Epilepsy Community

Hello Mom,

ER's are not the most reliable to recognize/confirm seizure activity. I would go ahead & make an appt w/ her GP, if I were her. Tell him/her about the excessive fatigue & the events that just occurred. Be sure to include how long B4 she regained consciousness. Have him/her chek her Vitamin D & B levels hormones. Those tests Should confirm if she needs to see a neurologist & have More tests. An EEG & MRI or MEG may be needed

In the mean time she needs to start a Daily Journal! More Info under Tips. Please, visit the faqs.org site, listed in our Resources, for more info on seizure Types.

The excessive fatigue Mite be due to Diet &/or other underlying causes. Use the WebMD Search bar (up top) w/ the words 'feeling tired' or 'excessive fatigue' to learn more. A Daily Journal can help determine what's what.

I hope this Helped. Please keep us updated. If you have more questions or concerns let us know. HUGS!

Love Candi

Mom, I noted you said someone was trying to use the Heimlich method on your daughter. This is not Good! Everyone she knows needs to know Proper Seizure First Aid! It's Easy! Please share this Info w/ your daughter & her BF. Even if your daughter never has another Episode, it could save someone else's Life!

1. Loosen constrictive clothing.
2. Remove any objects that can be harmful.
3. Place something (blanket, coat, etc. ) under their head. Or hold head in your lap.
4. Turn person on their side. This will Prevent them from swallowing/choking on excess bile/fluids.
5. Time the Episode. If seizure lasts, Non-stop, longer than 2-3 minutes call 911.
Do not Restrain! Do Not place anything in their mouth! Talk calmly/quietly to them until they regain consciousness. When they are conscious, assist them to a quiet place & let them Sleep!

Thank you for your replies, I'm copy & pasted this info and sent it to my daughter. I'm hoping she doesnt have anymore seizure episodes and not sure what is wrong yet. I am hoping she goes to a better dr and has some more tests. I thought that was odd too about someone giving her the heimlech, I think they thought she was choking because she sounded like she was gagging. I've been doing alot of research on different things but really it comes down to getting all the correct labwork, ct scans, etc.

A few months ago, a dr did a xray of her low back, he said it was Disc degenerative disease then left it at that. No other tests were done. I dont know if the seizure was related to that or something different.

Hello Mom,

Thank You for your reply & for sending the Info to your daughter. Considering this May have been her first episode it is important for her to Learn as much as she can about Seizure Disorders. Keep in mind that it takes 2 similar 'episodes' to be diagnosed w/ Epilepsy.

So many people are uneducated about seizures & symptoms. I'm sure she Was gagging, if she had excess fluids built up. But the Heimlich will not help unless she was gagging on Food lodged in her throat. So turning her on her side will prevent her from Gagging on excess fluids. Which happens during a seizure.

I'm Glad you are doing your Homework. Yes, she will need tests to determine if she has a seizure disorder. But, keep in mind 65% of people w/ seizure disorders have an undetermined cause. Plus, our tests do not always show a problem. W/ an EEG seizure activity Must be present to be recorded. And even then it may not show, as seizure activity may be buried too deep in the brain to be noted. So, it may take more than one EEG test to determine seizure activity. In my opinion, for women, the Best time to have an EEG done is B4 or during her menstrual cycle. As for MRI's, all mine have been negative. But that is Good! It means no tumors, cysts or scarring is present to cause seizures. The new test, MEG, is better at locating a Focal point (origin of seizure). Unfortunately it is New & not all hospitals have the machine.
There are several co-morbid disorders associated w/ Epilepsy or seizure disorders. But, I don't think degenerative disc is one. I have several friends w/ this problem. Their DRS basically did the same. Tested, related info & let them go. Drs usually won't/can't do anything for it. Except prescribe pain pills when the pain gets to be intolerable. Calcium w/ vitamin D &/or calcium citrate May slow the process down, though. WebMd may have more Info. Plus, under Popular Discussions, Weblinks for Epilepsy, there should be a link to the CDC (Center for Disease Control) site. Use their Search tool for info about degenerative discs.

To locate a Neurologist or Epileptologist (seizure Specialist) recommended by others w/ Epilepsy, please visit epilepsytalk.com. Maybe there will be a good DR near you. If not, Keep in mind, not all neuros specialize in Epilepsy. Your daughter needs to ask, if/when she calls, if they do.

Here is a Hopeful Fact: Everyone/anyone can/will experience at least 1 seizure in their Lifetime. Hopefully, that is True for your daughter. Question: Did she have any Traumatic Blows to the head while growing up? Or any Emotional Trauma? If so, she needs to Inform the DR of when & how bad.

Hugs, Love Candi

Hi Candi, Thank you so much for your info! I do remember something that happened to my daughter last summer, she might have had some trauma to her head during that time. I dont want to get into the details but thats how she found out she had a disc degeneration, due to lots of low back pains. I dont think she mentioned this "situation" to any Dr's, she probably doesn't realize how something she thinks isn't a big deal CAN in fact be a very big deal. I will talk to her some more. Thanks again for your information (: