New onset seizure

[grace77]

My twin sister ( she is 39 yr old and has never had seizures)had a grand mal seizure about a month ago in which she dislocated her shoulder with the seizure. At that time,she was placed on dilantin and topomax (topamax). She has had MRI and MRA which were normal. A spine xray showed bulging disc in the cervical spine. She had an EEG but that is to be repeated and I don't know the results. She had another seizure last week and has been in the hospital since.  SHe has been having severe occiptial pain and they have talked of going in and cutting the occipital nerve to hopefully relieve her of this pain. Are you familiar with this and what does this entail?Also, she has been having a big problem with her memory since the seizure-she can't remember from one day to the next what she has done. Is this normal this far out from the seizures or could it be from the medicine? She is on dilantin,topomax (topamax),klonopin and some pain meds.They are trying to get her off the dilantin.She lives in Ohio and might be willing to come to Cleveland for another evaluation. How can she do this and does she need a referral? My questions are:
1. What can you tell me about cutting the occipital nerve -I'm sorry I do not know the correct name for this
2. Is the memory problem to be expected with this or is this indicative of something else going on.
3. How can she get an appt. at Cleveland Clinic.
Thanks so much for your help!

[CCF-Neuro-M.D.-CS]

Treatment for occipital neuralgia (nerve pain in the occipital nerve) can be accomplished with medications and if this does not work then a nerve block. I would recommend these less invasive methods first. A nerve block temporarily prevents the nerve from working (like getting novacaine at the dentist).

If individuals are having frequent seizures then this could cause memory problems. However, if this is not the case then medication side effects need to be considered.

She can make an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic by calling 216-444-5559. She will have to check with her insurance to see if a referral is needed. Good luck.

[grace77]

I also forgot to mention that she was placed on a BP med because her BP has been elevated-140-150's/90's. Thanks

[jan]

Why was she placed on two meds right off the bat?  Most drs. like to give monotherapy a try 1st.  The memory problem could due to the area effected in her brain and/or the meds.  I have a terrible memory since whatever happened in my brain happened.  It got worse after my seizure and I could tell the med added to the problem.

Here is a link to a forum of ppl with E if you would like to ask about patient experiences and such.

http://brain.hastypastry.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=&f=133

Good luck