QA Atonic seizures

[upsidedownorangejuice]

ok so basically nz health system is slow and you have to try hard to get what you want done fast (like we talking 3 month minimum for neurologist) and i need some help can some one tell me if there is a small chance i have atonic seizures

ok if am out walking i notice some time i may drop for a tiny millisecond and suddenly feel conscious but waitlessness and i will get three or four at a time

when i experienced my last warning before a tonic-clonic (i got told there was tensing it was not just convulsions) seizure my head dropped twice i was able to just manage a oh *uck and lost consciousness

also if yawn i black out and found my self doing the same thing
if im focused or stressed i have similar issues is there any way i could mess with it to see if it atonic like experiment

OK if you say it could be i still will wait for the doctor to tell me it is but it will help me be more aware of stuff it could be

 

[Nakamova]

What you describe does sound like atonic seizures. Are you currently on any anti-seizure meds, or are you still waiting for a diagnosis?

 

[upsidedownorangejuice]

I'm on anti-seizure meds
got diagnosed but seemed of settled down and stopped the meds and now it has come back after 9 months clear with a fair bit of rath so they put on the same meds with out weaning me on wich was rough but i manged my meds are; topamax 50mg in the morning and same at night; epilim 1000 in the morning and 1500 at night
is there anything i could do to confirm/experiment i might have atonic seizures why i ask is i really have nothing to lose excluding not taking meds because well that obvious

 

[Nakamova]

It's not a great idea to try and provoke seizures unless you're under direct doctor supervision while doing so. This is because you run the risk of your brain "getting in the habit of" seizing. The more seizures you have, the more likely to are to have them in the future.

The best thing to do is to keep a seizure/symptom diary where you record every time you have a seizure or possible seizure. Then let the doctor decide what's going on. if you're knees are buckling out from you or if your head and neck suddenly lose muscle tone and flop then those are characteristic of atonic seizures. If your symptoms are a little more ambiguous, then you could contact your regular doctor for an evaluation. Blacking out while yawning can be a symptom of blood pressure or blood sugar issues, and you might want to get those ruled out.

 

[upsidedownorangejuice]

awesome your advice has been most handy thank you so much

 

[heylena]

ok if am out walking i notice some time i may drop for a tiny millisecond and suddenly feel conscious but waitlessness and i will get three or four at a time

This reminds me of the time that I was walking to the library and unexpectantly an attack happened and both of my knees were bloody from the powerful impact of the fall. I believe I have atonic seizures (I was diagnosed with epilepsy, but not to a specific type of epilepsy) because my attacks happen very fast and there is no time to react to the fall or the attack. My brain and my body are unhooked for a few seconds and I will immediately fall, only able to react after I have fallen. There is no warning beforehand or anticipation that I was about to have a seizure, but I am conscious so I "watch myself" fall.

 

[Janus]

Wow, and welcome. I have tonics and used to only have partials. Either way, they are so sudden and unexpected that there is no way to tell they're coming. And the atonic is hard to understand exactly what that is. My doc tol me that i may be having partials that i do not know i am having and that it can be blank out times that i do not even recognise or remember. I kind of don't believe him. But isn't that a symptom ?

 

[kirsten]

I only had an atonic seizure once and I have to say it was one of the weirdest experiences of my life. I was walking and suddenly all my muscles just stopped working and I fell flat on my face. I was stunned (figuratively, not literally). Then I just got up and carried on walking. Thankfully, only bruises and scrapes on arms and knees. No idea how my face stayed intact. Oh, and a wrecked pair of stunning jeans.