Recent dread of seizure recurrence...

[Caleb9849]

My past is haunting me.

I've had two seizures, one at the age of 7 and one at the age of 14 (I'm 22 now, male). They did all the brain tests on me after both seizures and never found any specific cause. I took medications after both seizures, for a while, then stopped taking it. I never worried about it happening again, until recently. I've been very stressed with my senior year of college and a nasty re-build-up of my Crohn's disease both taking a toll on me. A few months ago (I'd say summer of last year, actually), I started having some episodes of what I would call "brain fog to an extreme degree," where it became very difficult to think. It wasn't that I couldn't think, but simply that my brain "felt slow." When I say slow, I mean very slow....during these episodes, which could last anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours, someone could say something to me as simple as "How does pizza sound for dinner tonight?" and it would take me a good 3 or 4 seconds to churn through the sentence and decipher its meaning, which was alarming and frustrating. These episodes, which happened many times, initially had me thinking "Oh no, I'm about to have a seizure again," but that never happened. I consulted my general physician, who told me it was probably a result of stress/anxiety due to my difficult times in school and instestinal issues. I haven't had any of these episodes in quite a long while (and my Crohn's seems to be back in check! :woot: ) but now I have this recurring dread that I will have another seizure at any moment, even if there's nothing substantial to indicate that it could happen. The feelings of dread particularly tend to set in on me when I'm getting into my car, or when someone invites me to go hiking, swimming, etc. (because it would be worst to have a seizure during such a situation). I'm wondering if I can get any stats or info on the likelihood that my seizures will come back to haunt me, or if there's anything anyone can tell me to ease my worry/dread....Thanks in advance

PS I don't know if I'll really post very much on this forum, because I don't actually have epilepsy (AFAIK) and don't know anyone who does. So I don't feel like I really have a whole lot to contribute to the forum. I wish I did. But these recent episodes of dread are really frustrating and I'm looking everywhere I can for some insight, answers, or even just comfort. I'll greatly appreciate any replies to this post...I hope that I'm not too much of a jerk to sign up just so I can post this thread :S

 

[Wobblez]

Hi Caleb, i'm going through a similar thing. I'm at uni and my childhood epilepsy appears to have come back although i'm actually having seizures so I have a little more to go on but I know how you feel. I get that same slow feeling, or I start staring at something and I can't look away. I know it's hard but try not to stress about it, you will only make it worse. Can you try not to drive on the days you feel a bit vague? Tricky I know. Bosses dont really understand these maybes! Eat well, get plenty of sleep and be careful with alcohol, these and stress are common triggers. I wouldn't expect a seizure would just come out of the blue though, if you get these warning signs at least you can look out for those and take precautions.

Welcome to CWE too =)

 

[Nakamova]

Hi Caleb9849, welcome!

There are known connections between Crohn's and epilepsy. See: http://professionals.epilepsy.com/page/inflammatory_crohn.html
It maybe related to metabolic imbalances that result from poor absorption of nutrients. It's great that your Crohn's is in check now, but is it possible that there are are lingering issues with deficiencies that are causing the brain fog? They do sound like simple partial seizures, so I would definitely treat them as warning signs that you need to play it safe with your health -- as Wobblez says, be proactive about avoiding stressors.

 

[Caleb9849]

Thanks for all the replies!

Can you try not to drive on the days you feel a bit vague?

Well, the thing is, the vagueness is pretty much gone. I'm nearly 100% sure that they were stress or anxiety attacks caused by being worried about my physical health, and about school, or by malnutrition to the brain from lack of ability to absorb food in the small intestine, or a combination of these causes. The vagueness episodes seem to be pretty well gone. What happens is that the "What if I have a seizure" fear that was induced by these episodes is lingering on....and it's not something that comes and goes randomly, such that I can just not do anything dangerous when it's around. It comes around when I'm driving, or when I'm out somewhere alone, etc., so that it's sometimes impossible to do anything like that without the fear being there.

They do sound like simple partial seizures

Really? Are you sure? I talked to my general physician, like I said, who was aware of my history of seizures, and he said my episodes just sounded like anxiety attacks or stresss...now I'm worried. :S

 

[Nakamova]

I didn't mean to worry you Caleb, I just agree that it's wise to be pro-active with your health if you're having unusual symptoms. Laboured speech or and inability to speak at all can be a simple partial symptom. And sudden and inexplicable feelings of fear can also be simple partials. That doesn't mean you're definitely having partial seizures, but given your past seizure history it's worth being careful. When your doc said the symptoms might be caused by intestinal issues, did he imply there was a direct link, or just that the Crohn's was stressing you out emotionally and therefore a contributing factor? Did the brain fog occur after eating? Do you have food allergies, or suffer from low blood sugar? Those can contribute to fogginess and/or be seizure triggers, so there might be some overlap between your Crohn's and epilepsy -- or none at all.

 

[Caleb9849]

I didn't mean to worry you Caleb, I just agree that it's wise to be pro-active with your health if you're having unusual symptoms. Laboured speech or and inability to speak at all can be a simple partial symptom. And sudden and inexplicable feelings of fear can also be simple partials.

Oh, well I never had either of those. I could speak just fine, it just took me more mental effort to understand what other people were saying to me than it normally should have. I never got "inexplicable" feelings of fear...I feared that the mental fog was indicative of a seizure on the way, but once the mental fog was gone, I was fine. So I wouldn't call the fear "inexplicable."

When your doc said the symptoms might be caused by intestinal issues, did he imply there was a direct link, or just that the Crohn's was stressing you out emotionally and therefore a contributing factor?

I think my doctor pretty much just said it was probably emotional stress. However, I concluded independently myself (correct me if my thinking is wrong, please) that with the shape my small intestine was in (that's where the most damage was being done by the Crohn's), it was very difficult for my body to absorb any nutrients, and this made it difficult for both my body and my brain to perform properly.

Did the brain fog occur after eating?

No, it seemed to be at random times, and could last anywhere from 5 minutes to 3 or 4 hours.

Do you have food allergies, or suffer from low blood sugar?

No low blood sugar, as far as I'm aware of, but I do seem to have a lactose tolerance issue, but only with certain things. It's weird. I can handle ice cream, cheese, and even milkshakes with no problem, but I have had some awful experiences with macaroni and cheese...

Those can contribute to fogginess and/or be seizure triggers, so there might be some overlap between your Crohn's and epilepsy -- or none at all.

I should probably point out that I've only had Crohn's since I made a trip to Mexico at age 15 and, it seems reasonable to assume, picked up some particular kind of bacteria which triggered it. My two seizures were at ages 7 and 14, and my immune and digestive systems were perfectly healthy at the time, AFAIK.

Thanks again for the replies