Migraines or Complex Partial Seizures

The first time my wife ever had a symptom was when she first found out she was pregnant.  They said she was having seizures.  An MRI and EEG came back normal and the "spells" went away.  After she had the baby and start having menstral cycles again the "spells" came back, only this time with bad headaches.  Another EEG and MRI came back okay. She has been on seizure medication for 3 months and she still gets these spells.  She has headaches everyday and is totally exhausted in the evenings.  She can feel these spells coming on and can tell me she doesn't feel right and something is going to happen, he feet and legs get very heavy feeling, then she just stares off for about 30 seconds without moving or blinking.  Sometimes she says she can hear me, but it sounds like I'm a long ways away and she can't make herself answer.  She isn't on any migraine medication yet, could this be a type of migraine and not seizures at all?

[SaugerHawger]

Anybody had any experience with symptoms like this?

[mommalmt]

Yes. Almost exactly like that. I was finally diagnosed and treated at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. I was diagnosed with Chronic Acute Migraine Syndrome which, in my case, and it sounds like in your wife's case; is brought on by seizures. It took a battery of tests to find the partial seizures in the brain patterns, but they found them even though I was on dilantin at the time of my EEG. I highly recommend that you see a neurologist and get a second opinion. Topomax (topamax) was originally created for the treatment of pediatric epilepsy and look what it has done for the migraine community.

Once I was treated for the seizures, put on a regular dosage of antidepressants (for me) and then treated for tension and muscle spasms regularly with massage therapy, my migraines became completely manageable again.

I still suffer from the #!*? things, but at least they aren't as frequent or severe.

Good luck.

[DrNoopurMD]

Hi,

How are you?
Yes it is quite possible that this is migraine headache.  Migraines can be triggered by stress and pregnancy is a stressful condition.
The symptoms of migraine can often be confused with seizures and vice versa. This is very likely in your wife’s case more so because she has not responded to the antiseizure medication.
Please check the link below it will be helpful for you.
http://www.jhasim.com/files/articlefiles/pdf/XASIM_Issue_5_6E_p658_665.pdf

Take care!

[Victoria_J]

YES YES YES.  Mine started 8 years ago when I was first pregnant too.