A What If Scenario... A Question Of Seizure Occurance On Versus Off Medication.

[SeanCharles]

I know I have occasionally posted on this subject. It is this subject (following a seizure while on the job) that actually led me to find this forum a year ago!

My medication is basically this:

I have been prescribed an anti-convulsant which for various reasons have not been successful in proving what has been a rough situation. For a variety of reasons from depression induced Suicidal Ideation to not wanting to take the medication or getting to the point where I feel I didn't need the medication has complicated the proper diagnosis of seizures. So, when I complained that I felt this initial medication stopped working I was sent back to the neurologist who decided to prescribe a different anti-convulsant.

During our appointment I had mentioned the auras not becoming ictal (seizure with loss of consciousness) which may not be exact definition, and he referred to these as breakthrough seizures, with this, I would have thought and realize that maybe further testing was needed which might include video-eeg?

Anyway, I am on this second medication and wonder if I am truely a candidate for epilepsy treatment or if these seizures which may be presenting as epileptic seizures are really non-epileptic seizures. I have found the only state video-eeg facility in the state which is a bit farther than I first thought. I might be able to get a leave of absence from work for this using FMLA.

I am writing this post (which maybe is better suited as a diary post in the hopes that maybe some of you might find this useful or maybe helpful. All comments are welcome!

---SeanGeo

 

[Recovery4Me]

... realize that maybe further testing was needed which might include video-eeg?

I am sorry to hear of your events which led you here, however, I am glad that you are among us! Anything new on the thought quoted above?

 

[Lucycat]

The problem with epilepsy is that it easy to prove that you have it, but very hard to prove that you don't. Of course if you have already had EEGs that proved epileptiform activity, then the diagnosis is made. Ok they can then further check for sub-types etc but you would then know for sure that you had epileptic seizures.

On the other hand if the EEG shows nothing abnormal it means nothing abnormal was happening during the test. Not that it never happens.

If your seizures are not very common occupancies, how long would you need to be in the video EEG facility to capture an event? How would you feel if you were there for a number of days and nothing happened? what would the video aspect of it add to what you already know?

Has the new anticonvulsant helped you?