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Seizures due to Meningioma?

Hi ~ In the past two weeks I have experienced two seizures. Both occurred while I was asleep. Apparently I start twitching and then start moving my legs rapidly as if I were riding a bike. I woke up from both feeling a bit disoriented, and I also wet myself on both occasions. I have no recollection of the seizures. I just remember waking up and feeling a bit confused. The first seizure was witnessed by my husband, and the second was witnessed by my husband as well as other family members. I am a 32 year old female and have never experienced seizures before. Last month I was diagnosed with a right frontal lobe meningioma, which I initially assumed was the cause of the seizures. The tumor is small, about the size of a lima bean, and I will be having surgery to have it removed in a few weeks. After my second seizure, I called my neurosurgeon for advice. He said that my meningioma was too small to be the cause of the seizures, and seemed confident that the seizures were not in any way related to the meningioma. My question is what else could be causing these seizures? Is it possible that they could indeed be caused by my meningioma, even though it is small? Any help or advice would be appreciated. Thank you.
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MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Thanks for using the forum. I am happy to address your questions, and my answer will be based on the information you provided here. Please make sure you recognize that this forum is for educational purposes only, and it does not substitute for a formal office visit with your doctor.

Without the ability to examine you and obtain a history, I can not tell you what the cause of your event was and whether or not it was a seizures, however I will try to provide you with some general information.

Meningiomas can cause seizures. In fact, seizures are the most common presenting symptom in someone later diagnosed with a meningioma. While the size of a meningioma does influence whether or not it is causing seizures, another important factor is its location.

Seizures coming from the frontal lobe can have many features. One of which is bicycling movements such as the ones you describe.

Whether or not a seizure is coming from a meningioma or elsewhere can be determined by a test called an EEG, which assesses brain wave activity. Ideally, if you were to have a seizure during the EEG, this would make things clearer. Sometimes, patients are admitted for long term monitoring in order to test for this, but at other times a simple 20 minute EEG can provide you with some answers.

If the event you experienced was a seizure, it is very possible it was because of the meningioma. If that is the case, with removal of the meningioma, seizures will in most cases stop. In some patients, anti-seizure medications are used for a while after the meningioma is removed.

If your seizures are not due to meningioma, other possible explanations could include the effect of certain drugs which lower seizure threshold, sleep deprivation or alcohol which can precipitate seizures in someone prone to have them, a genetic predisposition to seizures, etc. People who have had head trauma, a prior infection in the brain, a family history of epilepsy are more likely to have seizures than the general population.

I advise you to discuss the events that you had with a neurologist. After he/she examines you and obtains a history, he/she may choose to do additional testing. If it is confirmed that your events are due to seizures, you would need to be started on seizure medications (anti-epileptic drugs). It is important to assume seizure precautions as well, such as not driving or being in situations in which you could injure yourself or others if you had a seizure, such as standing on a height or swimming unsupervised.

Thank you for using the forum, I hope you find this information useful, good luck.
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Avatar universal
I thought I had a seizure when I woke up the other morning and go out of bed. My muscles started jerking,  I thought I was going to fall to the ground, but I caught myself and layed down on the bed. After a few minutes or I thought was a few minutes I felt out of sorts and numbness on the right side of my head over the right ear, which I still have now. Is this Trigeminal Neuralgia or how do I know if was is a seizure.  I was told by my doctor that MRI report showed that I had something small on the frontal lobe, Because it did not get bigger I was given a drug but not told what it could be.  
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