I need advice concerning a seizure

originally posted by: wylekat
a reply to: rickymouse

First, I need to see what, if anything the doctor says. What I SHOULD be hearing is "well, we found (this or that thing)". I'm sure something is wrong- being told I'm just fine means my insurance kicked in.

How did the seizures start? Are you sure you weren't experiencing a low sugar event or a reactive hypoglycemia event? Did you consume some juice or high sugar foods within an hour or two before this happened?

It just... happened. One instant, I'm watching a biker go by, followed by the car, the next- goodbye reality. I had some hot dogs , took metformin, had a soda beforehand. Nothing mind shattering or truly weird, but I knew I had to take my pill soon, or face an upset stomach if I did it with no food in there. Oddly enough, my food intake doesn't seem to affect my blood sugar like it *should*. It goes all over the place, seemingly at random. Talked to the doc about it. I may as well have been reading Jabberwocky to them. :/
I did have to yell before we all got in the car- There was some frustration I wasn't going to put up with. I wonder about my stress handling mechanisms- or the fact they are pretty much gone....

The soda could have spiked your insulin up and the metformin boosted the uptake by the cells and also kicked in more insulin. It could have been a crash. When I wipe out my sugar, the muscles release some muscle sugar and that stuff has nitrogen with it which dialates the blood vessels and I lose blood flow to the head. I have the oposite of diabetes but I have to watch not to trigger the hypoglycemic attacks because I have reactive hypoglycemia. I have to eat like a person who has diabetis does, no high sugar, I have to keep candies around or something so I do not crash. Sometimes the crash is the shakes, sometimes a headache, sometimes the spins or foggy thinking. I have had that all my life, I kind of am used to it but sometimes I do slip and have a problem. I can go all day without eating, burning ketones, but once I start to eat, I have to keep eating every few hours.

a reply to: stormcell

Only a doctor could determine the cause; high blood pressure, low blood pressure, viral infection.

My blood pressure, according to them is beautiful, and everything runs like it should. Now, an infection... I'll have to see what magic words I have to say to get them to look.

a reply to: Boadicea

I am going to, and try to get the symptoms sorted out. I'm kinda new at this sort of thing, so it'll be hard to figure it out. The weather isn't bother it- we have beautiful days, followed by cold, wet, crummy ones. I try to go out and soak up as much sun as possible. Food- I gave up trying to get food and my stupid diabetes to cooperate. I eat (usually) healthy, today was a small exception, I had to take a pill with food, and had 4 hot dogs.

The thing that I think may have helped was stress. I had to have a good hard yell before we got in the car, due to frustration. My stress handling mechanisms are just plain shot. I used to handle stress a lot better- but time, and unending, severe stress and frustration has taken a toll.

a reply to: Plotus

I hope I get something *out* of my doctor concerning my MRI...

a reply to: wylekat

There are no 'normal seizures'. Don't drive for gods sake. Keep track of your incidents of 'fugue' (lost time) your doctor will want to know.

a reply to: Serdgiam

If you are driving, pull over

The ones where I blank out happened while I was driving, thankfully doing 5 mph. No more driving for me after that. I now just ride in the car.

As for precursors, I don't get anything either. It just clobbers me and that's that.

originally posted by: Thecakeisalie
a reply to: wylekat

Get a thorough look over by your doctor;but don't let them throw drugs at you-see a specialist.

Doctors are not brain surgeons-there are specialists for that. I have had brain scans and so forth, just make sure you get the right referral, I have CAP (a hearing/brain disorder-hard to explain) and I was sent to a speech therapist. A speech therapist for my hearing?


Are you on anti anxiety tablets? they can have that effect.

They're too happy trying to throw pills at my diabetes. I keep telling them I think something is causing it to go off like it does, but, like the idiot who tries to stem a flood of water by plugging a hole in a pipe with gum, and not reaching for the shutoff valve- they don't seem to listen. I had the same problem when I was really depressed. I knew what needed to be done, but the therapists were too busy trying to feed me pills (1990s). Instead of helping me *fix* the mess, it was patch up the symptoms.

I won't do anti anxiety meds. I just won't. I don't care WHAT I'm going thru.

a reply to: wylekat

What kind of doctor are you seeing?
I'm not sure a GP is what you need.

IF you di not get the answers you want, see a neurologist.
And, shop around if possible.

a reply to: wylekat

Do you smack your lips or anything like that?

I've had a very similar experience more than once.
Walk into a room, and then I'm walking into the same room, and then again.
A bit unsettling.
I call it 'three-timing.'
The possibility that it was a seizure didn't cross my mind.
I just assumed it was a glitch in the matrix.

originally posted by: wylekat
a reply to: Plotus

I hope I get something *out* of my doctor concerning my MRI...

Are you being firm with your doctor ? That is to say, calling and asking for results or indications ? Being to courteous and silent won't benefit you any. If your having MRI's it's not a Podunk country doctor 'sure-nuff' you know what I mean. They should be acting very professional. A consultation would seem in order.. Hoping you some better responses...

Metformin can sometimes cause seizures. Usually it takes a while before that starts to happen. It isn't a common problem but does occassionally happen. A friend of mine was having some weird side effects off of Metformin after a year or so, he started to take a multimineral and a multivitamin and it did help for a while. He was having the runs a lot and it was causing deficiencies. He wound up in the hospital anyway and the doctors discontinued the metformin now, one doctor having a nephew who had the same reaction and deficiencies from the runs. He is doing lots better now, the multiminerals and multivitamin helped but were not enough to counteract losing so much nutrients in the stool.

The seizures probably come from low blood sugar, in your post you mentioned you had taken a metformin not long before, I do not know if that was what caused the seizure, but I would talk to the doctor about it. When I got the spinny head from the reactive hypoglycemia, at first I thought it was from seizure activity since I have temporal lobe epilepsy. It was not, it was just a more stronger hypoglycemia event coupled with low blood volume.

a reply to: wylekat
Glitch in the matrix

Hubby has some kind of seizures, but we've never been able to get enough answers.
The first one that happened, was after he ate a cheeseburger & went to bed. It happened in his sleep.
Called the ambulance & the medics said his sugar was really low. He was sent for a 4 hour glucose test,
but it was normal, so he was referred to a neurologist two hours away. He did the 24 channel EEG,
& couldn't find anything wrong. He said it wasn't neurological & he didn't need any meds.

Referred hubby to an Endocrinologist. When he came into the room he had the chart in his hand & he started
yelling at us! Never even introduced himself! He screamed,"Who told you that you have low blood sugar?
Low sugar doesn't cause seizures, seizures cause low blood sugar!" It was all downhill from there!
He threw the papers on the desk & told us to go home!

We did find out that four other people in the immediate neighborhood, had had seizures too! All were given a different diagnosis. One had eaten a cheeseburger too! And another one, had a little nephew, that had a seizure
for the first time in Burger King! Weird coincidence?!

Someone suggested stray voltage in the neighborhood. We all had our houses & yards tested twice. Once by an electrician, which showed some possible problem areas. Then tested again by someone from the power company.
They said their readings were fine! We weren't surprised!

Hubby only ever had the seizures when he was sleeping & used more than one pillow, so that his neck was bent.
He had an MRI & it showed two slipped discs in his neck. When he's awake & starts to feel one coming on, I am
able to massage his neck & stop it from going farther. He's able to do it himself too. When he doesn't get enough sleep & gets really upset about something, it can bring one on too. I did a search once & there are a kind called 'stress seizures'!
Our family doc is a D.O. & gives him a spinal manipulation every month & acupuncture if his muscles are really tight.

I hope you are able to get some answers!

WOQ

originally posted by: Plotus

originally posted by: wylekat
a reply to: Plotus

I hope I get something *out* of my doctor concerning my MRI...

Are you being firm with your doctor ? That is to say, calling and asking for results or indications ? Being to courteous and silent won't benefit you any. If your having MRI's it's not a Podunk country doctor 'sure-nuff' you know what I mean. They should be acting very professional. A consultation would seem in order.. Hoping you some better responses...

I am going to, especially after today. I also am going to get to the bottom of why I was referred to a place called Lebauer neurological, and on my referral sheet it says "Dr. Brain"...

originally posted by: DontTreadOnMe
a reply to: wylekat

What kind of doctor are you seeing?
I'm not sure a GP is what you need.

IF you di not get the answers you want, see a neurologist.
And, shop around if possible.

I still see the actual neurologist April 30th. I expect *something* from the doc, tho.

originally posted by: FyreByrd
a reply to: wylekat

There are no 'normal seizures'. Don't drive for gods sake. Keep track of your incidents of 'fugue' (lost time) your doctor will want to know.

After having one where I was trying to pull into the driveway, and found myself doing 5mph past the neighbor's house, THAT stopped my driving anywhere. After today, I'm worried about crossing the street on foot.

originally posted by: DontTreadOnMe
a reply to: wylekat

Do you smack your lips or anything like that?

Ummm... ???

a reply to: wylekat

You'd have to see it.
It is a symptom of a petit mal seizures and temporal lobe seizures.
www.webmd.com...

a reply to: wylekat

As has been mentioned, do some research and prepare to ask questions.
Try to document the times and dates of the events, as well as what you remember experience.
Be as honest as you can.