Seizures and Epilepsy: Frequently Asked Questions

BrainLine
Seizures and Epilepsy:  Frequently Asked Questions

What is a seizure? If someone has a seizure, does that mean they suffer from epilepsy?

A seizure is a a sudden surge of electrical activity in the brain that usually affects how a person appears or acts for a short time. Many different things can occur during a seizure. Whatever the brain and body can do normally can also occur during a seizure. The occurrence of a seizure in the presence of some acute precipitating physiological disturbance does not mean that it will ever happen after the precipitating cause has resolved. When seizures recur without any obvious precipitant or cause, then a person may be considered to have epilepsy.


What happens during a seizure?

Seizures have a beginning, middle, and end. Not all parts of a seizure may be visible or easy to separate from each other. Every person with seizures will not have every stage or symptom described below. The symptoms during a seizure usually are stereotypic (occur the same way or similar each time), episodic (come and go), and may be unpredictable.

Beginning

Some people are aware of the beginning of a seizure, possibly as much as hours or days before it happens. On the other hand, some people may not be aware of the beginning and therefore have no warning.

Prodrome

Some people may experience feelings, sensations, or changes in behavior hours or days before a seizure. These feelings are generally not part of the seizure, but may warn a person that a seizure may come. Not everyone has these signs, but if they do, the signs can help a person change their activity, make sure to take their medication, use a rescue treatment, and take steps to prevent injury.

Aura

An aura or warning is the first symptom of a seizure and is considered part of the seizure. Often the aura is an indescribable feeling. Other times it’s easy to recognize and may be a change in feeling, sensation, thought, or behavior that is similar each time a seizure occurs.

  • The aura can also occur alone and may be called a focal onset aware seizure, simple partial seizure or partial seizure without change in awareness.
  • An aura can occur before a change in awareness or consciousness.
  • Yet, many people have no aura or warning; the seizure starts with a loss of consciousness or awareness.

Common symptoms before a seizure

Awareness, Sensory, Emotional or Thought Changes

  • Déjà vu (a feeling of being there before but never have)
  • Jamais vu (a feeling that something is very familiar but it isn’t)
  • Smells
  • Sounds
  • Tastes
  • Visual loss or blurring
  • “Strange” feelings
  • Fear/panic (often negative or scary feelings)
  • Pleasant feelings
  • Racing thoughts

Physical Changes

  • Dizzy or lightheaded
  • Headache
  • Nausea or other stomach feelings (often a rising feeling from the stomach to the throat)
  • Numbness or tingling in part of the body

Middle

The middle of a seizure is often called the ictal phase. It’s the period of time from the first symptoms (including an aura) to the end of the seizure activity, This correlates with the electrical seizure activity in the brain. Sometimes the visible symptoms last longer than the seizure activity on an EEG. This is because some of the visible symptoms may be aftereffects of a seizure or not related to seizure activity at all.

Common symptoms during a seizure

Awareness, Sensory, Emotional or Thought Changes

  • Loss of awareness (often called “black out”)
  • Confused, feeling spacey
  • Periods of forgetfulness or memory lapses
  • Distracted, daydreaming
  • Loss of consciousness, unconscious, or “pass out”
  • Unable to hear
  • Sounds may be strange or different
  • Unusual smells (often bad smells like burning rubber)
  • Unusual tastes
  • Loss of vision or unable to see
  • Blurry vision
  • Flashing lights
  • Formed visual hallucinations (objects or things are seen that aren’t really there)
  • Numbness, tingling, or electric shock like feeling in body, arm or leg
  • Out of body sensations
  • Feeling detached
  • Déjà vu (feeling of being there before but never have)
  • Jamais vu (feeling that something is very familiar but it isn’t)
  • Body parts feels or looks different
  • Feeling of panic, fear, impending doom (intense feeling that something bad is going to happen)
  • Pleasant feelings

Physical Changes

  • Difficulty talking (may stop talking, make nonsense or garbled sounds, keep talking or speech may not make sense)
  • Unable to swallow, drooling
  • Repeated blinking of eyes, eyes may move to one side or look upward, or staring
  • Lack of movement or muscle tone (unable to move, loss of tone in neck and head may drop forward, loss of muscle tone in body and person may slump or fall forward)
  • Tremors, twitching or jerking movements (may occur on one or both sides of face, arms, legs or whole body; may start in one area then spread to other areas or stay in one place)
  • Rigid or tense muscles (part of the body or whole body may feel very tight or tense and if standing, may fall “like a tree trunk”)
  • Repeated non-purposeful movements, called automatisms, involve the face, arms or legs, such as
    • lipsmacking or chewing movements
    • repeated movements of hands, like wringing, playing with buttons or objects in hands, waving
    • dressing or undressing
    • walking or running
  • Repeated purposeful movements (person may continue activity that was going on before the seizure)
  • Convulsion (person loses consciousness, body becomes rigid or tense, then fast jerking movements occur)
  • Losing control of urine or stool unexpectedly
  • Sweating
  • Change in skin color (looks pale or flushed)
  • Pupils may dilate or appear larger than normal
  • Biting of tongue (from teeth clenching when muscles tighten)
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Heart racing

Ending

As the seizure ends, the postictal phase occurs - this is the recovery period after the seizure. Some people recover immediately while others may take minutes to hours to feel like their usual self. The type of seizure, as well as what part of the brain the seizure impacts, affects the recovery period – how long it may last and what may occur during it.

Common symptoms after a seizure

Awareness, Sensory, Emotional, or Thought Changes

  • Slow to respond or not able to respond right away
  • Sleepy
  • Confused
  • Memory loss
  • Difficulty talking or writing
  • Feeling fuzzy, lightlheaded, or dizzy
  • Feeling depressed, sad, upset
  • Scared
  • Anxious
  • Frustrated, embarrassed, ashamed

Physical Changes

  • May have injuries, such as bruising, cuts, broken bones, or head injury if fell during seizure
  • May feel tired, exhausted, or sleep for minutes or hours
  • Headache or other pain
  • Nausea or upset stomach
  • Thirsty
  • General weakness or weak in one part or side of the body
  • Urge to go to the bathroom or lose control of bowel or bladder

Types of Seizures

There are three major groups of seizures:

  1. Generalized onset seizures: These seizures affect both sides of the brain or groups of cells on both sides of the brain at the same time. This term was used before and still includes seizures types like tonic-clonic, absence, or atonic to name a few.
  2. Focal onset seizures: The term focal is used instead of partial to be more accurate when talking about where seizures begin. Focal seizures can start in one area or group of cells in one side of the brain.
    • Focal Onset Aware Seizures: When a person is awake and aware during a seizure, it’s called a focal aware seizure. This used to be called a simple partial seizure.
    • Focal Onset Impaired Awareness: When a person is confused or their awareness is affected in some way during a focal seizure, it’s called a focal impaired awareness seizure. This used to be called a complex partial seizure.
  3. Unknown onset seizures: When the beginning of a seizure is not known, it’s now called an unknown onset seizure. A seizure could also be called an unknown onset if it’s not witnessed or seen by anyone, for example when seizures happen at night or in a person who lives alone.
    As more information is learned, an unknown onset seizure may later be diagnosed as a focal or generalized seizure.

How are different symptoms during a seizure described?

Many different symptoms happen during a seizure. This new classification separates them simply into groups that involve movement.

For generalized onset seizures:

  • Motor symptoms may include sustained rhythmical jerking movements (clonic), muscles becoming weak or limp (atonic), muscles becoming tense or rigid (tonic), brief muscle twitching (myoclonus), or epileptic spasms (body flexes and extends repeatedly).
  • Non-motor symptoms are usually called absence seizures. These can be typical or atypical absence seizures (staring spells). Absence seizures can also have brief twitches (myoclonus) that can affect a specific part of the body or just the eyelids.

For focal onset seizures

  • Motor symptoms may also include jerking (clonic), muscles becoming limp or weak (atonic), tense or rigid muscles (tonic), brief muscle twitching (myoclonus), or epileptic spasms. There may also be automatisms or repeated automatic movements, like clapping or rubbing of hands, lipsmacking or chewing, or running.
  • Non-motor symptoms: Examples of symptoms that don’t affect movement could be changes in sensation, emotions, thinking or cognition, autonomic functions (such as gastrointestinal sensations, waves of heat or cold, goosebumps, heart racing, etc.), or lack of movement (called behavior arrest).

For unknown onset seizures

  • Motor seizures are described as either tonic-clonic or epileptic spasms.
  • Non-motor seizures usually include a behavior arrest. This means that movement stops – the person may just stare and not make any other movements.

What should I do if I have a seizure? What should I do if I see someone else have a seizure?

What happens during a seizure may vary from one person to the next. The type of first aid needed can be tailored to what happens during the seizure and the person's safety. It helps to think about whether the person's alertness or awareness is affected, and if any physical movements occur that can place them at risk of injury.

  • Always Stay With the Person Until the Seizure Is Over 
    • Seizures can be unpredictable and it’s hard to tell how long they may last or what will occur during them. Some may start with minor symptoms, but lead to a loss of consciousness or fall. Other seizures may be brief and end in seconds.
    • Injury can occur during or after a seizure, requiring help from other people.
  • Pay Attention to the Length of the Seizure
    • Look at your watch and time the seizure – from beginning to the end of the active seizure.
    • Time how long it takes for the person to recover and return to their usual activity.
    • If the active seizure lasts longer than the person’s typical events, call for help.
    • Know when to give 'as needed' or rescue treatments, if prescribed, and when to call for emergency help.
  • Stay Calm; Most Seizures Only Last a Few Minutes
    • A person’s response to seizures can affect how other people act. If the first person remains calm, it will help others stay calm too.
    • Talk calmly and reassuringly to the person during and after the seizure – it will help as they recover from the seizure.
  • Prevent Injury by Moving Nearby Objects Out of the Way 
    • Remove sharp objects.
    • If you can’t move surrounding objects or a person is wandering or confused, help steer them clear of dangerous situations, for example away from traffic, train or subway platforms, heights, or sharp objects.
  • Make the Person as Comfortable as Possible
    • Help them sit down in a safe place.
    • If they are at risk of falling, call for help and lay them down on the floor.
    • Support the person’s head to prevent it from hitting the floor.
  • Keep Onlookers Away
    • Once the situation is under control, encourage people to step back and give the person some room. Waking up to a crowd can be embarrassing and confusing for a person after a seizure.
    • Ask someone to stay nearby in case further help is needed.
  • Do Not Forcibly Hold the Person Down
    • Trying to stop movements or forcibly holding a person down doesn’t stop a seizure. Restraining a person can lead to injuries and make the person more confused, agitated or aggressive. People don’t fight on purpose during a seizure. Yet if they are restrained when they are confused, they may respond aggressively.
    • If a person tries to walk around, let them walk in a safe, enclosed area if possible.
  • Do Not Put Anything in the Person's Mouth!
    • Jaw and face muscles may tighten during a seizure, causing the person to bite down. If this happens when something is in the mouth, the person may break and swallow the object or break their teeth!
    • Don’t worry - a person can’t swallow their tongue during a seizure.
  • Make Sure Their Breathing is Okay
    • If the person is lying down, turn them on their side, with their mouth pointing to the ground. This prevents saliva from blocking their airway and helps the person breathe more easily.
    • During a convulsive or tonic-clonic seizure, it may look like the person has stopped breathing. This happens when the chest muscles tighten during the tonic phase of a seizure. As this part of a seizure ends, the muscles will relax and breathing will resume normally.
    • Rescue breathing or CPR is generally not needed during these seizure-induced changes in a person’s breathing.
  • Do Not Give Water, Pills, or Food by Mouth Unless the Person is Fully Alert
    • If a person is not fully awake or aware of what is going on, they might not swallow correctly.  Food, liquid or pills could go into the lungs instead of the stomach if they try to drink or eat at this time.
    • If a person appears to be choking, turn them on their side and call for help. If they are not able to cough and clear their air passages on their own or are having breathing difficulties, call 911 immediately.
  • Call for Emergency Medical Help When
    • A seizure lasts 5 minutes or longer.
    • One seizure occurs right after another without the person regaining consciousness or coming to between seizures.
    • Seizures occur closer together than usual for that person.
    • Breathing becomes difficult or the person appears to be choking.
    • The seizure occurs in water.
    • Injury may have occurred.
    • The person asks for medical help.
  • Be Sensitive and Supportive, and Ask Others to Do the Same
    • Seizures can be frightening for the person having one, as well as for others. People may feel embarrassed or confused about what happened. Keep this in mind as the person wakes up.
    • Reassure the person that they are safe.
    • Once they are alert and able to communicate, tell them what happened in very simple terms.
    • Offer to stay with the person until they are ready to go back to normal activity or call someone to stay with them.

Seizures Without Any Change in Awareness

Some people may remain fully awake and alert during a seizure and remember everything that occurs. For example, awareness is not affected during simple partial or myoclonic seizures. During these types of seizures, pay particular attention to the following:

  • Usually you don’t need to do anything.
  • Stay calm and reassure the person they are safe.
  • If the person is frightened or anxious, encourage them to take slow deep breaths or do something that is calming or relaxing.
  • Stay with the person until the seizure is over. Make sure that they are fully aware of what is going on before they are left alone.

Seizures with Altered Awareness

Sometimes people may look awake during a seizure, but they really are not aware of part or all of what is going on around them. They may not remember what happens during the seizure or have difficulty talking about it during or after it. The person may walk around during the seizure, but not be in control of where they are going, and they may not be able to protect themselves. These seizure behaviors may be seen with complex partial seizures or clusters of absence seizures. During these episodes, in addition to basic first aid, pay particular attention to the following:

  • If the person has a warning before they lose awareness, help them to a safe place.
  • Stay with the person and don’t let them wander away. Let them walk in an enclosed area if possible.
  • Keep the person away from sharp objects or dangerous places.
  • If the person tries to run or is in a dangerous situation, call for help and hold them back if needed to keep them out of danger.
  • Do not assume that they can talk or that they can hear you and follow instructions. Assure them they are safe and repeat instructions on what they should do next.
  • Make sure that they are alert, oriented and safe after the event before they are left alone.
  • Time the seizure – these types of seizures are usually longer than convulsions or tonic clonic seizures. It may be hard to tell when the seizure ended and when the recovery period begins and ends.
  • If the seizure turns into a convulsive seizure, follow first aid steps for tonic-clonic seizures.

Seizures with Loss of Consciousness

Some types of seizures can affect a person’s awareness completely – they may be considered ‘unconscious’. They are not able to talk, are not aware of what is going on around them, and may not realize what occurred afterwards. If they have a warning at the start of the seizure, they may be able to get to a safe place – otherwise they are at risk for injury during and after the seizure. Follow the steps for care and comfort first aid with attention to the following:

  • Watch how long the seizure lasts – call for emergency medical help if a generalized seizure lasts 5 minutes or longer.
  • Protect the person from injury but don’t restrain their movements.
  • Watch their breathing – turn them on the side to help keep the airway open. If breathing problems occur, call 911.
  • Don’t put anything in their mouth.
  • Know when to call for emergency help.
  • Stay with the person after the seizure until they are aware and safe.
Posted on BrainLine August 10, 2018.

About the Author

BrainLine offers authoritative information and support to anyone whose life has been affected by brain injury or PTSD: people with brain injuries, their family and friends, and the professionals who work with them.

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References

"What Is Epilepsy?” Epilepsy Foundation, 21 Jan. 2014, www.epilepsy.com/learn/about-epilepsy-basics/what-epilepsy.

Comments (186)

Please remember, we are not able to give medical or legal advice. If you have medical concerns, please consult your doctor. All posted comments are the views and opinions of the poster only.

Hey need some advice please ,
My daughter (3year old) had a seizure , she had been unwell and her temperature got really high (that was with medication) and took a seizure , her body was stiff and shaking ( the most horrible and scariest thing as a mother to go throw) we call 999 and she was taking to hospital then think also it was her temperature that cause the seizure and motor her and sent her home , this was 4 days ago and she still not got fully her strength back in her left side of her body so she’s struggling to walk and just grab thinks with her left hand , I took her back to doctors yesterday but they said they don’t think it’s anything permanent , I am starting to get worried and no one is listening to my concerns, am just looking to see if this is normal and if anyone can give me any advice please it would be soo much appreciated

Hello I have epilepsy and I have had it starting when I was 16 years old and I am now 29. I believe I have just experienced a new kind of episode for myself I have never had. I have been trying to read other comments to see if anyone else has had this before and cannot seem to make sense of what just happened. I had my seizure just maybe an a hour or so ago and I had felt as if I was half dreaming laying down on my couch watching a tv show. I had just thought I was dreaming of the craziest thing such as aliens torturing me or something and I believe maybe because of my tv show I was watching was causing this. I had felt as if I was half awake while all of this was happening and I felt I was having a grand mal seizure feeling my back and spine and hands and arms all tense as if it were the hand of gods force running through me. It felt as it had lasted close to 30 minutes when I was finally completely awake I had no normal after effects that usually occur I feel perfectly normal just as if my spine and back muscles are still a bit sore and weak and am just I but my headaches that usually happen and my lack of consciousness control that happens is not there I feel very strong and my normal self besides feeling in utter awe of what had just occurred. The amount of force that I’ve just experienced in my body was insane. I had to message my father in the middle of the night to tell him what I had just experienced. I’ve been trying to make sense of everything that just had happened but can’t seem to find anything that relates. if someone has any information that could possibly help with my understanding please feel free to reply please and thank you… I’ve read so much tonight on it and I’m glad they have this for anyone to share something. it’s nice knowing I can relate to and know I’m not alone out there! god bless you all!

Hi there. I am a long time carer for a 65 year old man with epilepsy. He has several decent Tonic Clonics a week that can last up to 3 minutes. Sometimes he recovers quickly and other times he can be exhausted for days. He also has a brain injury. He has recently started clapping his hands for several hours after his seizures. Has anyone else experienced this. He seems to have recovered and will respond, walk and talk but will just keep clapping. Even in bed.
Thank you.

Hi. I am now 36 and started having tonic-clonic seizures when I was 20. I had about 10 of those during the first couple of years when we were trying to figure out the best medication. I was allergic to some of them (in the form of skin rash). I took valproate for several years though it never fully control the epilepsy. I had about a partial seizure once per month. I would always have a warning, feeling of confusion and then it would start, I would have some level of awareness but unable to interact. I heat things that I know arent there, sometimes even believe there are people around me that arent there.
Recently I switched to keppra. Now I get these weird episodes that can last for a few hours in which my thoughts are sort of broken and I start thinking about things that when I try to reproduce to someone else, or explain someone else what I mean it just doesnt make sense. I cant even speak at times and if I try, it sounds like a Harry Potter spell (very strange and even funny at times). I am surrounded by loving people so I am very lucky in this regard so I feel generally safe. Wondering if someone else has these weird feelings of confusion, or words constantly invading your thoughts but being unable to explain what it all means.....It is very hard to explain to the Drs as well...

My family was staying the night in a hotel during a road trip. My son would not wake up to any vocal commands or physical stimulus (smacking his cheek). We couldnt hardly get a moan out of him. called 911 who was there within 4-5 min. He was actually starting to come around as they came into the room. They ran EKG, blood pressure, blood sugar, o2 saturation, even gave him a dose of narcan for good measure. the paramedic could offer no explanation. his vitals were normal, did not present as a drug interaction. Only thing that theycould offer was perhaps an absent seizure, but everything ive read is that happens in babies and toddlers. There were no spasms or jerking. I actually woke him up on accident looking for the remote for the tv. So pulling his sheet back woke him at 4:30 but at 6:30 yelling and physical stimulus wouldnt get a grunt. He was as limp as a rag doll, drooling slightly, heart beating, steady breathing, but pale. He is to have a neurologist appointment in a couple days. All indicators is it was a one off. anyone have anything like this happen?

Hi, my gf haven't experienced a seizure in over a year. But that night we went out to a club it did have flashing lights, and she did take like two shots and later on that night in her sleep she had a seizure. I’m like freaking out because we were doing so good and I just want to know have anybody else experienced this before ? Is it normal ? What could have triggered it ?

I believe it could of been the flashing lights. I myself have photosensitive epilepsy which means I have seizures from flashing lights, but not all the time. it could also be a combination of the lights and the alcohol. get her to see a doctor to check its not epilepsy because if it is medicine is needed to manage it

Hi may name is Jannie i had Accident when i was 15 yrs old had a bike accident i hit may had on the street. Every sentence then i strated having seizure. Im taking medicine for seizures. Until i trun 45 yrs i stop having them, i was free from having seizure nomore taking medication. But im 58 yrs old now i want know can covid bring my seizure back cause i had one when i was sick with the covid. I we to a doctor she said they can come back im having different seizures i had frist one when i was sleeping, second one i was going some ware didnt go no ware. Third time i had one in the shower and walk to another room i dont know wat its happen to me

I have been having seizures for 2 years I'm 48 now. What upsets me is that several times the paramedics have been called and I can sometimes here everything they are saying. Several times the medics have told me I need to stop like I am trying to slam my head off the floor or I am purposely fighting with them. I even had a nurse at the er tell me to stop shaking cause I wasn't getting meds to help. Idk what meds they give someone so what am I trying to get. It really hurts me when they tell me if I was having a real seizure I wouldn't be able to here them or say anything. I don't wish anyone to have a seizure it's a horrible experience but I kinda wish the person telling me I'm faking would have a seizure so they know what it's like for me.

Hello I've have been having seizures sense I was 34 years.
1 month after a car accident Now I'm 48 throw the 14years span I've had alot of different seizures I have always been Unconscious when the situation happens It's not true when they say a person May not be talking or f****** or moving doing a Deezer today in 2020 I had my 1st seizure where I have left my home knocked on the neighbor door was trying to open their door telling them to open the door and banging on their door a couple minutes after it happened My family member had got me back in the house but I didn't remember what happened In a 10 spaned. 5 Minute later the police was knocking at my door for trying to open the neighbor's door I was confused because I looked out my people and I was trying to figure out why the police was at the door I still didn't understand why they were at my door until my family member woke up and told me what had happened 10 minutes ago you have to be careful but yes people can definitely hurt there's selfs and other doing seizures Take care

Unfortunately this isn't new. This happened to me too; in July 2020 I was at the emergency room due to seizures. I told a doctor my seizure trigger and she triggered it then told me off when I had the seizure! After that happened she said she wasn't going to do anything; I wasn't getting anything nor would she contact my neurologist, who I had been trying to contact to get an appointment but couldn't reach him.

I'm not drug-seeking. If I go to the emergency room, I'm not faking. Yet medical professionals in the emergency room like to say I am and/or I should be used to the seizures by now and should be able to handle them; I had them since I was two years old (I'm 32 now).

I actually wish they would have the seizures I have. Would they say the same things then?????

Hi my name is pat, i lost my son Graham with Epilepsy, my grandson is 7 been diagnosed with absence seizures he had a bump to the head went to hospital any sickness to take him back which he has .He sleeping at the moment.
My question is can the bang to the head cause Epilepsy (fits) now . Thank you.

When I had my first seizure I was 39 years old I do not have history of seizures nor do I have any family history of it. Sometimes I feel auras and sometimes I don't they spontaneously strike seems to be coming every 4 months and it's just one it would be either a generalized clonic tonic, or a focal complex impaired awareness. I started getting these around May of 2020 just shortly right after I turned 39 I am a military vet I've served six years in the army I did one tour in Iraq during the global war on terrorism campaign. I really can't recall any injuries to my head that would warrant such sudden blackouts as I describe them not syncope, the first one experienced I was driving totaling my vehicle against the fixed object 4 months after that accident I started having seizures that I know for sure were seizures, but the doctor also classified the blackout as a seizure in that rigid phase tensed up muscles to press down on the accelerator without any knowledge and going for one ride unbeknownst to me. And my whole background with work is motor vehicle transportation I cannot drive I don't know when I'm able to drive again I have to depend on people to take me to places and that would really bugs me the most just now it feels like I've lost my Independence cuz of these damn seizures.

Hi my name is zack and just a couple minuets ago my sister had a seizure due to epilepsy. she got diagnosed a year ago but its still relatively new to us. but as i was saying when she came out of the seziure she had no clue as to who my younger sister or i were. is this normal and if so what should i do

My parents have recently started not telling me whenever I’ve had a seizure thinking they are protecting me. They then find a way to tell me later on when using it in an argument & it tends to have a worse effect on me than if they were to have just told me when I was feeling more myself after the seizure. Should you tell someone after they have a seizure or leave it if you think it’s best?

They are definitely not protecting you. If anything, it hinders your ability to understand what happens to you before, during and after you have one. How selfish of them to use it against you in an argument. That sounds like, they resent you for having them. As if, it was something you could control. -_-
Once you've regained consciousness and awareness, they need to ask you if you remember what happened. From experience, I normally don't know where I am, how much time has gone by, or what happened. That confusion will last for hours and it takes a full day of recovery (aka deep sleep) to feel like myself again and to heal/relax my aching and tight muscles. Hope this helps!

My son was born emergency c-section, APGAR zero, status eplilepticus, 19 days in NICU. Went home on phenabarbitol for 8 months. Normal eeg, was able to go off phenabarb. No seizures until age 14 upon waking. tegratol for 12 years, no seizures. Father talked him into going off medication. Neuro Dr lied and said eeg was normal then I found out it was abnormal, alllowed him to go off med. Seizures started again. New neuro Dr would not allow my son to go back on the tegratol. Six years of trying different meds, nothing worked. 17 seizures, many shoulder dislocations, ER visits and hospital stays. My pleas to the neuro people fell on deaf ears. My son passed away July 30, 2019. I am angry. Every seizure that started, he would run, walk or turn left. The left side of his face would get distorted. Then he would go into hard tonic-clonic, lasting 3-5 mins girating to the right. I am still studying his seizures. I was ready to schedule him for video eeg but hospital was already booking into August, so he would not have made it. I miss him all the time. Any thoughts or ideas please.

I am so sorry for your loss. Missing him is normal. There is no right way to grieve.

I'm sure you've heard of the 7 stages of grief:
- Shock and denial, feeling numb.
- Pain and guilt.
- Anger and bargaining.
- Depression.
- The upward turn.
- Reconstruction and working through.
- Acceptance and hope.

There is no order to them, they come when they come, sometimes all at once, sometimes the numbness stays for a while. If you are struggling please talk to someone. If you can't find or afford a therapist, perhaps a pastor/rabbi/religious leader or a trusted friend or family member. There may also be grief groups on social media of parents facing loss, for more anonymity.

Sending you light and hope. May his memory be a blessing.

I have been seizure free for 9 years that has been managed by medication (Lamictal). I randomly started getting that weird feeling / tingling / aura. It was the same feeling I used to get when I first had them. I haven't missed any of my medication. The feeling went away but now I'm experiencing hot flashes and a "light headed" feeling kind of. I feel very odd. Do you know why this might be / what I should do?

Thank you so much.

Been having grandmal seizures(tonic clonic) since 16 for almost 9 years they were under control but for the last several months I've been trying to taper off Klonopin so the seizures have returned. Only this time they are happening in my sleep when I am in bed and pretty much anywhere and no aura anymore I could feel completely fine then next thing I know I wake up either on the floor or if my boyfriend found me he usually helps me. I usually have 2-3 seizures in a row it's never just one. But I am tired of dealing with this. I went so long without them I thought I was good to go never to worry about it again but nope.

Don't take Klonopin. Even though it can be used for epilepsy the withdrawal from it can cause seizures but it can also cause one's that you could possibly more than likely die from rather than the normal one's. Though you can still possibly die from them as well it's just less risky when it's not because of a drug withdrawal.

hi my name is kath and i found i was having seizures back in january and that was because i was in a induce coma because i had three seizures and when i fall asleep i have three within 2 hours is this normal i am 37 years old i am scared

Honestly that is longer than it takes mine. I usually have 2 or 3 seizures one right after another in a row. I know it's never just one seizure and that is it. Some people get multiple seizures while others only get one at a time.

My son has Lennox Gaston. He just started with the seizures that walks around. My question is why is it that he goes around or jumps over things so he won't get hurt. The doctor said this is seizures and he increased med.

Thank you for your information. My brother was just 13 years old and he had a seizure in the early morning when he was walking down on the steps. He fell down and cut his chin. There was a blood flow all over his body. After 2 hrs he was woke-up. He don't remember anything. He was fully confused. After 4 hrs 2nd time the seizure came and he cut his tongue with teeth and mostly in sleep the seizure comes and then he vomited 4 times. He was so weak later he got 3rd seizure and after 30 mins 4 time seizure mostly in sleep. Is it okay to have more seizures in a day? He mostly uses his phone is it okay to use the phone continuously?? His chest bones are moved to forward after a week is it normal or it was also a part of symptoms in seizure??? In a week he seizure occurs 4 to 5 times is it okay or more serious?? Please reply to this....

I normally have 2-3 so some people do get multiple seizures. Though mine usually happen 1 right after another the same exact day and sometimes I have 2-3 in a row up to 3 times a week.

Thank you for this article. Trying to get as much information as I possibly can. Im 44 yrs old and just started to have seizures out of nowhere 2 months ago. Ive been reading up on what kinds there are, symptoms, aftereffects and so forth. I get the aura just before it happens which gives me anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes to get prepared. It's very scary. So far I've had 7 seizures in the past 2 months. Most are single but a couple of times I had back to back of them that lasted about 15 minutes. I tense up and convulse but I can still hear everything going on around me. It just sounds muffled. I close my eyes, but see flashes. The EEG and MRI came back normal. Now im on a medication but doesn't seem to be working. Dr prescribed an antidepressant for me. He says he treats seizures this way. Does this sound familiar to anyone?
Im just trying to figure out why this began and if this will just be how life is from now on?
This is all so new to me and I want to be proactive.

I highly recommend you receive a second opinion from a different neurologist. When it comes to your brain health, anything is possible. I've never heard of an anti-depressant being used as seizure meds.

I was born with grand mall epilepsy due to abuse i have complex ptsd i am 62 and have been aware off the ptsd the diagnoses is that i have had cptsd from the age of ten i have had flash backs for years and i have also been through a lot traumatic events i have been aggress and emotional states now i am trying to deal with the cptsd the epilepsis controlled by medication

thank you for sharing the meaning of seizure.
I have your article

I’m very grateful for this article. I just got out of the hospital on Wednesday. I am 45 yrs old. I was in the shower when this past experience happened and I hurt my head in the fall. The hospital did a litany of testing on my brain and heart. Nothing remarkable they say. In retrospect, I can remember that I had these seizure experiences as far back as 14 years old. I grew up in a crazy home and it got overlooked. There was definitely several days before the seizure that I know to be stage 1 auras. Some of the auras are spectacular and profoundly spiritual in nature. The actual seizure period was marked by tremendous pain and trauma that felt like my brain was pushed to an edge chaos—I finally was able to surrender to this, and when I did, the seizure stopped. I was on my back, the shower on, shower curtain torn down, some blood. I was dazed and confused for sure. It was like I was piecing my life slowly for several hours after the seizure in the shower. Fortunately I reached out to people and everyone gently suggested I go to the hospital. I finally did that evening and they took great care of me, even in this pandemic. My brain is recovering, but I also have so many questions. Each incident of a seizure in my life was precipitated by traumatic events or memories. Does this ring true for anyone? Thank you.

I’ve had seizures after TBI, two of them over a year after last TBI (I had two TBI four months apart). They both happened similarly in that they happened shortly after I woke up. But this most recent one this week I was also flooded with old traumatic memories right before it happened. Both of them I woke up feeling weird, agitated and sad but at nothing in particular and a weird feeling I can’t describe. Shortly after first TBI I was having seizures that were these otherworldly feelings like I was being visited by an ancestor and was about to cross over. Sadly those seizures weren’t taken seriously by the hospital as I went to ER thinking I had a stroke but in my post TBI confusion was not understanding I had a TBI and didn’t want to bother my mom in the middle of the night, so I took an Uber car. They just kept telling me I had anxiety even though I could hardly speak. Last two times though were more serious where I fell down so ambulance came. I don’t remember much of the first one but second one this week I was mostly conscious and it was very scary, thought I was having a stroke, all these hot weird sensations in my head and neck. But yes, beforehand I was feeling upset over traumatic memories that just came up and was crying. Somehow fell from my chair which got knocked over. Couldn’t move half my body or get up or speak, luckily able to crawl to my phone and call my mom who came home when I just was making noises and couldn’t talk. Feel exhausted and horrible today, whole body is aching. I’ve had TBIs in the past also, in 2012 and 2010, and 2008, and one when I was a kid around 1990, all mild except the 2010 one. I am hoping these go away with medicine, I’m not happy I’ve had another one, it’s scary to go through. The other thing I noticed about the recent one was the night before feeling electric shock pain going from my spine down my left leg into my foot. My left side has been numb and weak since the last TBI, and it was the same side I couldn’t move or get up from yesterday during the seizure. Now that it’s happened twice in a few months I notice the aura similarities. I hope you are doing okay with your health.

Thank you for this!
I once had a serious seizure.
Now I am epileptic and still having some seizure. 27 years old man. Can you tell me what are the best medicine to take? I take Fycompa,Lamictal,Vimpat. What are the best foods?

My son and I are both epileptics and started late in life. He takes lamictal and I take Topiramate. It is very important to sleep good, drop alcohol to a minimum and watch stress levels (yeah right), I don't know about food but healthy eating always is good. Good luck and chin up!

My boyfriend just turned 30 on July 3rd and he had his first seizure on his birthday he was dropped to the ground and convulsed and then woke up and he doesn’t remember anything until getting to the hospital. He had a 2nd seizure on august 10th. Same type of seizure. These came out of no where and he can’t feel them coming on. What might this be?

My husband had 2 seizures 4 hours apart. He was fine the day after but then the next day he is talking about things i dont know about,and seeing things thats not there. This has been going on for 3 days now is it normal. Can anyone relate to him?

The brain's nerve cells (neurons) communicate with one another by firing tiny electric signals, but with a seizure, these signals become abnormal.Absence seizures rarely cause a true convulsion in which the person falls down or collapses, and despite briefly losing consciousness, the person recovers fully with no lingering confusion or other ill effects. These "spells" may occur infrequently or several times per hour. In children, absence seizures may interfere with learning and are often misinterpreted as impertinence or inattention.Please visit and know more https://www.pediatriconcall.com/articles/pediatric-neurology/absence-sei...

I’m not sure what to do. My son was in an accident 5 years ago When he was 18 that put him in a coma. When he miraculously recovered, it turned out the damage caused him to have seizures. He had been seizure free for at least two years on his meds. Now he’s had three in one day, and ever since, he’s had what seems to be a focal every time he sleeps. The doc seems perfectly calm about this and upped his meds, but still, he sleeps, he seizes. Can meds just stop working? Why would he all of a sudden start having them daily? There are no changes in his life. I am frustrated and don’t know what to do.

I had an accident when I was in high school that effected my brain. After that I started having seizures once or twice a year. In 2015 they became way more frequent occurring at times 2 or 3 times daily. I still have 2 to three weekly on average. Nothing traumatic happened to induce this increase in seizure activity but sadly I've come to live with them. It's definitely difficult to cope sometimes and can be frustrating. I never get used to the fear and confusion of waking up on the floor exhausted and sore with the worst muscle spasms and Charlie horses you can imagine. Let him know that he's not alone though. There are millions of people just like him and me and if he ever needs to ask a question or just talk ......

Jamais vu is defined incorrectly in this article. Understandable, as it is the much-less-known cousin of "deja vu". It's almost the opposite of what has been written here. It is when something is identified as familiar in some way, but feels unfamiliar. It was one of the most pronounced symptoms of a partial seizure that I suffered, so I ended up looking into it in some detail. I wrote an email to my physician in the postictal stage and when I reread the email the next day, it was intelligently written, but seemed totally unfamiliar to me. Also some acquaintances' names seemed totally unfamiliar, even though I remembered knowing their names once they were retold to me. Very unsettling feeling.

Wow. Thank you for writing this. I had this experience prior to my seizure. It was strange, mysterious, and beautiful in some ways. For about 4 days prior to this recent episode I had these symptoms. Some of it felt spiritual in nature. I wrote it off because I’ve had these experiences about 5 or 6 times before at random intervals and just rode them out. It never was looked into. The reason I got help this time was because the seizure happened in the shower and I hit my head and broke my nose. They said my brain looks fine from EEG, MRI, and CT. In that pre-seizure phase, my brain opened up to a whole new access to myself and the people I spoke to. I was intelligent and focused, but the brain that I was working with felt other. Some deep traumatic memories of abuse marked the beginning of each seizure experience over my life. The said it could be PTSD triggered. I do not have a classic epileptic brain.

Reading this information is very helpful, i come back to it and read up on it even though i was diagnosed years ago with absence seizures(petit mal). It was hard, everyone around me thought i was going crazy and i never knew these types of seizures existed. I remember spacing out and losing my memory constantly and i was not taken seriously by my doctors. It was a tough road i hope anyone out there trying to get diagnosed finds something! I remember i was around 11. Scrolling through articles doing research when i found the word Epilepsy.

My kid's friend says he has seizures. A couple of days ago I was arguing with my childs and the friend collapsed on the ground but then he heard my kid scream at me and was instantly back on his feet. All this happened within a minute. Is this typical of seizures or is this an attention thing.

It could - he might of had a ‘drop attack/seizure’ :)

That is completely normal because I have seizures in matter of fact I had a seizure last night, so what I'm trying to say is no it's not a attention seeking thing epilepsy (seizures) are real.

My husband's sister has seizures, is there any probability of my offsprings inheriting it, since it can be hereditary???

I have episodes of just going weak. Then I cannot move at all. Not even open my eyes. These last for about 9 hours. I do come out of them, but exhausted.

My friends husband as seizure only in his sleep and it happen every 5 to six months they have to to the hospital and they did a lot of test but couldn't find a cause,is there any advice

I've had these for years- it was diagnosed as frontal lobe nocturnal epilepsy several years ago and I am medicated for several years

My son has had 2 seizures in his sleep.. All kinds of tests and it's all normal. Doctor says good sleep and water are very important. So scared he will have another.. I've read that stress can do this but son has a good life, seems happy.. I'm worried for his future..

Does he take any medication? My daughter had 3 episodes about four months ago and we ran a lot tests. She’s on medication but she had another one a couple days ago. She’s going back to have another eeg exam. It scares me cause they only happen in her sleep and last for 30 seconds

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