New on here mainly having focal seizures

[oldcookie]

I’m new on here, I feel like I need extra support as my seizures are focal seizures I feel quite paranoid about all sorts of different things.
to the outside world they would never no I was having a seizure so they don't understand why I'm worried.

 

[valeriedl]

Hi oldcookie,

You'll get a ton of support on here, I know I have. There are so many people who are going through the same thing you are.

Focal seizures are referred to as partial seizures. There are two types - simple partial and complex partial. Tonic clonic seizures are the type that you shake during.

During a simple partial you don't black out. You may get dizzy, confused, blurred vision, smell things, have feelings in your body and many others. Different people do different things.

During a complex partial you will black out. Sometimes people will stare off into no where, walk around, smack their lips, drool, try to talk but they aren't actually saying words and many other things. Again different people do different things. A good bit of times you may not have known that you've had it unless there's someone there to see it happen, I'm this way.

I've had epilepsy for 11 years and I've had several seizures of both types. Some people, especially my husband, will know when I'm having a seizure but other's will have no clue.

I had a complex partial in a grocery store once where I just sat down in the middle of the aisle. Luckily my husband was with me at the time and got me out to the car but a woman who saw me on the floor thought I was in sugar shock. When people hear the word 'seizure' they only think there is one type - a tonic clonic. They don't realize that there are different types.

There are times I get worried when I'm out alone that I'll have a seizure and who knows what would happen. I hope that I'd come out of it soon or that someone will realize that something isn't right with me and call 911.

Ask as many questions and you'll find out that you'll even be able to answer and give advice to many of the questions that have been asked.

It's nice to meet you!

 

[oldcookie]

Thanks valeriedl, I just don't know if I'm looking for symptoms that aren't there, for example I've been having a few random muscle twitches on my rib cage under by bust is this normal or epileptic !?! and recently I've been suffering more and more sleep jerks I know everyone has these from time to time, in my case I do split shifts so nap in the middle of the day and this is when they've been most frequent, on researching it says that the treatment for this would be sodium valporate which I'm currently taking so makes me more concerned that these are actually epileptic and need to be better controlled. I feel ignoring these symptoms might be fatal but I don't want to be neurotic either.

 

[valeriedl]

I'd suggest seeing a doctor about it. If you think there's something going on then it's better to find out for sure if there is or isn't. There have been a few times when I haven't been feeling good, nothing to do with epilepsy, and when I went to the doctor found out that it was something serious. There are times too when I haven't been feeling good and gone to the doctor and found out that there isn't anything bad going on, just a cold. You're not being neurotic!

I don't get twitches but there are people who do. I don't think I have sleep seizures either but I sleep in a bed by myself so I'm not positive about that. There are many people who do so someone who does would probably be able to give you more advice about it.

Not getting enough sleep is one thing that can cause seizures for me. I usually get a full nights sleep but I also have to take a nap in the afternoon. If I go too many days without that nap there's a good chance that I'll have a seizure.