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Diagnosed with very mild epilepsy but I don't find that to be the case

Thu, 09/03/2015 - 02:14

Hi, I'm new! I just wanted to get some opinions. I had an "episode" at work one day back in February. It was a brand new job, in fact it was my second day. I was dealing with some anxiety at that time but was using herbal remedies like I've done in the past. On this day I woke up for work (which was a typical 9-5 job) and skipped breakfast because I wasn't hungry. I did drink some coffee and some grape juice with this herbal powder that I can't remember the name of (it was for anxiety). 

Skipping to me arriving at work, I clocked in and was having a refresher of the previous day with my coworker who was training me. Out of nowhere I suddenly felt really tired and was having a hard time paying attention to what she was telling me. Of course, I faked my way through it by nodding like any other person would do. I just thought I was tired from waking up early and it happened to just hit me. Afterwards a customer came to the register with a rose and I helped with his transaction, still feeling quite tired, and then went to wrap it in tissue paper. In that moment I started to feel uneasy and I started to rapidly blink my eyes. I tried to finish wrapping the flower but I kept stopping in my place because I was blinking so fast that I couldn't see very well.  While this was happening I was consciously voicing this to my coworkers and then in the next moment I looked at the lights next to me and my vision faded completely. I blacked out. 

When I slowly came to, I could hear my coworkers telling me to sit in the chair. Apparently they were trying to have me sit before but I wouldn't. It was like that feeling when you are slowly waking up from a dream. I understood what was happening as I came more out of it. My coworker was on the phone with medics and I mumbled to her "why would you call them?" Not that i didn't know why. It's just always been a bit of a fear of mine to have an ambulance show up for me out of embarrassment. At the point I could feel I was sweaty and my other coworker was rubbing my back and asking if I was okay. 

Soon after the medics showed up. They took my vitals, tested my blood sugar, and asked me if I'd come with them. I refused saying I'd call my mom to pick me up and signed the release form which said there was a risk I could have another seizure. I wasn't too confident that's what happened. But my coworkers told them I was shaky (not full on shaking). 

Anyway, fast forward to the next couple weeks I saw a neurologist and discussed my history. I've apparently had an episode like this before when I was 12 (I was 18 during this time) according to what my step mom and brother described. To be short and sweet, I didn't eat yet that day and my step mom was curling my hair. I suddenly didn't feel good and I voiced that then out of nowhere I blacked out. It happened really fast because I came to before my dad even made it downstairs to answer my step moms yells. She said my eyes rolled back and I was shaking. I also mentioned that I used to blackout randomly for a short period of time. I've dropped to the ground only a couple times. That could all just be related to lack of oxygen when standing up though. And my doctor agreed. 

After I went through testing and everything came back crystal clear he still put me on medication and I'm up to 200mg of lamotrigine daily. 

I just find it hard to believe that I have "possible epilepsy without cause". I find it more believable if it was random episodes of vasovagal syncope. What do you think? 

 

 

Comments

I think it depends why you're

Submitted by kalbino on Thu, 2015-09-03 - 10:02
I think it depends why you're asking. If you have not had a seizure while taking the Lamictal, keep going with it. If you do have a seizure, then consider another option. Until then, are you concerned about the diagnosis for other reasons? I think that as long as they're controlled, it's great!

Diagnosed with very mild

Submitted by just_joe on Sat, 2015-09-05 - 15:57
Diagnosed with very mild epilepsy but I don't find that to be the case.... So with the research you did on the web you can now diagnose what you have????? The doctors y0u saw went to school and it wasn't for a day or two. True there are other things that can cause a person to have a seizure, Diabetes can A side effect to a medication can. If your body has a low threshold to seizures and you drink a sugar free soda it can. But then those are few and far between. As for not letting the Rescue people take you to the ER then that might have not been the greatest thing to have been done. If they thought you had a seizure and you had gone then if they ran an EEG back then they might have seen things better.Now You have come to the conclusion you don't have epilepsy. OK fine lets go with that only this time you have a chest pain and 911 is called. Would you go with them? If you had chest pain and they ran tests and wanted you to take meds would you?  The only difference is the ailment. One is epilepsy. The other heart ailment. Attack, a-fib, or an irregular heart beat.  So are you going to accept your diagnosis or the diagnosis from someone that specializes with seizure disorders? The choice is yours but I do hope you pick the right diagnosisJoe

L'S. I had plans on

Submitted by just_joe on Wed, 2015-09-09 - 00:08
L'S. I had plans on professionL et me put it this way. You don't want to have epilepsy since it might cause you some problems. You don't think you can have epilepsy since your family doesn't have it. You don't want to think about having epilepsy because only poor or bad people get it.Well my dear what would you rather have epilepsy or diabetes? Or a heart condition? Or any other condition?As I posted before  "Anybody at any age anytime can get epilepsy." A lot of the people with it have all kinds of tests. Most of their tests came back normal.Now understand that the EEG captures he electrical output coming from your brain. If it came back normal. Fine. I had - all came back normal. But that does the mean there are no electrical impulses going off wrong in your brain. The EEG can read the electrical activity to a certain depth i activity is deeper it will not show up on the EEG.There are medications that were designed to stop seizures. Like medications designed to help with blood pressure. Medications designed too keep the blood sugar levels where they need to be.. You see rather then saying I can't have this or Why am I coming down with epilepsy. I accepted the fact that I have epilepsy. By doing that I started controlling my epilepsy. Those episodes you had way back when were seizures, You can call them episodes but they were seizures. If it would help you go to your search engine (bing or googlr) and type I "famous people who had epilepsy" then read. You are among many famous men and women.just be yourself and plan what you want to do. Many of those plans will go thru. Others you will change. It has always been that way and will be that way for your kidsJoe

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