Did I have a seizure?

[Erinkh]

Hello, I am a 31 year old mom of 3.  I had a really scary experience on Monday.  The is what I remember.....Shortly after I left work, I had this weird smell come over me, then I felt like I was in a dream.  I've had this feeling before but maybe 8-10 times in the last 12 years but that was it, nothing ever happens after that....  Then, all of the sudden I felt like I couldn't see & felt in a panic & like my mind was racing.  Not sure why I kept driving but I did.  I ended up about 5 miles from work & my husband called, I felt like I was coming out of whatever I was in & then while I was talking to him, It felt like my car was stalling (twice).  I thought I was telling my husband about it but he said that I said something totally different.  About that time, a man came up to my car window claiming I rear-ended him (twice).  I had no clue what he was talking about & he kept asking me for my insurance but I was clueless, I felt stupid,confused, disoriented & I was getting really frustrated with him & he was obviously frustrated with me.  I handed the phone to the man & my husband told him that something had to be wrong with me because of the way I was talking & I wasn't making any sense.  Finally the police & paramedics arrived.  I remember the paramedics pricking my finger but I'm not sure why, I started getting a major headache & was sweating (but sweating at 4:30pm in Texas is normal).  My husband finally got there & took me to the ER, they did bloodwork which showed anemia & my glucose was a little low (that was after the paramedics gave me some gatorade).  The CT scan was clear.  I went to a neurologist the next morning, I told him what happened & he did a lot tests with touch, sound, reflexes, comparing senses on both sides of my body, etc, etc.  That was all normal.  I have a MRI & EEG scheduled for tomorrow.  I am really scared & worried.  What do you think happened?  & if I had a seizure, how did I drive so far without total consiousness the whole time?  This is really weird & freaking me out.  Oh, I started taking an herbal diet pill about 3-4 weeks ago which is an appetite suppressant & also clenses your system (if you know what I mean), had eaten sushi for lunch & an english muffin for breakfast.  Not sure if that has anything to do with what happened.

[ldonnelly]

What happened to me? The other day I went to check on my daughter, I started to feel weird, like the feeling you get when your going to pass out. So I sat down and I was sweating everywhere! I felt dizzy and not right, then my other daughter came and and said mommy stop freaking me out, your freaking me out, stop staring! I remember talking to her, telling her Im ok, but it was like everything was in slow motion. I told her to go get my mom in the other room. I could hear her telling my mom that I was leaning against the wall staring and shaking. I coughed, then threw up a little. After my mom put cold rags on me for a while, I finally felt a little better, but I was so tired, like I hadn't slept in days tired! What happen to me??

[brittaaanyfite]

Hi, my name is Brittany, I am 18 years old and one year ago I was diagnosed with wpw. For the past 3 years I have been experiencing rapid heart beats. I often had spells where my heart would race up to 160 bpm , except on two occasions. About two weeks ago I was at amigos with my family about to get dinner and I was on my phone, showing my parents a funny picture I had.. all the sudden my head started spinning. I could see but then again I could Not. I knew immediately something was seriously wrong. I uncontrollably grabbed my father's arm tight and told him to call 911 . I really don't remember it. I knew what was going on, then I would forget... everything was fuzzy. It felt everything was fake, so hard to expain. I could feel a few uncontrollable twitched, they were short. Mostly in my right hand/arm. While my parents were calling 911 they made me lay there while I wanted for the ambulance, I could Not cry, I knew what was going on.. but didn't understand. My heart was racing, I could hardly breath at all. I knew I was about to die. I said a prayer and told my Mom I was dying, and I loved her. It was so hard to breath my hands were going numb and after This all happened my mother told me my face went from blue to purple around my mouth I was pail. The ambulance came and tool my blood sugar, it was low so they gave me a tube of sugar. This whole ordeal lasted about 8 minuets and it was over. Still light headed after it was over. What exactly happened to me? This only happened This bad one other time. Since then I had cardiac ablation 2weeks ago after the last spell... I've been fine but will This happen again? Was it a seizure? Please help me, Thank you

[brittaaanyfite]

Hi, my name is Brittany, I am 18 years old and one year ago I was diagnosed with wpw. For the past 3 years I have been experiencing rapid heart beats. I often had spells where my heart would race up to 160 bpm , except on two occasions. About two weeks ago I was at amigos with my family about to get dinner and I was on my phone, showing my parents a funny picture I had.. all the sudden my head started spinning. I could see but then again I could Not. I knew immediately something was seriously wrong. I uncontrollably grabbed my father's arm tight and told him to call 911 . I really don't remember it. I knew what was going on, then I would forget... everything was fuzzy. It felt everything was fake, so hard to expain. I could feel a few uncontrollable twitched, they were short. Mostly in my right hand/arm. While my parents were calling 911 they made me lay there while I wanted for the ambulance, I could Not cry, I knew what was going on.. but didn't understand. My heart was racing, I could hardly breath at all. I knew I was about to die. I said a prayer and told my Mom I was dying, and I loved her. It was so hard to breath my hands were going numb and after This all happened my mother told me my face went from blue to purple around my mouth I was pail. The ambulance came and tool my blood sugar, it was low so they gave me a tube of sugar. This whole ordeal lasted about 8 minuets and it was over. Still light headed after it was over. What exactly happened to me? This only happened This bad one other time. Since then I had cardiac ablation 2weeks ago after the last spell... I've been fine but will This happen again? Was it a seizure? Please help me, Thank you

[Erinkh]

Does anyone take Lamictal for seizures?  I never took the Trileptal that the first neuro prescribed.  My new neuro said Trileptal can cause anxiety & depression.  I already have some anxiety so I don't need that.  I've taken Lamictal (25mg) for 6 days.  I really don't feel anything yet.  I did have a simple partial seizure on Sunday am right as I was waking up.  Nothing big.  But, I haven't had a seizure since 9/6/07.  I hope this doesn't mean the med isn't working or making me have seizures.  I don't want to have to take several meds to find the right one....it's bad enough to have to take anything....

Erin

[medco]

hi - i take something similar to trileptal called carbamazepine.

trileptal is scientifically referred to as oxcarbazepine. oxcarbazepine is a derivative of carbamazepine. essentially, it's carbamazepine with an additional O2.

i believe this extra oxygen atom helps prevent anemia.

the most common side effect of oxcarbazepine is tiredness. other side-effects include nausea, headache, vomiting, dizziness, and blurred vision. It may also affect blood sodium levels, so you should get a blood test every 6 months.

the only real significant side effect i ever got was tiredness. people on oxcarbazepine usually experience even fewer side effects compared to those taking carbamazepine.

overall, it's a good drug that is widely used with few side effects.

just a side note - i think some metabolite of oxcarbazepine is released in breast milk.

[Erinkh]

oh- my dr prescribed me Trileptal - 300mg every 12 hrs, then once I get used to it, I will take 450mg every 12 hrs.  Does anyone have any experience with this medication?  I don't like taking medication so I hope there are little to no side effects.  

[Erinkh]

I just got back from the neurologists.....the mri & eeg were "normal"....no signs of a seizure...But, I still have to take an anti-seizure medication (UGH!) because he believes that it was a form of a seizure that I had last monday & the few little episodes I've had since I was 18 were a form of a seizure also.  I also had my thyroid & iron checked this morning, I hope to get the results tomorrow.  I am going to have a repeat eeg in a few months because he could tell that I wasn't completely relaxed during the test.  Anyway, I guess the "results" are not as bad as they could have been.  I just don't want to take the medication.  
Thank you for your responses!!
Erin

[medco]

it sounds like you're experiencing anxiety from the initial incident. an inability to focus your eyes is related to a host of different disorders, most notably depression.

high levels of sugar may cause seizures, but this finding may be completely unrelated.

it is possible for stress to exacerbate seizures - if indeed you experienced a seizure, you should look for ways to lower your stress. keep in mind that things always seem worse when you're under stress (e.g. feeling that your marriage is in peril).

once you receive your diagnosis, hopefully things will improve.

keep us updated!

[Erinkh]

Sorry, one more thing.....I felt pretty good this weekend but on the way to work this morning I felt really really tired, then I started to feel panic-y.  I pulled my car over for a minute to make sure I wasn't having another "episode" like last Monday.  I seemed to be ok so I continued on.  I started feeling panic-y again just before I got here but now I am ok (sort of).  I feel extremly exhausted & sort-of out of it....a little floaty, & maybe off balance a little.  I had 3 small powdered donuts before I left home.  Not sure if the sugar had anything to do with it or not.  Oh- I requested my blood results from the ER & my glucose was a little high, not low.  It was 111.  I have an appt tomorrow with the neurologist, he will give me my MRI & EEG results then.  I am driving myself crazy not knowing what is wrong w/ me.  AND on top of it all, my marriage sucks & that is stressing me out too.
Erin  

[Erinkh]

another symptom I have had in the past is my eyes moving side to side.  I haven't had this much but it's usually when I am watching TV or working on my computer.  It usually goes away when I look away from the screen.  What could that be?  

[medco]

yes, the flashing strobe lights and the technician asking you to breathe quickly are designed to provoke changes in brain activity. a lot of the time, however, people with epilepsy have normal MRI and EEG results.

overall, i believe around 10% of people in the world have had one seizure, and many never experience a second one.

[Erinkh]

Thank you for your response.  I have not taken any diet pills since the incident.  I am really scared to do anything un-natural right now.  I had my EEG & MRI today but have not heard from my dr yet.  I guess I won't know anything until Tuesday.  The MRI wasn't bad...the EEG wasn't too bad either but I had to breath in & out quickly for 3 minutes as if I was in a race, by the 3rd minute, I thought I was going to have a panic attack, I didn't like that at all.  The flashing lights didn't bother me at all.  But who knows what my brain was doing during all of that.  

[medco]

from what you described, you may have had a simple partial seizure that morphed into a complex partial seizure. it could have been due to low blood sugar, but there may have been a different underlying cause.

you should see a neurologist that specializes in epilepsy, and in the meantime, discontinue taking those diet pills.