Hello...
My name is Lynn. I'm new to this site. I was reading your post and
I understand how you feel...at least I think I do. I was finally
diagnosed in May after having been told I had panic disorder when I
had my first seizure the previous September. I have been having
simple partial seizures for probably 2-3 years now, not knowing what
they were; hence the panic disorder diagnoses. I had my first tonic-
clonic seizure September 2005. It was blown off by the ER doc as a
panic attack that caused me to hyperventilate and pass out, which CAN
look like a seizure. Except for the fact that I was not
hyperventilating at the time,and my neighbor who was with me said I
was not hyperventilating, but I was told you can hyperventilate and
not know it...ok whatever. I was also told I "didn't want a seizure
diagnoses" because then I couldn't drive, etc. I had one more seizure
in January 06 that nobody witnessed because I was asleep. It was
only afterwards when I was wandering around in state that my husband
knew anything was wrong, although didn't know what. That was blamed
on low blood sugar and sleepwalking. Finally, in May my husband
witnessed the seizure, and I was finally diagnosed. I have been on
Lamictal ever since and I feel horrible about having to take it too.
I have no side effects, which is nice, since I was a complete basket
case on the Paxil and then the Zoloft I was taking for the panic
disorder I didn't have. I'm also still on a fairly low dose, 150mg
once a day. I understand the standard id 150-200mg twice a day, so
at least I feel good about that. At any rate, I hate the thought of
having this the rest of my life. Having to take pills, wondering
when and where the next one will happen. I'm constanly aware of
every sensation in my body now, wondering if it's a seizure coming
on. If I didn't have panic disorder before, I do now! =) I just
started driving again this week. I have to say that it's great
having that part of my life back, (when I'm not freaked out that I'm
going to have a SZ while driving, especially with my boys in the
car). I'm afraid to be alone, I'm afraid to be in large crowds, my
husband travels for his job, so I'm often home for days at a time
with my kids ages 7 and 4, and that freaks me out still. I wonder if
I'm ever going to feel at ease again. I'm really angry about the
whole thing. I get depressed afterwards, and also exhausted. After
the one I had in May, I slept for the better part of two days. I was
really out of it. Of course, the Ativan they gave me at the hospital
probably had something to do with that! I get soooo keyed up
immediately afterwards that they gave me some to calm me down, and
it's also an anti-convulsant. The fact that I get so anxious
afterward was part of what kept them from DX-ing seizure in the first
place. The ER doc said I should have been exhausted right away. My
Neurololgist, however says no, that seizures produce so much
adreneline that many people react that way...especially those of us
that tend towards the anxious side already! Anyway, now that I've
gone on and on...It's nice to finally find a place to chat and read
about others who are going through it too.




--- In Cent_Wa_Epilepsy_Support@yahoogroups.com, "emily_strelis"
<emily_strelis@...> wrote:
>
> Hello there! I'd like to say that this is a great way to feel
better about my epilepsy: knowing
> that there are others out there like me. I had my first seizure in
June of this year, and
> another one two weeks ago, at work. Then another one this past
thursday. Is it normal to
> feel extremely depressed after an episode? And is it normal to be
exhausted afterwards?
> I'm on Lamictal and have been for about 5 weeks now. I'm almost
through the starter pack.
> I feel horrible every time I take it...I know that I need it but
does that get better?
> Thanks for letting me bend your ears.
>