New here, looking for answers for my dad
- Thread starter Meka24
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! ! ! ! Welcome to CWE Michelle ! ! ! !
Michelle,
We are happy to see you join our site! :clap:
We will try to answer any questions you have about E. The members of CWE are experienced in dealing with E and more than willing to help someone with questions about E because we know how not having answers to these questions can be very stressful and uncomfortable!
onder:
acshuman
Michelle,
We are happy to see you join our site! :clap:
We will try to answer any questions you have about E. The members of CWE are experienced in dealing with E and more than willing to help someone with questions about E because we know how not having answers to these questions can be very stressful and uncomfortable!
onder:acshuman
Meka24
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Thank you for the warm welcome! I'll give you a little more detail and back story of my dad. We noticed problems with him as far back as the mid 90's, it's been over 20 years for sure. There were instances where he would forget where we lived, and would call home to ask for a reminder. Another time I recently learned about was years ago he went to the mailbox and ended up down town. In more recent years symptoms were more frequent and changing. In a conversation with him or just talking to him he would just stare at you smiling. My mom of course sees a lot more. My brother, my mom and myself have been pushing him to go to a doctor to get checked because we all knew something wasn't right. He finally agreed. This diagnoses has really affected my parents. See he is (was now) a semi truck driver. That was a huge reason why we wanted him to be examined. We did not want him risking himself or anyone else while driving. Unfortunately because of his diagnoses or it may just be the medication, he can no longer work for them. Sorry for all the history! So onto my questions...
1. Is there a medication that he could take that is safe to drive while using? As of now he can't drive any vehicle. He's on Keppra.
2. What is the long term for him? Will it get worse even with meds?
3. Based on what I've told you, could you recommend a better medication?
4. Is his partial simple seizures hereditary? I couldn't find a straight answer
5. Do you have any tips or advice for him?
1. Is there a medication that he could take that is safe to drive while using? As of now he can't drive any vehicle. He's on Keppra.
2. What is the long term for him? Will it get worse even with meds?
3. Based on what I've told you, could you recommend a better medication?
4. Is his partial simple seizures hereditary? I couldn't find a straight answer
5. Do you have any tips or advice for him?
Frink
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Hi Michelle,
If your father is forgetting where he lives and ending up places where he does not how or why he has gone there, he may be having complex partial seizures in addition to simple partial seizures, I have both with my Temporal Lobe Epilepsy.
Complex partial seizures involve a loss of awareness and or altered consciousness, not unconscious, but not fully aware and in full control of thoughts and faculties.
I was also a commercial truck driver before my seizures got bad. I drove tractor trailers and straight trucks, dump body's, roll offs, tow trucks, etc.
1. Is there a medication that he could take that is safe to drive while using? As of now he can't drive any vehicle. He's on Keppra.
In the US, as far as driving a car goes, it is not so much the medication you take as much as how effectively that medication controls your seizures and how bad the side effects interfere with your ability to drive.
As far as commercial driving goes, in the US I believe you have to go 10years, medication free and without a seizure to get your CDL (commercial drivers license), I cannot meet this requirement and am unable to return to commercial driving, and for good reason.
2. What is the long term for him? Will it get worse even with meds?
I do not think anyone can really give you a direct answer. There are so many variables to an individuals journey with epilepsy.
If the seizures are controlled with medication the long term should look very good. There are quite a few medications to try and it can take some time to find a good med or combination of meds that works well.
3. Based on what I've told you, could you recommend a better medication?
Again it's an individual journey, each person reacts differently to each medication, Keppra can be a wonderful medication for many people. If it turns out that Keppra does not work there are many more meds to try.
4. Is his partial simple seizures hereditary? I couldn't find a straight answer.
Their are hereditary form of epilepsy but without knowing what caused your fathers epilepsy it would be impossible to say if he has one of those types of epilepsy. There are many other reasons to develop epilepsy, Head injuries, viruses, displasia, etc.
My epilepsy is from a head injury when I was 13.
An MRI can help to determine a cause.
5. Do you have any tips or advice for him?
Be honest about the seizures with the doctors, they can only help if they know everything that is happening.
Do not give up on a medication too quickly unless the side effects are very bad, it can take a while for the body to adjust to a medication or an increase in a medication.
Avoid alcohol, watch the caffeine, eat well, get lots of sleep, exercise, stay at a healthy weight, avoid unnecessary stress, take your medications on time, every time, listen to the doctors but also listen to your body, and most of all KEEP FIGHTING!
If your father is forgetting where he lives and ending up places where he does not how or why he has gone there, he may be having complex partial seizures in addition to simple partial seizures, I have both with my Temporal Lobe Epilepsy.
Complex partial seizures involve a loss of awareness and or altered consciousness, not unconscious, but not fully aware and in full control of thoughts and faculties.
I was also a commercial truck driver before my seizures got bad. I drove tractor trailers and straight trucks, dump body's, roll offs, tow trucks, etc.
1. Is there a medication that he could take that is safe to drive while using? As of now he can't drive any vehicle. He's on Keppra.
In the US, as far as driving a car goes, it is not so much the medication you take as much as how effectively that medication controls your seizures and how bad the side effects interfere with your ability to drive.
As far as commercial driving goes, in the US I believe you have to go 10years, medication free and without a seizure to get your CDL (commercial drivers license), I cannot meet this requirement and am unable to return to commercial driving, and for good reason.
2. What is the long term for him? Will it get worse even with meds?
I do not think anyone can really give you a direct answer. There are so many variables to an individuals journey with epilepsy.
If the seizures are controlled with medication the long term should look very good. There are quite a few medications to try and it can take some time to find a good med or combination of meds that works well.
3. Based on what I've told you, could you recommend a better medication?
Again it's an individual journey, each person reacts differently to each medication, Keppra can be a wonderful medication for many people. If it turns out that Keppra does not work there are many more meds to try.
4. Is his partial simple seizures hereditary? I couldn't find a straight answer.
Their are hereditary form of epilepsy but without knowing what caused your fathers epilepsy it would be impossible to say if he has one of those types of epilepsy. There are many other reasons to develop epilepsy, Head injuries, viruses, displasia, etc.
My epilepsy is from a head injury when I was 13.
An MRI can help to determine a cause.
5. Do you have any tips or advice for him?
Be honest about the seizures with the doctors, they can only help if they know everything that is happening.
Do not give up on a medication too quickly unless the side effects are very bad, it can take a while for the body to adjust to a medication or an increase in a medication.
Avoid alcohol, watch the caffeine, eat well, get lots of sleep, exercise, stay at a healthy weight, avoid unnecessary stress, take your medications on time, every time, listen to the doctors but also listen to your body, and most of all KEEP FIGHTING!
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Meka24
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Frink.....thank you for the answers. My dad did have an MRI, but my mom has only told me he was diagnosed with the partial simple seizures. What you said about the complex simple seizures makes a lot of sense. I just don't know how recent one of those types of episodes occurred. I do know that the first time was shortly after he got out of the military, and I believe it may have been after a motorcycle accident he was in. My guess is it was one of those.
Your tips and advice were very helpful. He's not much of a drinker but the caffeine...he drinks coffee all day long. Maybe we can get him to switch to decaf! He eats well but sleep is lacking, thanks to his truck driver schedule. Stress is inevitable at this time with him losing his job and my mom does not work. I'm hoping they will figure out what to do and start relaxing soon. Thank you again.
Your tips and advice were very helpful. He's not much of a drinker but the caffeine...he drinks coffee all day long. Maybe we can get him to switch to decaf! He eats well but sleep is lacking, thanks to his truck driver schedule. Stress is inevitable at this time with him losing his job and my mom does not work. I'm hoping they will figure out what to do and start relaxing soon. Thank you again.
Frink
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My head injury was from a motorcycle accident also, the weirdness (mild simple partial seizures) started about 2 weeks after the accident but I did not start having complex partial seizures until around age 30 and finally diagnosed at 40.
My MRI is clean, so the damage must be pretty small, maybe only a few cells.
For some people caffeine is no problem and for others it makes seizures worse, for me it is no problem, no increase in seizure activity when I consume it. I stopped drinking coffee because after drinking it for a few days it makes me tired and I end up sleeping all the time.
My MRI is clean, so the damage must be pretty small, maybe only a few cells.
For some people caffeine is no problem and for others it makes seizures worse, for me it is no problem, no increase in seizure activity when I consume it. I stopped drinking coffee because after drinking it for a few days it makes me tired and I end up sleeping all the time.
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Hi Meka, welcome!
Nothing to add to the good advice you've gotten above. Good for you for looking out for your dad and asking a lot of excellent questions. Getting informed can be a great way to help cope with epilepsy, whether it's you or someone you love who is dealing with seizures. I hope you feel free to explore the forums here and ask any and all questions as they arise.
best,
Nakamova
Nothing to add to the good advice you've gotten above. Good for you for looking out for your dad and asking a lot of excellent questions. Getting informed can be a great way to help cope with epilepsy, whether it's you or someone you love who is dealing with seizures. I hope you feel free to explore the forums here and ask any and all questions as they arise.
best,
Nakamova