seizures

[franzeska]

hi there,
i started having  seizures 9 years ago after having my first child.they consisted of waking at night , i would feel a wave of warm tingle through my entire body and then my entire body would twitch violently in waves for a few minutes. i was conscious throughout they continued for 3 years then subsided.i would feel unwell everyday as well dizzy,blurred vision and anxious.now 4 years later i have had one tonic  nighttime seizure which severly injured my neck-clicked it out.and get simple partial seizures everyday usually about 3 a day.i get periods of extream fatigued where soemtimes i cant even stand, also a lot of blurred vision and muscle twitches. i've started taking magnesium which appears to be helping.do you think i need medication .im concerned as i work in a pool as a swimming teacher in the water. and i want to feel well again,im sick of this!where do i go for help?
thanks
fran

[Ricobord]

You definitely need to talk to your doctor as soon as possible, including the fact that you have had short episodes in the pool. If you have to wait 6 months to see a neurologist, then you should definitely ask your doctor to start you on anti seizure medication.

Would you regret not telling your boss if someone was hurt or drowned because you had a seizure and they didn't get to you or a child fast enough?   Once I saw a little girl drowning in a public pool with several people close by who didn't notice. (Two of us yelled and the Mom stepped up and grabbed her. She came up coughing and crying, but was OK.) Children experience damage from lack of oxygen much faster than adults do.

In the US, someone who knows that they have uncontrolled seizures is liable for harm they do to others as a result of their seizures.  You can"t put other people at risk, such as driving a car, if your seizures aren't controlled.

Sorry, I don't mean to sound heavy handed, but both you and others are at risk until you get some treatment.

[franzeska]

thanks for that,now i know what it is. i dont start back to work for another two weeks. i have had to have the last 3 months off because of medical probs and seizures.so will try and get some help before then.

do you think i should let my boss know too ?

i am concerned she may fire me if she knows. do you think there is any risk of this?

thanks for your help

[franzeska]

thanks for the reply, i have seen many gps in the past but none of them took it seriously . they just said thats unusual and didnt know what to do for me. they didnt even suggest a referrral. i think they thought i was on drugs or crazy or something.

when i was last at hospital for another medical prob i mentioned the seizures to the doctor and she couldnt believe the response from doctors in the past. she is referring me to a neurologist, but i will probably have to wait 6 months to get an appointment. in the mean time  i will go to gp and suggest they start me on some meds.

will they give me medication even though i havent seen a specialist yet ?

i am very concerned now the seizures have returned about the children at work as i often have to save some from drowning even though the lifeguards are watching too.
i have had one partial seizure in the pool before . i was ok luckily ,my brain just stopped working and i stood there for a few seconds followed by a jolt which brought me out of it.i was standing in a  shallow pool, however i dont know what wouldve happened if i was in deep water and not standing on teh bottom.thats the scary thing. the lifeguards noticed and were looking worried , they dont know about my medical condition.

do you think this is bad enough to let pool staff know?

do you think i should get a medic alert bracelet in case of another large seizure?

i only seem to ge tthe really big ones at night .

thanks for your help.

[gheithbugaila]

the diagnosis is myoclonic epilepsy vs partial seizure and you should do MRI brain with coronal view to rule out  temporal lobe epilepsy,
you should start antiepileptic therapy ,and now your job is serious for you.

[Ricobord]

Have you seen a doctor about these seizures?  There are good medications out there to control them. Please go right away!  Uncontrolled seizures are very hard on a body and put you at risk for injury.  They also put the children you're in the pool with at risk.