Ok, 35 y/o male here already on disability for other reasons but I suppose this'll add to the pot.
I started having these absence? seizures about 7 or 8 months ago. MAybe sooner. I don't knoe. For years, my friends would say it would look like I "tune out" for a few seconds then come back. I don't remember any of this. I'm also a migraine sufferer and the symptoms are easily confused with Basilar type migraines. What I basically do is keep IBU 800, Benadry and Ondansetron (for nausea) in a bag in my pocket. When I feel something odd coming on and get those odd visual effects that seems like one of these, I'll hurry and take these. If it clears up, it was a migraine. if not, seizure. How do I know it clears up or not? my seizures generally cluster and my consciesnous comes and goes. I typically have a pain in the right side of my head after one of these seizure attacks that usually clears up with tylenol. (I have to be careful with painkillers, I take some pretty serious ones and my MAOI puts a ceiling on what I can do) I also tend to walk ino a room and maybe pick something up and have no memory of getting up, how I got there, anything.
It's been getting more and more frequent as time goes on. I've also become profoundly more photosensetive. being in a bright sunlit room can trigger these attacks, tube tvs, stores brightly lit with flourescents, but not flat panel displays or dimmed natural lighting. when I go outside needto wear sunglasses and I'm out an hour max.
what took me to the ER this last time was that I had at least a cluster of 4 big ones. That never happened before. I insisted on being admitted for an EEG but instead I got an appt for ann outside neurologist. I can accept that. In my state, It's extremely hard to get into one.
So, in the last 8 months fron 2 er visits and 1 doc visit I've had 1 CAT scan, 2 MRIs, 1 MRA and they all turned out ok. So, the last thing left is an EEG series and if that's fine then I don't know. This is some scary stuff.
The good thing about the ER referral is that I'm seeing the neurologist in 3 weeks instead of 5 or 6 months. The only thing is that I saw my regular doc last week and he took me off of the Ativan the ER doc gave me WHICH WAS HELPING and increased my topiramate, it's not helping and just causes me to be more confused. Any tips to get him to put me back on Ativan? There's been a big DEA crack down in this state and all doctors are watching their backs. He already has me on two narcotic painkillers for back pain. THere's other things he has refused to prescribe due to addictive potential. Grrrrrrr... I can't use Sodium Valporate because I'm already on 3 ACs (2 for bipoar 1 for Migraine) and I've had trouble withit in the past. I'm on Lamictal, trileptal and again Topiramate.
Trying to take this all in stride, Sorry if this is a little scattershot.
thanks in advance for any input
I started having these absence? seizures about 7 or 8 months ago. MAybe sooner. I don't knoe. For years, my friends would say it would look like I "tune out" for a few seconds then come back. I don't remember any of this. I'm also a migraine sufferer and the symptoms are easily confused with Basilar type migraines. What I basically do is keep IBU 800, Benadry and Ondansetron (for nausea) in a bag in my pocket. When I feel something odd coming on and get those odd visual effects that seems like one of these, I'll hurry and take these. If it clears up, it was a migraine. if not, seizure. How do I know it clears up or not? my seizures generally cluster and my consciesnous comes and goes. I typically have a pain in the right side of my head after one of these seizure attacks that usually clears up with tylenol. (I have to be careful with painkillers, I take some pretty serious ones and my MAOI puts a ceiling on what I can do) I also tend to walk ino a room and maybe pick something up and have no memory of getting up, how I got there, anything.
It's been getting more and more frequent as time goes on. I've also become profoundly more photosensetive. being in a bright sunlit room can trigger these attacks, tube tvs, stores brightly lit with flourescents, but not flat panel displays or dimmed natural lighting. when I go outside needto wear sunglasses and I'm out an hour max.
what took me to the ER this last time was that I had at least a cluster of 4 big ones. That never happened before. I insisted on being admitted for an EEG but instead I got an appt for ann outside neurologist. I can accept that. In my state, It's extremely hard to get into one.
So, in the last 8 months fron 2 er visits and 1 doc visit I've had 1 CAT scan, 2 MRIs, 1 MRA and they all turned out ok. So, the last thing left is an EEG series and if that's fine then I don't know. This is some scary stuff.
The good thing about the ER referral is that I'm seeing the neurologist in 3 weeks instead of 5 or 6 months. The only thing is that I saw my regular doc last week and he took me off of the Ativan the ER doc gave me WHICH WAS HELPING and increased my topiramate, it's not helping and just causes me to be more confused. Any tips to get him to put me back on Ativan? There's been a big DEA crack down in this state and all doctors are watching their backs. He already has me on two narcotic painkillers for back pain. THere's other things he has refused to prescribe due to addictive potential. Grrrrrrr... I can't use Sodium Valporate because I'm already on 3 ACs (2 for bipoar 1 for Migraine) and I've had trouble withit in the past. I'm on Lamictal, trileptal and again Topiramate.
Trying to take this all in stride, Sorry if this is a little scattershot.
thanks in advance for any input
