What do you do after a seizure?

[BeckyT]

I've had seizures at night for the last 15 years. Most of the time they are partial seizures, but once in a while they are grand mal. Usually after them I just go back to bed. If its close enough to the normal time I take them the next morning, I'll just take that dose. After partial ones I am fine to go about my day, but grand mal makes me tired and feel "off", but I'm still fine to go about my day.

Recently, I've been trying to switch medications and with that I've had them during the day! Usually once every two months or so. Mostly partial ones every two hours or so. My question is what do YOU do after you've had a seizure? The first time it happened, it was because I forgot to take my morning dose and I was tired and problably stressed, so it was the perfect storm. I slept it off and was better the next day.

The second time I had them during the day, I went to the ER and it turns out I had a UTI. I didn't feel like I had one, so I never would have found out that was the cause on my own. After that visit, I have been prescribed Ativan to take in case they don't stop having them and that usually solves the problem, I fall asleep and the next day I am fine. I call my doctor the next day, but I can't really schedule an appointment because it takes 9 months to see them!!! At this point she just ends up upping my dosage, but now it's getting pretty high, i am now at 200 mg in the morning and 300 mg at night of lemotregine. I've also taken 600 mg in the morning and 900 mg at night or trileptal for the last 15years.

I guess most people with epilepsy have them during the day
But it's so sporadic and different for me to have them during the day that it's worrisome and I feel like there is a cause. Perhaps it's the new meds causing it, but the doctor isn't worried about it.

So what do you do? Jus accept it and wait it out?

(Sorry for the long post)

 

[finalpoet]

I've had epilepsy now for 8.5 years. When I have a partial, about once a week, I'm usually at home, I just sit down to be safe, if no grand mal follows then I just shake it off and continue whatever I was doing. If it's a grand mal then I wake up and I'm so tired I usually head to bed.

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[gymrat827]

CBD rich mj, (medical), prescription grade Dramamine because i will want to drink lots of water and if i don't take it ill just throw it all u.p.

sleep for 3-7hrs. Try to write stuff down so i can remember some of what happened. I use to have grand mals, memory wasnt an issue then.


But now partial complex, or simple partials.........Memory is gone. 100% of it for a 36hr period all around the time i had it.

 

[Daroswene]

Hi Becky,

Most of my partials happen when I'm asleep or about to go to sleep. For those, I sleep afterwards. Sometimes they happen during the day or when I'm at the hotel with my husband (where he works), he makes sure I sit down and am safe. Afterwards, I continue on with the show we were watching. A few times, he has asked I was feeling when he got up, saying I had a seizure, but I never remembered it.

For my grand mals, I get the linens and blankets to the laundry and start washing them and take a bath. Afterwards, I go ahead and take my next dose of medicines since I will probably sleep a lot afterwards. I also take an Advil or muscle relaxer, since I'm usually sore a few hours later.

Back in April or May, I tried to go low carb like my husband (I really need to lose weight too), but I started having very quick and frequent micro seizures. It felt like I was having them, but no one noticed anything. I told my husband to get me some cookies and ate those, and those seizures stopped. My family doctor didn't think dropping my carbs that rapidly would have caused a problem, but it was the only change I had made compared to the previous month.


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[valeriedl]

I have seizures when I'm awake and asleep. Unless someone sees me have the seizure I usually don't know that I've had it unless I did something during the seizure. When I have one during my sleep at night might wake up in the morning with cheek chewed out and I've done several goofy things while I'm awake that let me know I've had it.

After a seizure I'm usually tired and will just lay down and go to sleep. I might be very tired the next day too. Sometimes I might have a really bad headache.

Do you take the right meds at the right times regularly every day? If I don't do this I'm prone to have a seizure. I keep my meds separated out in pill cases and I have an alarm set on my cell phone to make sure I take them on time. If I didn't do this I know that I'd be taking the wrong meds at the wrong times, taking them an hour or two later or even not at all because I wasn't paying attention to what time it is.

 

[Nakamova]

Becky, do you keep a record of your seizures? It's a good idea to make a note of when they happen, how long they last, how frequently they occur and what happens. It's also useful to track other factors like diet, sleep habits, hormonal changes, stressors, illnesses, etc. That info might help you identify patterns or triggers, and it will also give a sense of whether your seizures are evolving in any way. The new meds might well be a factor in the daytime seizures. I never had any kind of partial seizure (only tonic-clonics) until I tried Zonisamide, which caused some odd, mild auras. Eventually I had to switch off of it.

So, keep a journal and don't be afraid to push your neuro to make changes if you're not happy with how the meds are working. Remember, the neuro works for you, not the other way around.

 

[Porkette]

Hi Becky,

Every time after I have a seizure I just try to keep going on I found if I lay down and go back to sleep I get a bad headache.
You may want to talk to your Dr. and have a sleep study done along with an e.e.g. I had this done and they found I was having seizures in my sleep and then again when I got up. My Dr. put me on vimpat and they ended I also use CBD and that has made a big change in my life for the better and my seizures have reduced. As Nakamova mentioned get a calendar and keep track of your seizures and you may see a pattern in them, this will also be helpful to your neuro. I wish you the best of luck and May God Bless You!

Sue

 

[Topcat]

If it's tonic-clonic I just want to sleep. If it's a Focal/partial I just keep on trucking. Those don't slow me down.

 

[Juju26]

I've been dealing with epilepsy since 2013, so almost 5yrs now.

I like to look at the most I accomplish after some seizures if I can't put off what needs to be done and how I choose to rest after some seizures.

This week for example I had 2 nocturnal seizures, I still chose to go to work Tuesday, thinking I would feel fine...I was wrong and went home early. But Thursday this week I chose to stay and complete my shift.

Throughout my life I have had multiple seizures outside my home as well as home. The day of the seizure I feel fine and many times I continue to go to work. Sometimes in the morning while getting ready for work, I'll come to in a different room and look around not remembering the last several minutes with a bit tongue. "Oh well", and I continue to get ready for work.

If I'm home, I continue to stay up on my computer, PS3 or sometimes I have actually left home to run some errands.

THE DAY AFTER!!!!! I don't know what it is, it's like the day after excising for the first time, I'm weak from head to toe, my muscles are sore, I have a headache and I call it quits for the day.

All seizures are not created equal, even all grand mal seizures don't effect me the same. I just have to take them as they come.

 

[Sabbo]

For me, it depends on the seizure. I'm totally aware during simple partials--I can feel them coming on. I try to look at my watch as soon as they start so that I can note it in my diary. Then I close my eyes & (sometimes) lower my head. Complex Partials, however, are another story. Unless there is a witness or I do something to myself/my surroundings I'm completely unaware that one has even occurred. I get as much info as possible from those around me, and enter it into my seizure diary.

 

[seagull]

Sleep if I can and pray don't get migraine

 

[Daroswene]

For me, it depends on the seizure. I'm totally aware during simple partials--I can feel them coming on. I try to look at my watch as soon as they start so that I can note it in my diary. Then I close my eyes & (sometimes) lower my head. Complex Partials, however, are another story. Unless there is a witness or I do something to myself/my surroundings I'm completely unaware that one has even occurred. I get as much info as possible from those around me, and enter it into my seizure diary.

Some of my complex partials have been like that- my husband would ask me the next morning, 'you know you had a seizure, right?'


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[seizing more]

Wow

BeckyT we are very similar in our seizures, my 1st 1 was a daytime gran mal 15 yrs ago, I've had a few daytime drop seizures, and now nocturnal. It's rough, sometimes I loose my bladder(a gran mal) 99% of the time I don't, when I finally come around my heart is racing like it's going to beat out my chest, I'm scared to death, like I've seen a ghost. Sometimes I can go to work following sometimes not

 

[Buddy's owner]

Sleep. I always come round with a migraine so pain relief is always at the ready waiting for me to come round.

 

[Sabbo]

I've burned myself severely--2nd & 3rd degree--during some of my complex partials. And that's while family members were at home, asleep upstairs! I have burned myself so many times & so severely that I no longer to the hospital. T last time I went, they actually thought that my family members were abusing me!
In a recent complex partial, I was at the counter preparing my children's lunches for school--the next thing I knew, I was coming to on the floor behind the sofa!