Are they seizures?

[hous11212]

I have a question about my mother, who is 62 years old.  I am very concerned and honestly do not know what to do.  She has had "episodes" where she will all of a sudden and abruptly (sometimes in the middle of a sentence) emit a sort of "hm,hm,hm" type laugh, and start having strange body spasms.  She will typically fold up one of her arms and her fingers will move extremely fast, as though she is furiously playing a guitar.  If she is sitting down, she may grab onto the side of the chair with her other hand.  She sometimes picks at her clothing.  She typically leans forward and will sometimes smack her lips together and stick out her tongue.  Usually her eyes are closed during this phase, and she is utterly nonresponsive.  The abnormal movements will gradually slow down and stop and then she will open her eyes and immediately start having a coughing fit.  She seems extremely confused and disoriented for a while, sometimes for only a few seconds but sometimes for a few minutes.  The entire "episode" always lasts for a short time, and once she recovers, she seems perfectly normal and does not complain of anything.  

I have noticed that her episodes will differ depending on what she is doing when they begin.  For example, if she happens to be holding something when it begins, then she will hold onto that object and does not do the finger movement.  She has never fallen or hurt herself in any way due to these episodes.  I first suspected that they were something psychological (her husband committed suicide less than three years ago), but now I am not sure.  

The "episodes" occur randomly, but mostly in the evenings shortly after dinner.  They most often occur when she is sitting down, but have also occurred standing up.  Again, she has never fallen.  I honestly do not know if she has ever had such an episode while sleeping.  

I have also noticed that, in addition to these episodes, she constantly has a lot of "twitching" or "jerking" in her fingers on both hands.  This seems to be the case nearly all of the time.  

  I understand that you have not personally witnessed anything, but do these sound like they could be epileptic seizures?  I know that I need to get her to a doctor, but the hard part is convincing her.  She has absolutely no recollection of these events whatsoever, so does not even realize that anything has happened.  She is also kind of suspicious of doctors, so it is not easy to convince her.  I actually recorded a video of one of her episodes, but am somewhat concerned that showing it to her may traumatize her.  

I would greatly appreciate your feedback as to what these symptoms may mean, and how potentially serious they may be, and what I should do next.  Thank you very much.

[geebop1978]

Hi there i agree with  zmombomb that it sounds like epileptic seizures,  but a neurologist would be able to run some tests (eeg,  ct scan) to confirm this.
its important to get it checked out maninly because it has happened more than once but more importanntly to make sure that its not something more serious causing these episodes.  epilepsy can have no apparent reason but can also occur due to an underlying cause.  theres lots of different types of epilepsy and seizures.  if you can't talk to your mum about these episodes maybe explaining why you are worried will help her understand why she needs to see a doctor.  showing the video to a Dr epsecially a neurologist would be the best thing to do,  and as you have been there when a episode has occured you would be able to describe events leading up to the attack and what happened.  i would also advise keeping a diary of these episodes in as much detail as possible as this will also help with a diagnosis.  
i hope this helps,  wishing you and your mum the very best.
kindest regards
Geebop

[zmombomb]

LOOK WHAT I FOUND ON THE MAYO CLINIC ******* SITE!!!

A temporal lobe seizure starts in the part of the brain that processes emotions. Many people who have these seizures experience odd feelings — ranging from euphoria to fear — at the onset of their seizures.

Because it's typically localized to one part of the brain, temporal lobe seizure is classified as a type of complex partial seizure.

The temporal lobes lie along the sides of your head, just above your ears. Seizures that begin in those lobes often stem from an anatomical defect or scar. But many temporal lobe seizures have an undetermined cause.

These types of seizures affect all age groups. People who have temporal lobe seizures usually remain conscious during a seizure, but they lose awareness of their surroundings and rarely remember what happened. Signs can include lip-smacking or picking at clothes.

Temporal lobe seizures are particularly resistant to anti-seizure medications. Surgery may be a good option for many people, especially if their seizures consistently begin in the same location within the temporal lobe. Many people become seizure-free when the affected portion of the lobe is removed.

[zmombomb]

Lately doctors and that privacy issue have made it very difficult to care for others.  I personally think they are some type of seizure, but I'm not a doctor.  There are websites that will tell you the different types of seizures, some being where the person just sits and stares.  

If you cannot show her the video of herself, then I would ask her who her doctor is, and SEND HIM A COPY OF THE VIDEO and ask him/her to please help you!  Or show it to your own doctor and ask what he/she thinks is the next course of action.  

Good luck, and please keep us informed.  

Thanks.