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On Thu, 17 May 2001 06:43:50
mouserman wrote:
>I had my first seizure around the end of August. After that I had one
>about every 4-6 weeks. These were grand mal and always at night while I
>was in bed asleep. Starting at the end of March, I began also having
>episodes during the day of numbness on my right side - usually just my
>right hand and arm, and sometimes my hand shakes. Sometimes my whole
>right side goes numb and I fall, but do not lose consciousness or have a
>convulsion. About the same time as the numbness episodes started, I
>began having the nighttime seizures much more frequently - it quickly
>went to multiple seizures every night (in spite of the medicine I was
>started on - Zonegran). When the local doc didn't seem concerned, Mom
>and Dad took me to Children's Hospital in Columbus. They did a regular
>EEG, followed by an overnight EEG with video monitoring - they got 2 good
>ones on camera, and made the diagnosis of epilepsy. Followed the next
>day with a brain MRI, which showed an "abnormal structure" on the left
>side of the brain, which is evidently the cause of the seizures. The doc
>says it is NOT an aneurysm or tumor, but she didn't know yet WHAT it is.
>They also did a spinal tap, to rule out infection "and other things"
>(didn't specify what they might be). I was started on Depakote, but
>continued to have multiple seizures - went to 6 in one night a week after
>discharge. Doc sent me to local ER, instructed the ER doc (by phone) to
>start Dilantin (300 mg at bedtime each night) on top of the Depakote (500
>mg morning and night). The nighttime seizures stopped, but I continue to
>have the numbness - I fell twice at school yesterday (all the teachers
>and office staff have been informed so that they know how to react
>properly). So - after all that intro, my question is - if the med is
>controlling the grand mal seizures, why am I still having the others?
>Thanks for any advice you can offer.
>Tom
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Dear tom,

I still have seizures once a week even though my medicine dosage has been
changed a whole bunch in the past year. I'm on Tegretol 200mg. 2 tablets twice
a day. I fall a lot after a seizure too, mainly because I get too weak to stand
up afterward. I usually use a wheelchair or forearm cruthces to get around
afterwards. I just had an MRI, but I don't know the results yet. I've only had
EEG's since I was diagnosed 10 years ago (I'm 19 now). Those have show a very
small problem in my temporal lobes, but nothing much to help a doctor out. I've
never had a spinal tap before, but my doctor said that he might have one do as a
last resort. I'm not looking forward to that. My mom told me they hurt bad!!!!
My mom has epilepsy similar to yours only she has seizures during the day, not
at night anymore.

I'll write a little later. Hope you have a nice day.

Sincerely,
Jessie Gray

jessie.gray@...
>


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