Good evening. I'm having a problem with recurrent seizures, and I'd like some insight, if possible.
My husband is military, and we're stationed in San Antonio, TX. We were stationed in MD before being transferred to TX. Before we received orders to TX I had a severe seizure with a concussion. With this seizure, my neurologist changed me over to Lamictal. It was a planned change.
When I arrived in TX I slowly began the transfer from Topamax to Lamictal. The entire process lasted a total of six months. Everything was going well for a while, but toward the beginning of 2009 I began having auras. This was new for me. It lasted throughout the year, and ever since then, my epilepsy has gotten worse. With the auras came small fainting spells. They weren't seizures. I had about 4 spells that year. Toward the end of 2009 (Oct or Nov), my neurologist and I decided to add Keppra to see if it would help with the change of seizures. I was okay at first. Then beginning with 28 Jan 2010, my "auras" changed. They were very short in length, and they all began with a slight stuttering. My previous seizures all began with a guttural scream.
The new auras began with a cloudy feeling in my head. It's hard to explain. I then felt a change throughout my body. I felt flushed, and then I began having shivers. These changes lasted anywhere from 20 seconds to 1 minute. I also began having the cloudy feeling in my head. Shortly thereafter I would have a seizure.
I always experienced more or less the same symptoms.
That's when Neurology assumed I was having psychogenic non-epileptic seizures. Even the days I had seizures prior to neurology appointments my doctor would just say I was having psychogenic seizures. She wouldn't even entertain a different cause for these episodes.
I was transferred to another hospital. There was an epileptologist there, and she evaluated my case as psychogenic. She said seizures don't change.
Neurology finally decided to hospitalize me for a 3-5 day EEG w/ video-monitoring Nothing happened the first time. The second hospitalization included sleep deprivation for 3 days. They also decreased the Lamictal by 2/3. On the second day I had a seizure. After evaluating the study, they found out my seizures are epileptic in nature, not psychogenic. Something else, I had partial seizures which secondarily generalize. My seizures are now generalized.
Since the end of Jan I've had 18 seizures. I haven't had 18 seizures in my whole life! The last one was 22 Nov. Since then I've had one blackout. My mom has stayed with me since the beginning of Nov. She's afraid something might happen to me while my husband is away. Heck, I'm scared too. I didn't have an aura with this last seizure.
My seizures have also changed recently. With my previous seizures it took me about 2-4 minutes to "reboot", as my husband calls it. With the last two seizures, 16 Nov and 22 Nov, my mother said it took about 30 minutes for me to "come back". I'm so frightened and frustrated.
The Neurology clinic makes notes of the seizures but nothing else. There's the usual "How are you feeling?" But nothing else. Nobody thinks outside the box. They've also added Vimpat to my regimen. What a horrible medication. Every single time I have a seizure Neurology just adds another anticonvulsant.
I personally think the increased seizures are related to Lamictal and Keppra. Does anybody have any insight on what is happening, or anything else?
Thanks,
Adriana
My husband is military, and we're stationed in San Antonio, TX. We were stationed in MD before being transferred to TX. Before we received orders to TX I had a severe seizure with a concussion. With this seizure, my neurologist changed me over to Lamictal. It was a planned change.
When I arrived in TX I slowly began the transfer from Topamax to Lamictal. The entire process lasted a total of six months. Everything was going well for a while, but toward the beginning of 2009 I began having auras. This was new for me. It lasted throughout the year, and ever since then, my epilepsy has gotten worse. With the auras came small fainting spells. They weren't seizures. I had about 4 spells that year. Toward the end of 2009 (Oct or Nov), my neurologist and I decided to add Keppra to see if it would help with the change of seizures. I was okay at first. Then beginning with 28 Jan 2010, my "auras" changed. They were very short in length, and they all began with a slight stuttering. My previous seizures all began with a guttural scream.
The new auras began with a cloudy feeling in my head. It's hard to explain. I then felt a change throughout my body. I felt flushed, and then I began having shivers. These changes lasted anywhere from 20 seconds to 1 minute. I also began having the cloudy feeling in my head. Shortly thereafter I would have a seizure.
I always experienced more or less the same symptoms.
That's when Neurology assumed I was having psychogenic non-epileptic seizures. Even the days I had seizures prior to neurology appointments my doctor would just say I was having psychogenic seizures. She wouldn't even entertain a different cause for these episodes.
I was transferred to another hospital. There was an epileptologist there, and she evaluated my case as psychogenic. She said seizures don't change.
Neurology finally decided to hospitalize me for a 3-5 day EEG w/ video-monitoring Nothing happened the first time. The second hospitalization included sleep deprivation for 3 days. They also decreased the Lamictal by 2/3. On the second day I had a seizure. After evaluating the study, they found out my seizures are epileptic in nature, not psychogenic. Something else, I had partial seizures which secondarily generalize. My seizures are now generalized.
Since the end of Jan I've had 18 seizures. I haven't had 18 seizures in my whole life! The last one was 22 Nov. Since then I've had one blackout. My mom has stayed with me since the beginning of Nov. She's afraid something might happen to me while my husband is away. Heck, I'm scared too. I didn't have an aura with this last seizure.
My seizures have also changed recently. With my previous seizures it took me about 2-4 minutes to "reboot", as my husband calls it. With the last two seizures, 16 Nov and 22 Nov, my mother said it took about 30 minutes for me to "come back". I'm so frightened and frustrated.
The Neurology clinic makes notes of the seizures but nothing else. There's the usual "How are you feeling?" But nothing else. Nobody thinks outside the box. They've also added Vimpat to my regimen. What a horrible medication. Every single time I have a seizure Neurology just adds another anticonvulsant.
I personally think the increased seizures are related to Lamictal and Keppra. Does anybody have any insight on what is happening, or anything else?
Thanks,
Adriana
