Simple Partial Seizures = Never Will Get A Grand Mal Seizure?

[davidmc]

The last neurologist I saw Dr Wieshmann told me that as I only have partial seizures, that I will never have a grand mal seizure. In fact, he actually said "I can promise you that."

I am just wondering if this is true?

Also I don't know what happened ages ago but I woke up and my laptop was covered in a milk like substance (the milk was unused in the fridge where I had put it so it wasn't milk and the kitchen door was shut like always, there were no other products in the house it could have been, so I'm wondering if I foamed at the mouth or somthing), and some keys damaged on it. I still have no idea what happened to my laptop but it caused damage to it until eventually it stopped working and had to be repaired using parts of another laptop and a plug in keyboard (so it's not so portable now), like I said, i don't know what happened, but wasn't sure if it was worth mentioning in this post.

 

[CQ:)]

I have taken both grandmal & partial seizures. I used to take grandmal seizures as a baby/ toddler. The seizures stopped for 22 years & in 2002 I started taken seizures again.

In the last 9 years I have mainly had partial seizures but have the odd grandmal seizure as well.

 

[davidmc]

I have taken both grandmal & partial seizures. I used to take grandmal seizures as a baby/ toddler. The seizures stopped for 22 years & in 2002 I started taken seizures again.

In the last 9 years I have mainly had partial seizures but have the odd grandmal seizure as well.

Thanks/ The neurologist said if I was going to have a grand mal, I would have had it by now and that I definately won't have the grand mal seizures.

 

[k2s4ever]

I have probable SPS myself, neuro thinks it's more migraine, but I'm back to thinking it's more than likely SPS. I have olfactory and gustatory auras that are an unpleasant burn smell and variants of that.
I asked neuro if I could progress to secondary generalized seizures if it is ever confirmed I have SPS/E, which are the big ones (tonic-clinic) and he did not think I was at huge risk with 4 years of auras especially the way the duration of the bad taste & smell persist for hours past the initial onset, but also said it's not a 100% guarantee.
Most things I have read are congruent with that, that SPS can *sometimes* progress. Again-just what I've read-I'm certainly not a medical professional. And things written on the internet aren't gospel either as we all know. Believe me, I would love to be 100% certain I'd never progress. Yes, would love to know it was NEVER! I wonder if there is a study on how many simple partial only people eventually had a secondary generalized.
I've had symptoms since 2007. It's never progressed. But I still keep it in the back of my mind and strive to find the right med combination to suppress the auras. Nothing has gotten rid of them, but I'm on Keppra & now Lamictil (just started three days ago).

 

[momof3boys]

I was dx'd with E when I was 18 months old. As a child I had complex partial seizures, and grand mal seizures. My last grand mal was in 2000. Since then, Ive had complex partial seizures, and in March after being taken Cold Turkey off both Keppra XR and Carbatrol ER for a VEEG, I was left with having simple partial seizures. Now I was off all medications for 3.5 days, but I didnt have a grand mal during that time period. My neuro believes I have outgrown the grand mal seizures and what is left, is what I had during the VEEG.

But now I have to proof to him that what he thinks were Non-Epileptic seizures occuring during the VEEG, (when he saw me on video having one) other times when i was hooked up during the VEEG, and not having a seizure, I had epileptic activity in my left temporal lobe, indicating I have epilepsy, I have to proof to him that what he believes are non-epileptic seizures, are really a withdrawal of abruptly stopping the Medications Ive taken the past 12 years of my life. Ive never in my entire life been taken off any anti-seizure medications cold turkey. Ive been weaned off slowly to get to new ones, but never abtruptly taken off any like that before.

The reason why I think its due to being cold turkey'd is because once I was put back on the Keppra, and increased my dose to 3000mgs, everything went away. No more seizures took place. From my understanding, if they were truely non-epileptic seizures, the Keppra shouldnt have been able to stop them. onder:

 

[Nakamova]

The last neurologist I saw Dr Wieshmann told me that as I only have partial seizures, that I will never have a grand mal seizure. In fact, he actually said "I can promise you that."

Your Dr. Wieshmann is wrong. Simple partial seizures can definitely generalize into tonic-clonics. You can have one kind of seizure, and over time they can progress into a different kind of seizure.

Before my first tonic-clonics I would have very occasional episodes of flashing patterns in front of my eyes, which I thought were migraine-related, although I never got the headache part. I would also experience my hands jerking, usually in a situation where I put them over my head. And I remember at least one or two of those moments when it feels like someone has flicked the switch on and off in your brain for a fraction of a second -- just long enough to lose your place in a conversation and have to bluff your way back. All these symptoms were so tiny, and so infrequent, that I completely ignored them over the years. Then I had my first grand mals -- since then, I've never had any more of the partial seizure symptoms described above. I only have grand mals. So yes, partials seizures can eventually turn into grand mals.

This doesn't necessarily mean that that will happen to you davidmc, but it can happen.

 

[davidmc]

Thanks for the answers.

Your Dr. Wieshmann is wrong. Simple partial seizures can definitely generalize into tonic-clonics. You can have one kind of seizure, and over time they can progress into a different kind of seizure.

I did wonder if he was wrong especially with his statement "As it it doesn't affect your lower body, it's not epilepsy."
It does affect my lower body, the auras start there, and I have, on occassion, fell because of being unable to control my legs. But he ignored that as he already had his diagnosis made up in his mind.

 

[mel239]

I have complex partials and simple partials of my left temporal lobe that are extremely brief and I remember my epi telling me that when he saw my eeg that even if I had never had a seizure he would never get on a plane if i was the pilot

 

[davidmc]

I have complex partials and simple partials of my left temporal lobe that are extremely brief and I remember my epi telling me that when he saw my eeg that even if I had never had a seizure he would never get on a plane if i was the pilot

Unfortunately my EEGs haven't shown up anything (only had two though), never had a video one though as that was cancelled by the neurologists.

 

[Chel]

The epilepsy nurse who was on counselling duties when I phoned our Society late last year, assured me that I was likely to progress from sps to tonic-clonic. It wasn't what I wanted to hear, but she told me many things I didn't want to hear, that day.

 

[Endless]

Also I don't know what happened ages ago but I woke up and my laptop was covered in a milk like substance (the milk was unused in the fridge where I had put it so it wasn't milk and the kitchen door was shut like always, there were no other products in the house it could have been, so I'm wondering if I foamed at the mouth or somthing), and some keys damaged on it. I still have no idea what happened to my laptop but it caused damage to it until eventually it stopped working and had to be repaired using parts of another laptop and a plug in keyboard (so it's not so portable now), like I said, i don't know what happened, but wasn't sure if it was worth mentioning in this post.

When I have complex partials I do and say really nutty stuff. People think I'm conscious, but I'm not. During complex partials people can walk, talk, do simple/rote tasks, etc. that may or may not make sense, but won't remember a thing about it. It's entirely possible that you had a complex partial, picked up this substance (doesn't sound like spit, really) and dumped it on your computer.

I've woken up in the middle of the night, outside in the pouring rain, no shoes or coat. Thank god I still had pajamas on. It means I got up, unlocked a door, and went down the stairs outside, all during a complex partial seizure. Since then I've put a double-sided lock on my door. Inside the house means I'm INSIDE the house.

I wouldn't worry so much about what's on your computer. I'd worry more about how it got there. It could point to what kind of seizure you had.

 

[mel239]

I have done nutty stuff too like grabbing cans of tuna out of a ladies shopping cart but i know my epi was very adamant about stopping the seizures irregardless of the side effects because he said after a year of no good med relief,it had gone on long enough

 

[davidmc]

When I have complex partials I do and say really nutty stuff. People think I'm conscious, but I'm not. During complex partials people can walk, talk, do simple/rote tasks, etc. that may or may not make sense, but won't remember a thing about it. It's entirely possible that you had a complex partial, picked up this substance (doesn't sound like spit, really) and dumped it on your computer.

I've woken up in the middle of the night, outside in the pouring rain, no shoes or coat. Thank god I still had pajamas on. It means I got up, unlocked a door, and went down the stairs outside, all during a complex partial seizure. Since then I've put a double-sided lock on my door. Inside the house means I'm INSIDE the house.

I wouldn't worry so much about what's on your computer. I'd worry more about how it got there. It could point to what kind of seizure you had.

I've often notied lights turned on when I've got up, don't know if this is relevent to anything though. But I find it difficult to sleep with lights on, so always turn them all off before I go to bed.

I have done nutty stuff too like grabbing cans of tuna out of a ladies shopping cart but i know my epi was very adamant about stopping the seizures irregardless of the side effects because he said after a year of no good med relief,it had gone on long enough

My neurologists didn't care about stopping the seizures, had 13 years of no treatment.

I have a friend who has is on anti-depressants, and he had a load of awful side effects.
I had sleeping problems, and nothing was helping. My GP said I could try anti-depressants but they have unpleasant side effects. I hesitated and almost said yes, the seizures were really getting me down. Yet I had always vowed never to take anti-depressants. I said I don't know and then thought "Has it come to this? What are these idiots [the neurologists] getting paid for?" That night I was determined to find something that could help, stayed up most of the night. Then I cam across Topamax and headaches and thought "Bingo" lol
I did get headaches, so did eventually manage to get Topamax prescribed.

 

[CQ:)]

When I have complex partials I do and say really nutty stuff. People think I'm conscious, but I'm not. During complex partials people can walk, talk, do simple/rote tasks, etc. that may or may not make sense, but won't remember a thing about it.

I've woken up in the middle of the night, outside in the pouring rain, no shoes or coat. Thank god I still had pajamas on. It means I got up, unlocked a door, and went down the stairs outside, all during a complex partial seizure. Since then I've put a double-sided lock on my door. Inside the house means I'm INSIDE the house.

I'm the same Endless. With most of my partial seizures I will either stare into space & look frozen or say & do strange things. There have been a few times where I have been walking down the street & had a partial seizure, I usually just kept walking during the seizure. When i've come out of the seizure I have either been in a different street or very breifly forgotten where I was or when I left home.

 

[CQ:)]

I've often notied lights turned on when I've got up, don't know if this is relevent to anything though. But I find it difficult to sleep with lights on, so always turn them all off before I go to bed.

If you don't already keep an epilepsy diary, maybe you should start a diary writing down anything that you find strange eg - having the lights turned on when you woke up or the foamy stuff on your keyboard because it could be all seizure related.

I used to wake up & find things in my room where they weren't there when i went to bed or clothes were pulled out of my wardrobe when I knew they were in the wardrobe the night before.
When I asked my neurologist he said it was just sleep walking. I didn't think it was sleep walking because I don't think I've ever sleep walked before plus these type of 'episodes' only happened the last couple of years.
I thought it was more likely that the 'episodes' were seizure related because quite often when I did have one of these episodes I would have a really bad headache (type of headache I got when I had a seizure). When I saw an epitiologist last year I asked him about the 'sleep walking episodes' & he told me that it is more then likely that I was having seizures in my sleep.

 

[mel239]

I remember one time my 18 yr old brought me in off the front porch in middle of night but i had gone down to driveway and pulled big garbage can up and refused to go in house without it--must have thought we would have a lot of garbage that night lol!

 

[Endless]

I've often notied lights turned on when I've got up, don't know if this is relevent to anything though. But I find it difficult to sleep with lights on, so always turn them all off before I go to bed.
.

Oh! How I relate to this! This is when I was living with my parents as a young person. Starting in my late teens the lights would turn on and off in the night. All of us swore we didn't do it. Dad had an electrician check out all the wiring and switches to make sure everything was okay, and it was.

So we reached the most logical conclusion - our house was haunted!

Yes, in our minds that of all the possible reasons, it was most probable that the house was haunted. It never occured to us that someone in the family had epilepsy because we'd never heard of partial seizures.

Weird stuff kept happening throughout my life - things disappearing, things moved to crazy places, stuff being knocked over. All this due to the "ghost." It obviously liked me best because it followed me and kept doing nutty stuff when I moved away to school, and then away again to my own home. lol...

 

[elizzza811]

I have complex partial seizures, and my neurologist thinks that one of them 'generalized' because I apparently began clenching my fists, according to a witness. Maybe not a full-blown tonic clonic, but never say never...that's my attitude.

 

[lovemyladybug]

if i've learned one thing over the last 10 yrs w/E , it's that i should NEVER just take what my docs have to say & go with it !!! as far as your situation goes it sure did happen to me !