simple partial question

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arnie

arnie

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I pretty much only have simple partial seizures any more, but I had about 300 last year. I've only had 9 so far this year. I stay perfectly conscious throughout them, but apparently I always do a lip-smacking sort of behavior. (Also, I always think that no one is noticing, although my family always knows, and strangers probably think: "wtf is he doing?") The odd thing is, I am NEVER aware of doing the lip smacking, even when I know I'm having a seizure and trying to notice if I'm doing it. I was having one yesterday evening while talking to my wife. I was figuring she would not notice so I kept on talking. Although I was saying the right things, and looking at the clock to see what time it was so I could write it down, and thinking I was only talking, my wife told me to stop talking until I was through with the seizure because I was smacking my lips a lot and it sounded really strange that I was trying to talk at the same time.

The question is: Does anyone else maintain a complete awareness of pretty much everything, while doing some behavior that you are completely unaware of? Thanks for answering. Seizures can get old, can't they?
 
Yes, I am aware of what is going on when I have simple partial seizures. They start out by getting a really strange odd feeling, like I just am not all there... then comes the racing heart beat, nausea in my stomach, and my head will then turn to the right. Its almost as if someone is taking my head and physically turning it for me. It just does it on its own... then I begin to stiffen and jerk. Id say they last for about a minute. But I am aware of whats going on while they are in full swing. I can hear what people are saying, I just cant respond back til its over.
 
I too am aware of people talking, I understand what they are talking about, I know where I'm at, but I can not respond in anyway.

I will smack my lips, swallow hard several times, will have lobster clam like movement in my hands. When I come out of the seiz. I have a horrible since of fear.
 
I keep awareness of my surroundings too and apparently chew and swallow excessively and i also pick at my clothes but i am unaware of my behaviours ....

Sometimes i can hear and see people and they are talking to me but if i try and talk my words come out all muddled up and Dont make sence ....

I never knew i was doing this stuff Untill i was talking to a friend from here on skype and he told me as he has now seen many
 
Completely aware. Could tell you anything you want to know, but can hardly say it. I rub my bf's arm to let him know (usually he can tell the second it starts tho), then just wait it out. He informed (at my first appt with my epileptologist - thanks buddy) us that I swallow repeatedly and wanted to know what that meant. She said, 'then that's not a simple partial, that's complex.' I have refused to believe her for a long time, b/c 9 out of 10 symptoms of a complex I don't have (according to him too).
But, swallowing is a sign of complex - as is clothes picking, so I feel caught in between. I have always stayed totally awake/aware. But like you arnie someone had to tell me i was doing it. Bleh.
 
I guess I'm not alone in that. It's really weird, though, isn't it, how we can be so aware of some stuff and absolutely unaware of other things? Also strange how simple and partial complex szs. have a lot of overlap.

I've been feeling pretty dragged out most of today, but I'm starting to feel better. I had a sz last night at 6, then one at 3 and 6 this morning. I guess they were fairly good size ones (either simple or complex, I guess. Probably they would be complex cuz of the lip-smacking.) They take it out of you, don't they?

Back to work!
 
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how I feel after completely depends on -what I was doing at the time, and -the strength of the seizure.
minor ones (like today) come and go pretty quick, not a bad recovery. but if i'm laying in bed at night watching a movie or something and have a strong, lengthy one out of nowhere, that's it. When it ends the blood drains out of my face from being so flushed, i get the chills, then go to sleep. Just wastes me.
 
I too am completely aware of my surroundings during the seizure. I was in the grocery store last week end when I had this feeling of dread and I just knew what was going to happen next. I made it through the check out got out side and my sister and mother were driving around the parking lot because I did'nt need a lot. So I'm standing out side my head turns to the right and my tongue starts moving in and out and make smacking noises. Fortunatly my sister saw what was happening and was there to help me. I usually cant stop my hand from picking at shirt pants hair ear whatever is close. The whole thing last about a minute or less I can hear people talking to me if I open my mouth just weird nose comes out. after its over life goes on..
 
As I said, even though I am aware I'm having a sz. I always tend to think that other people aren't noticing it. I think that people clearly do notice something but maybe aren't sure what it is so they don't say anything. One time I was talking to a friend, left to put the garbage out, had a little sz when I was outside, and when I came back in like a minute later he said: "What happened? You look like s--t!" I guess I had gotten really pale, which I think happens most of the time. Again, maybe strangers are just too polite to say anything, or don't know what to say.
 
I too had idea of what I did, until my husband told me. When I worked, I had one when it was over I had lipstick up to my nose and down my chin. I cleaned myself up, out my lipstick back and return to office.

My seizures have changed in the last 3 years. I don't do the lip smacking, swallowing AS often, and I don't have the lobster claw like movement.

They are so small this changed when Dr. added clonaeopam.
 
arnie said:
As I said, even though I am aware I'm having a sz. I always tend to think that other people aren't noticing it. I think that people clearly do notice something but maybe aren't sure what it is so they don't say anything. One time I was talking to a friend, left to put the garbage out, had a little sz when I was outside, and when I came back in like a minute later he said: "What happened? You look like s--t!" I guess I had gotten really pale, which I think happens most of the time. Again, maybe strangers are just too polite to say anything, or don't know what to say.
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Yes I had a lot of looks and people asking me if I was ok after my sister was there trying to take the grocery bags out of my hand. The public just doesn't have a clue. They only have one idea of a seizure is and have no clue that they can come in many different forms. That means its up to us to educate them.
 
You're right, Pita, people really don't know. There have been times when I have told people that I'm having a sz and they usually get worried and ask if they should do anything, or call 911 or whatever. I just tell them that it will go away and they won't have to worry. I guess that's why I mostly think/hope people won't even notice. It doesn't bother me in the least if people know I have E, but it's just easier not to have to deal with them worrying about it, or with trying to explain it, when I'm dealing with the sz and then getting back to normal. With people who know me better I have had lots of conversations about epilepsy and the different types of szs. etc.
I used to be a social worker in a hospital, for maybe 12 or 13 years, and it was really helpful that I could understand e and szs, because so many family members would start freaking out if the pt. had an unexpected sz, and the pt was always happy that it didn't bother me at all. Also, it helped that I could tell the family that I had a sz disorder and then they would see that perfectly "normal" (if that's what I am? :) ) high-functioning people can have epilepsy. There is still, I think, the stigma that epileptics are really abnormal freaks.
 
arnie do you feel flush, hot in the face and go really red? typical simple partial symptom. i ask b/c that would explain the paleness - once the partial's over the blood drains and many people go ghost white. can be for a minute or all day, myself i stay pale unless i put makeup on.
 
Sometimes I get pale and only pale. In the past couple of months I have had some where, instead of getting pale and having a cold sweat, my face gets hot and flushed. I don't know why the change. of course, there's a whole lot that's a mystery with e, isn't there?
 
I am completely aware of what's happening. Usually, I feel like my leg is numb and heavy (almost like it's asleep) and then, I get dizzy, followed by involuntary leg spasms.

My mom told me that it usually started by my thumb twitching a lot. I don't have any recollection of my thumb twitching though. She told me that my thumb would twitch, then I would have an involuntary arm movement, then pause, then my leg would spasm.

Other than that, I can tell you where I was, who I was with, how long it went on for and how many times I threw up after it stopped. lol
 
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