Seizure in the Recovery Room

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daisy.girl

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Hi guys! I haven't been here in quite a while. I have dealt with complex partial seizures for a long time now.

However, on Monday I was scheduled for an outpatient surgery (at the hospital)
On my way from the prep area to the OR, I had an immediate allergic reaction to the antibiotic they had started in my IV. They stopped that right away and started a different one. {side note, I am allergic to so, so many medicines; including seizure meds}

Surgery went unremarkable, however, I am told that in recovery I had generalized seizure (lasted around 45 mins) and then I was unresponsive for another 30 mins.

They started IV Depakote and I came around. Now I am on 500mg ER

Anyone here have this happen to them? Anyone on Depakote ER?
What are your side effects?

Thanks so much!
 
Another question, if they do an EEG when your medication is at a blood serum therapeutic level...wouldn't the EEG register as normal?
 
Not necessarily. My seizures are fully-controlled by Lamictal (and have been for nearly 6 years), but my brain still showed abnormal epileptic brainwaves when I underwent an EEG last fall. My neuro and were trying to decide whether I should lower my dose, but the EEG results indicated that I should stay put.
 
I have therapeutic levels and I'm not controlled.
It doesn't matter if your controlled or not. I end up in the E/R but it doesn't do any good with me.
 
Then what is the point of doing ALL these EEGs??

I have been feeling very sick all afternoon. Increase HR (up in the 120s), nauseated and itchy with blotchy red rash.
The doctor's office just called me back, and feels that I am having an allergic reaction to the Depakote...and to stop it at once!!
 
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..........warning stopping any anti-seizure med all at once is Not a healthy choice.
it can and may end u up in the ER.
Has your doctor given you an alternant med or anything to balance this out ?
 
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Then what is the point of doing ALL these EEGs??
Click to expand...
in addition to helping confirm an epilepsy diagnosis, or determine whether or not to medicate, EEGs can potentially help identify what kind of seizure is occurring and/or where in the brain it's originating. That information can often be helpful for determining what medication to use.

I'm sorry that you have to stop the Depakote so abruptly, but in the case of an allergic reaction that's considered the correct step to take. If you are concerned about having additional seizures make sure you are not alone, and can have someone get you to an ER if necessary.
 
I take Depakote ER but I also take Tegretol, Keppra and Lamictal. I have on average 7 seizures a month.

I do have side effects from the meds but I don't know which med causes which side effect. I'm tired, I've gained weight and lost weight. I know I have Kepprage from the Keppra because it doesn't take much to make me angry.

If you know what meds you are allergic to make sure you have them written down and give them to any dr when you see them. I also have one the list the meds (any of them not just epilepsy) and dosages that I take because taking certain meds with others can cause problems. Also make sure someone else has the list to make sure they can give it to a dr or the ER if you are unable to.
 
valeriedl said:
Also make sure someone else has the list to make sure they can give it to a dr or the ER if you are unable to.
Click to expand...

Excellent piece of advice. I'm on some very-little-heard-of medication right now and they restrict me from taking certain other medications that might be given in an emergency situation. Not only do I have the names of these medications in my wallet, but I've also given them to my emergency contacts.
 
So, there are a lot of people who have seizures, that are NOT seen on an EEG? Is that correct? So, someone could have a normal EEG?
 
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So, there are a lot of people who have seizures, that are NOT seen on an EEG? Is that correct? So, someone could have a normal EEG?
Click to expand...
Yup. False negatives occur in approx. 50% of first-time EEGs for epilepsy. Administering a second EEG drops the false negative rate to 30%, and a sleep-deprived EEG reduces false negatives to 20%. So approx. 20% of patients with epilepsy may never show what are called interictal epileptiform discharges (IED) on an EEG. There are different factors that affect the odds one way or another:
1. Children are more likely to show IED than older patients.
2. Patients with temporal lobe epilepsy are more likely show IED than those with a seizure focus in the mesial or basal cortical area (which are far from scalp electrodes).
3. Patients with frequent (one per week) seizures are more likely to have IED.
4. An EEG administered within 24 hours of a seizure revealed IED in 51%; the rate drops to 34% in those who had EEGs administered after a longer interval.
5. Meds can have an effect, especially drugs that lower seizure threshold or cause epileptiform activity.
 
My initial EEG, some 5 years ago, when I only had complex focal seizures showed spikes in my left parietal lobe.

So, if they know that I have an abnormal EEG, why would they need another one?

Also, my QEEG was abnormal.

And, it seems at best they have a 50-50 chance of getting a correct reading.

I am just so frustrated right now. They wan't me to start a new seizure med, and I don't want another one!!
 
I just don't feel right, I can't quite explain it....I feel detached, like I just don't care.
I don't want my family and friends to know all I am going through right now.....is this normal?
 
After surgery and a 45 minute seizure, I would say it's normal to feel detached and like you just don't care. What you've been through is a major shock to the system, and I mean that on a physiological level, not a psychological one. It's only natural that you'd be pushed out of your usual zone. And wanting to retreat is also a natural thing, I think, during sickness. Even animals do it. I suspect it's a response that is very deeply ingrained. Having said that, retreating for too long is not going to help you, so I'd set a time limit on that. Say a day or two, no more, before you start telling your closest friends and family members what's potting--and even that only if you are medically safe to be alone.
 
I wanted to ask and forgot. Do you all think the allergic reaction to the IV antibiotic could have triggered this seizure?
 
Generalised seizures: lamictin, epilim, topomax, phenytoin, tegretol. There are others but that's off the top of my head.

When I have an allergic reaction to penicillin, I swell up everywhere and get a fever. Fevers most certainly can trigger seizures. The swelling tends to block off the airway and reduce the oxygen you can take in, which again can cause seizures.
 
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