my mother has inherited to a much lesser degree, so that's very plausible, though unlikely since I'm still in normal ranges other than my weight.

What leads me to try to find out if I have developed epilepsy, is that everything but the abnormal night terrors and eye convulsion sessions have been present about 5 years already. After reading some information about temporal lobe epilepsy, it seemed very likely to me. The descriptions for those types of seizures were VERY familiar.

 

[Nakamova]

If you can't afford to get a diagnosis or pursue treatment your best bet is to be proactive with your overall health http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/forums/f22/proactive-prescription-epilepsy-1254/ and keep a seizure diary in the hopes of isolating any potential seizure triggers.

 

[Periphetes]

Alright, I'll take a look. Thanks for the help.