TLE & Temper!

[Elaine H]

I had a quick temper before being diagnosed with Right Temporal Lobe, in 1986, but, I'd just like to ask you guys, please, give me your experiences of, TLE, the proverbial "Short Fuse", either during a seizure, or afterwards, during the Post Ictal stage, do please let me know? I had an Atonic today, I was with a friend, in town, and as I gradually came round, two men had taken hold of me, wanting to call an ambulance. Apparently, I got extremely rude, aggressive and foul mouthed with the two men, which is really NOT my usual character, and, I don't remember very much about it at all, which is not unusual. My friend, finds it virtually impossible to accept, that I don't remember the event, that I was so rude, and that now, these two men, will probably never stop to help a person in trouble again.

I of course realise this, and all the more reason to understand, that I would not have snubbed their help on purpose, and tghat it's the condition that takes over me and my personality, I do not remember the event.

I might be able to salvage this precious friendship of ours, if I can make her realise that it's the condition that takes me over and not me being a total bitch!

I hope everyone on this wonderful site is happy and well and spreading the word in purple come the 26th March?

Best Wishes

Elaine

 

[seagull]

altered state of consiouness..show your friend the e identity card and should have it written what happens..Many times people have said seen me out and I not acknolwledge them I have no memory of it

 

[Elaine H]

Hi Seagul, wow, that was a quick reply honey, many thanks! What I meant was, I need other folk with E's experiences of being assumed to be ignorant and down right rude, I'm aware, having a qualification in Epilepsy Care & Management, that, as it's my Limbic System, and my Emotional Dp'mt is rife,I'm bound to be a little "lively" in character, but it's of course, society's problem in understanding this. I just wanted to show her that it wasn't just me.

 

[Frink]

During periods of increased seizure (R-TLE) activity I am definitely more irritable and rather grumpy, makes sense since my emotion center in my dominant temporal lobe is in fact being irritated from within.

When my seizures are well controlled I am much more pleasant, like a friendly Sasquatch, not cute enough to be a Teddy bear.

 

[Porkette]

Hi Elaine,
I also have right temporal lobe seizures and I have had a hot temper at times. According to my Epileptologist a person who has right temporal lobe epilepsy can be more emotional and sensitive because the right temporal lobe is where a person shows their emotions, when the neurons start to fire up in our brain that's one thing that will trigger a person to have a temper. I found that doing "Cold water therapy" has helped a lot. All you have to do is splash cold water on your face and the back of your neck 3 times a day at the same time or any time you feel a seizures coming on this in turn calms the neurons down in the brain stopping seizures and calming the emotions also. I found all this out after a medical study was done on me. They also had me take my temperature 3 times a day at the same time and anytime before I had a seizure and you cold see the records of how my temperature was a little higher before I had any seizure which showed neurons beginning to fire up but once I started the cold water therapy the seizures reduced greatly. Give it a try if you want and see if it helps. I wish you only the best and May God Bless You!

Sue

 

[lindsayschu2]

I've only had one TC that I know of for sure when I was married--but apparently I was the same afterwards. Very aggressive, argumentative, and hostile to the paramedics. I remember nothing of it, not until later in the ambulance. I'm not like that either--I also have TLE. It's just one manifestation of the seizure or postictal state, but not fun--my ex seemed embarrassed about it when he told me.

 

[Kgartner]

My daughter also has TLE, for her it is on her left side. After her first tonic-clonic seizure she was very agitated and argumentative with the EMTs that we called to help her. She was extremely confused at the time, and it was completely out of character for her. I of course had no experience with this at all, but could tell right away that her combativeness was simply the result of the seizure. She had a second tonic-clonic later that afternoon in the ambulance, and when she was coming out of it in the hospital she almost ripped her IV out of her arm! And she also has almost no recollection of any of these events - it takes her about 30 minutes after a big seizure to have an even basic understanding of what is going on around her.

I felt like I got a better understanding of this when she had a VEEG done a year later. Looking at her brain waves after a big seizure you can see that even after the "seizure event" is over, a person's brain waves are completely abnormal for quite a while. Expecting someone to behave "normally" after a serious seizure is totally absurd.

Feel free to share our story with your friend!

 

[Kgartner]

I had an Atonic today, I was with a friend, in town, and as I gradually came round, two men had taken hold of me, wanting to call an ambulance. Apparently, I got extremely rude, aggressive and foul mouthed with the two men, which is really NOT my usual character, and, I don't remember very much about it at all, which is not unusual. My friend, finds it virtually impossible to accept, that I don't remember the event, that I was so rude, and that now, these two men, will probably never stop to help a person in trouble again.

I just wanted to add that "taking hold" of someone who has just had a seizure is generally a bad idea, and very likely to bring out the combativeness that we are describing. Sometimes it is unavoidable, particularly if the person having the seizure is in a dangerous place, but in general it is better to give them space and just keep them safe that way until they start to be themselves again. This would be good for your friend to know, both for you, and for anyone else she might observe having a seizure in the future.

 

[Cint]

Hi Elaine,

As you know, I have temporal lobe epilepsy and also had brain surgery, but on the left side. I've also had many TCs and Cps and have been told that I've even attacked the paramedics while in the post-ictal stage. And years ago, when I had my very first TC while still at my parent's, my mother said I attacked her AND my father! I have NO recollection of it. This all does go with Temporal lobe epilepsy.

Look here:

http://www.epilepsy.com/learn/impact/thinking-and-memory/memory-and-seizures

http://www.epilepsy.com/learn/impact/moods-and-behavior

 

[acshuman]

Why Doesn't a Person Remember What They Did or Said During SEIZURE?

When a person is having a seizure, many times, they have lost consciousness and will react to happenings in a non-normal way!
I have had someone touch me during one of my seizures and I reacted in a violent way. Other than that time I have never done anything violently in my life.
I have never had anyone tell me that I said something in a foul way during a seizure, but I know that it can happen!
You CAN'T feel responsible for what was done! The 'body and brain' that did this was NOT THE REAL YOU!

ACsHuman

 

[gnault]

From what my wife told me after my seizure and I got the hospital I was very emotional but not aggressive. My told me I kept telling her that I loved her, asked her why I was there. I have scar tissue on the right temporal lobe and was diagnosed with right temporal lobe epilepsy disorder. I find that I show very little emotion and then all of a sudden I get short tempered. Not knowing what might have been the trigger all most feels like I have a ticking time bomb. Trying to control possible triggers when you don't even have a clue as to what may have trigger the tonic clonic.

I guess its better to be an emotional basket case then rude or foul with others.

Gilles

 

[Elaine H]

How can I have have taken my clothes off at inopportune moments during a seizure, and have no warning or memory of it??? I'll never get over the fact that I have done this twice, I find it hilarious really, that's the only way to deal with living with my Temporal Lobe and nowadays, since my Menopause, Atonic seizures.
I often wonder, what would have happened if the MD's secretary hadn't stopped me in time, and I'd gone into a board room full of men in my pink thong?!?!? I just stood there and took my suit off, blouse, bra, and she stopped me just in time as she came along with the tea and coffee tray!! OMG! I may have got a pay rise?! I was really slim then. I also stripped off in front off our post man during a seizure, Mark, my ex was there, and he dragged me away from the window before I started dancing about shaking my booty! What must he have thought, and I had no idea of either occasions? I think The Limbic System, in our Right Temp Lobe is fascinating, and I too get extremes of emotion very rapidly, it's awful. I had Sclerosis of the Right Temp Lobe caused by the forceps at birth, but that was on the brain's surface, I've wondered how my Hippocampus, which is deep in the brain can have become affected over the years, when my scar tissue was removed in 2000, and now,16 years later on, following a Right Temp Resection in 2008, I have a worse memory than ever,seemingly worsening by the day!!
My seizures are worse too, I have Cluster seizures now, and they are becoming very regular, I collapse anywhere and everywhere, I just wish I got a warning. I know when I'm in for a bad time with my Epilepsy a few days before, but that's it.

 

[Howll]

I don't think I have a a bad temper generally as a result of TLE, maybe it's because it's likely to be my left? however I have gotten rather agitated after a seizure. The last time I had one and the paramedics were called I was super stubborn that I did not want to go, and took some convincing. Then when they started doing their routine things on me I got even more agitated because I couldn't quite comprehend going on, lucky they didn't try to IV me because that probably woulda got ripped out. I did repeatedly take off the heart rate monitor or whatever it is they put on your finger lol!

 

[Porkette]

Hi Elaine,
When I went through menopause my seizures increased for awhile and then they decreased. Often I will have a seizure with no warning and then next thing I know I find myself in another room or location while at work, this happens when I have complex partial seizures. There's even been times when I've made a meal and I didn't realize it until after the seizure was over with.
When I had surgery done in 1994 I had 75% of the right temporal lobe removed do to scar tissue and all of the right hippocampus was removed also because I had so many seizures over the yrs. that the right hippocampus shrunk and became hard. I have found since the surgery I have a harder time remembering names and my short term memory isn't that good. Hopefully your clusters will end like mine did. I wish you only the best and May God Bless You!

Sue

 

[Elsie]

Does anybody get a really bad temper or short, etc. with no seizures? Lots of stress in life these past couple years, but sometimes I wonder why my personality is this bad. I'm just so mad all the time. I guess it's not all that bad to have a temper, better than taking my clothes off!

 

[valeriedl]

I don't consider this violent but during seizures I may be holding something and playing with it. When my husband tries to take it off of me I just won't give it up. As long as it's not something that I won't hurt myself with he'll just let me keep it. After I come out of the seizure I don't remember anything about it.

Does anybody get a really bad temper or short, etc. with no seizures? Lots of stress in life these past couple years, but sometimes I wonder why my personality is this bad. I'm just so mad all the time. I guess it's not all that bad to have a temper, better than taking my clothes off!

I do but I think it is a result of my Keppra causing Keprage. Just the smallest thing can set me off at times. My family will yell at me for doing things that I've done, like yelling at people in the grocery store for almost no reason, but I just can't help it.

My family did read about keprage and sort of understand and the yelling stopped but I think they forgot after a few months and the yelling started back up again.