Question about Seizures

    
      Re: Question about Seizures
    


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Posted by CCF Neuro MD on October 12, 1997 at 21:24:04:

In Reply to: Question about Seizures posted by PMT on October 07, 1997 at 14:58:45:

: Eloisa is my sister,
  she is 42 years old, married, 2 pregnancies.
  She suffers from some kind of seizures and
   these are her symptoms:
  She feels they are coming when she looks and
  focus on something in particular for a few
  seconds, then she feels her head is warm and
   she feels dizzy too -  she loses consciousness
   for a few minutes and moves her mouth like if
   she is trying to swallow something - asks for
   help - but she does not remember what she said
   or what happened when these episodes occur.
  Only while pregnant she got convulsions while
  she was sleeping and bit her tongue.
  Before episodes happen her body hurts.
   Right before they happen she feels anxious or
  excited - with no reason to feel that way.
  They also come more frequently when she feels
   depressed or worried about something
  They are more frequent when: she drinks a lot


   of coffee, when she used to take diet pills.
   (ionamin), when she is close to her menstruation
  period, or, when she did not have enough sleep,
   or when she is tired or nervous.
  After episodes:
  Face feels hot, feels very tired and sleepy
  Feels better: taking complex B or beer yeast
  When given tranquilizers, episodes were not
  as frequent.
  Has taken in the past:
  Rivotril, Phenilhidantoin, Valporic acid,
  Tegretol, and Trilafon
  Right now takes : Mysoline and Alepzal but
  she still gets sick.
  I will appreciate any opinion, suggestions, and help on this since she
  has been prescribed so many meadications and has not
  found any relief from them.
  
  Thank you!
  PMT
===========================================================================================
Hello, PMT,
  Sorry to hear that your sister has been suffering from her seizure disorder for a long time.  What you were describing seems quite typical of seizure with prodrome (feeling ill or strange at the beginning) followed by focal movements (swallowing), then loss of consciousness for a while.  After the episode, she feels tired.  This sequence of events is typical.  Apparently she has been on many medications and still not under a good control.  The question now is if we are using the best regimen.   To answer this, we need to do more work.  We need to look back to her old EEG (brain wave testing) and have a new one done to compare. Maybe it is necessary to do brain imaging such as MRI scan.   Then, it is probably going to be necessary to offer her a continuous EEG monitoring with on and off of some or all medication.  This will help us a lot in not only choosing the right medication but also considering even  surgical options to cure her seizure disorder.   At the Cleveland Clinic, we have  one of the best epilepsy service in the nation with comprehensive diagnostic and treatment modalities.   If coming to Cleveland is not a big deal, please call toll free [phone] ext. 45559 for your appointment.  
  This information is provided for general medical educational purpose only.  Please consult your physician for the diagnostic and treatment options of your specific condition.