Do any other parents here have children that have epilepsy?

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my 2 year old has recently been diagnosed with epilepsy... he is having simple partial seizures and complex partial seizures... partial meaning the seizures are only happening on one side of his brain and in his case the right side.

My question is, how did you cope finding out about his/her condition?? were you overwhelmed with all the information. Did you feel that you were provided with enough information?
i should add that his doctors that are now treating him are excellent and i am confident and very comfortable knowing that they are the ones treating him..
i have complex partial seizures. the cause of mine is scars (damage) on the left cerebral of the brain. i've been having them for 30yrs due to the doctor pulling me out with forceps when born and squeezed head too hard-scared brain. i've been through alot (up to 7seizures a day). i had to stop going to school as of 7th grade (had to finish with home study) cause i was constantly getting sick. i went from doctor to doctor and they kept telling me there's nothing that can be done but eventually God blessed me with a healing. a doctor did the same test as the rest and found my problem gave me brain surgery and i've went from up to 7 a day to 9 in 9yrs. so have patience and that day will come that God will bless your child with a healing.

just in case you live in my area los angeles, ca here is the doctor office
epilepsy and brain mapping program(626)792-7300  (+ info)

Epilepsy childhood? What and how much medication?

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How much medication does a child with partial seizures have and if so what ones do they take?
They think my 4 1/2yo boy has Epilepsy. (partial seizures)
They talking bout medication but i want to know what other people have/are on for childhood epilepsy.
As a neurologist who treats kids with epilepsy, the amount will depend on several factors including your child's weight, type and severity of seizure, response to medication, side effects, and blood levels (if available). You should discuss this treatment directly with the doctor treating your child so he/she can clarify any questions or concerns you have regarding the diagnosis and treatment suggested. Best of luck.   (+ info)

please help. in regards to epilepsy, is it possible that the person can smell like they've drank alcohol?

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a friend has been diagnosed with epilepsy (at first) then provoked seizures after another consult. she smells like alcohol at times when it is obvious she is not "her normal self". is it at all possible that she CAN smell like she's drank alcohol when she's experiencing a mild (partial) seizure? there has been an alcohol issue in the past so it is very important my friend's husband knows if he still needs to continue looking for "stashed" alcohol. PLEASE HELP,
NO! It is possible that the person himself may have different experience during attack but they cannot smell of something.  (+ info)

since I have epilepsy can I have kids?

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I have partial grand mal seizures and want to get pregnant but i don't know if I can. I have not had one for 5years.
yes. i have epilepsy and have two boys.
make sure to talk to your doctor before you get pregnant, though, as your meds may need to be changed, and just to talk about any precautions or whatever.

i had to take folic acid throughout my whole pregnancies to prevent neural tube defects.

seizures in pregnant epileptic women may increase, decrease, or stay the same. with my first son i was fine, with my second son i had 3 seizures in my first trimester and then i was fine.  (+ info)

Did you grow out of Epilepsy?

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I have complex partial seizures. I've had about 11, but haven't had one in more than a year and a half. My neurologist said i had a 30% chance of growing out of it since I'm only 14.
I did have idiopathic epilepsy when I was between the ages of 7-14. I'm now 16 and it's been starting to lessen and my neuro. says I could possibly be almost free of it.
So, yes, i'm on my way to being free.  (+ info)

does temporal lope epilepsy cause hypersexuality?

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sometimes i have a very strong sexual desire and i cannot stpe myself masturbating,i feel so guilt , also i want to ask about my case (i have a simple partial and generalised epilep. i suffer from psychomoter fits and myoclonic but till now i didnot have tonic clonic fits,my case is deteriorated-i refused taking drugs for a long time and when i accepted i lost hope cause i didnot found the effective drug suiting my case.can i stop taking any drugs ?
Hypersexuality is rare, but possible. The effect on the libido is usually the opposite. The easiest way to tell if there is a connection is if the desires build up before or after seizures - if so, a connection is very likely. If the desires are more constant or don't follow any pattern, then its probably not related to the seizures.

Its really not unusual for teens to have these urges and many people masturbate frequently. I did, and i felt guilty and i also felt like it i was doing it far too often. I eventually figured i just have an active libido and that's the way it is. The guilt thing seems to go along with it. When you look at the whole picture, most people don't actually have a sexual problem because they masturbate - they have a guilt problem because of what they have been taught or because self-esteem is low to begin with. Guilt problems are usually pretty easy to overcome as you begin to decide who you are and who you want to be - that might take form over a couple of years from now.

Masturbation is a problem only if it becomes compulsive and it is controlling you and not the other way around. If this is occurring, it would be a good idea to discuss with a mental health professional. Compulsive sexual behavior as you have probably figured out by now is not easy to stop because our brains are programmed to seek pleasure.

As for stopping the drugs, if you have tried all the different meds and none have worked, it would be a good idea to talk to you doc about stopping the drugs. If there are still a few meds that you haven't tried, ask to switch to a different med. Give a new med a month or two to see what it does unless you get intolerable side effect, in which case, its best to call your doc right away to see what's best to do. You definitely don't want to just go cold turkey and stop without talking to your doc - this can sometimes trigger a bunch of seizures and serious mood problems.  (+ info)

Temporal lobe/partial seizures, are there any common personality traits or seizure triggers with this?

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I was wondering if anyone knows what effects TLE (temporal lobe epilepsy) has on personality? Also anyone have the condition and have noticed regular triggers? I often get the seizures from the sensation of water pouring on my head in the shower... Any help from personal experience would be as good as official stuff... there isn't that much info on the web and most of it is rather lacking in detail or is rather inconclusive...
With me, my temper becomes very short for a couple of hours before. I also tend to smell and taste things that aren't there (usually either metallic, salty, or sweet). Sometimes an arm will start twitching and I'm fully conscious and the twitching will work its way up my arm and then that side of my body will move a bit, but I don't remember after it hits my shoulder. When the sky starts "sparkling" I know I've only got 15 minutes or less before one hits. I usually feel anxious before up until that 15 minutes, but then I start feeling really euphoric.... like a kid opening presents at Christmas. I'm triggered by stress, lack of sleep, flashing lights, music with certain beats or tones (musicogenic), alcohol is a big one (not being drunk, but when it's leaving my system), and being sick or having a headache. If I'm in the shower, If I stop and watch the water falling it can set me off.  (+ info)

Anyone out there that has epilepsy and has visual things that fo on with their eyes.?

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I wouldlike to speak or hear from someone that has complex partial seizures and 1 Knows of any latest Aaeds(Anti epileptic drugs) that have come out and their side effects. 2 Who has funny things that go on with their eyes ooccasionallyfor a minute or so. Won't always be the same things ooccurring EG( Might see colours or things looked distorted.)
I have complex partial seizures and get a weird deja vu type aura were things look kind of blurred or the lighting feels weird. As far as anti-epileptic drugs I know there is a new generic version of lamictal, you can find all the side effects on their website (below). I'm not sure what you mean with your last question though. I guess when I have a seizure I look like I'm staring into space or daydreaming.  (+ info)

What is Epilepsy and what is the treatment for it?

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What is epilepsy and what is the treatment for it I do take medication I do suffer from migraines as well. I have grand mal seizures. I also have petti Mal and partical seizures. What are all the treatmeats for my condition.
Epilepsy (sometimes referred to as a seizure disorder) is a common chronic neurological condition that is characterized by recurrent unprovoked epileptic seizures. It affects approximately 50 million people worldwide.[1] It is usually controlled, but not cured, with medication – although surgery may be considered in difficult cases.

Treatment

Epilepsy is usually treated with medication prescribed by a physician; primary caregivers, neurologists, and neurosurgeons all frequently care for people with epilepsy. In some cases the implantation of a stimulator of the vagus nerve, or a special diet can be helpful. Neurosurgical operations for epilepsy can be palliative, reducing the frequency or severity of seizures; or, in some patients, an operation can be curative.
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Responding to a seizure

In most cases, the proper emergency response to a generalized tonic-clonic epileptic seizure is simply to prevent the patient from self-injury by moving him or her away from sharp edges, placing something soft beneath the head, and carefully rolling the person onto his or her side to avoid asphyxiation. Should the person regurgitate, the material should be allowed to drip out the side of the patient's mouth by itself. If the seizure lasts longer than 5 minutes, Emergency Medical Services should be contacted. Prolonged seizures may develop into status epilepticus, a dangerous condition requiring hospitalization and emergency treatment.

Objects should never be placed in a person's mouth during a seizure as this could result in injury to the person's mouth or obstruction of the airway. Despite common folklore, it is not possible for a person to swallow their own tongue during a seizure.

After a seizure, it is typical for a person to be confused, disoriented, and possibly agitated or sleepy. It is important to stay with the person until this passes; people should not eat or drink until they have returned to their normal level of awareness, and they should not be allowed to wander about unsupervised. Many patients will sleep deeply for a few hours after a seizure; this is not dangerous. In about 50% of people with epilepsy, headaches may occur after a seizure. These headaches share many features with migraines, and respond to the same medications.

If it seems to have been a first seizure, it is likely to be noticeably helpful to make a written or otherwise recorded note of the sequence and nature of events. The doctor deciding on further management will probably find this helpful.
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Pharmacologic treatment

Some medications can be taken daily in order to prevent seizures altogether or reduce the frequency of their occurrence. These are termed "anticonvulsant" or "antiepileptic" drugs (sometimes AEDs). All such drugs have side effects which are idiosyncratic and others which are dose-dependent; it is not possible to predict who will suffer from side effects or at what dose the side effects will appear.

Some people with epilepsy will experience a complete remission when treated with an anticonvulsant medication. If this does not occur, the dose of medication may be increased, or another medication may be added to the first. The general strategy is to increase the medication dose until either the seizures are controlled, or until dose-limiting side effects appear; at which point the medication dose is reduced to the highest amount that did not produce undesirable side effects.

Serum levels of AEDs can be checked to determine medication compliance and to assess the effects of drug-drug interactions; serum levels are generally not useful to predict anticonvulsant efficacy in an individual patient, though in some cases (such as a seizure flurry) it can be useful to know if the level is very high or very low.

If a person's epilepsy cannot be brought under control after adequate trials of two different drugs, that person's epilepsy is generally said to be 'medically refractory.'

Various drugs may prevent seizures or reduce seizure frequency: these include carbamazepine (common brand name Tegretol), clobazam (Frisium), clonazepam (Klonopin), ethosuximide (Zarontin), felbamate (Felbatol), fosphenytoin (Cerebyx), flurazepam (Dalmane), gabapentin (Neurontin), lamotrigine (Lamictal), levetiracetam (Keppra), oxcarbazepine (Trileptal), mephenytoin (Mesantoin), phenobarbital (Luminal), phenytoin (Dilantin), pregabalin (Lyrica), primidone (Mysoline), sodium valproate (Epilim), tiagabine (Gabitril), topiramate (Topamax), valproate semisodium (Depakote), valproic acid (Depakene, Convulex), and vigabatrin (Sabril).

Other drugs are commonly used to abort an active seizure or interrupt a seizure flurry; these include diazepam (Valium) and lorazepam (Ativan). Drugs used only in the treatment of refractory status epilepticus include paraldehyde (Paral) and pentobarbital (Nembutal).

Bromides were the first of the effective anticonvulsant pure compounds, but are no longer used in humans[6] due to their toxicities and low efficacy.
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Surgical treatment

Surgical treatment can be an option for epilepsy when an underlying brain abnormality, such as a benign tumor or an area of scar tissue (e.g. hippocampal sclerosis) can be identified. The abnormality must be removable by a neurosurgeon.

Surgery is usually only offered to patients when their epilepsy has not been controlled by adequate attempts with multiple medications. Before surgery is offered, the medical team conducts many tests to assess whether removal of brain tissue will result in unacceptable problems with memory, vision, language or movement, which are controlled by different parts of the brain. These tests usually include a neuropsychological evaluation, which sometimes includes an intracarotid sodium amobarbital test (Wada test). Resective surgery, as opposed to palliative, successfully eliminates or significantly reduces seizures in about 50-90% of the patients who undergo it (the exact percentage depends on the particulars of the case in question.) Many patients decide not to undergo surgery owing to fear or the uncertainty of having a brain operation.

The most common form of resective surgical treatment for epilepsy is to remove the front part of either the right or left temporal lobe. A study of 48 patients who underwent this operation, anterior temporal lobectomy, between 1965 and 1974 determined the long-term success of the procedure. Of the 48 patients, 21 had had no seizures that caused loss of consciousness since the operation. Three others had been free of seizures for at least 19 years. The rest had either never been completely free of seizures or had died between the time of the surgery and commencement of the study.[7]

Palliative surgery for epilepsy is intended to reduce the frequency or severity of seizures. Examples are callosotomy or commissurotomy to prevent seizures from generalizing (spreading to involve the entire brain), which results in a loss of consciousness. This procedure can therefore prevent injury due to the person falling to the ground after losing consciousness. It is performed only when the seizures cannot be controlled by other means. Resective surgery can be considered palliative if it is undertaken with the expectation that it will reduce but not eliminate seizures.

Hemispherectomy is a drastic operation in which most or all of one half of the cerebral cortex is removed. It is reserved for people suffering from the most catastrophic epilepsies, such as those due to Rasmussen syndrome. If the surgery is performed on very young patients (2-5 years old), the remaining hemisphere may acquire some rudimentary motor control of the ipsilateral body; in older patients, paralysis results on the side of the body opposite to the part of the brain that was removed. Because of these and other side effects it is usually reserved for patients who have exhausted other treatment options.
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Other treatment

Ketogenic diets may occasionally be effective in controlling some types of epilepsy; although the mechanism behind the effect is not fully understood, shifting of pH towards a metabolic acidosis and alteration of brain metabolism may be involved. Ketogenic diets are high in fat and extremely low in carbohydrates, with intake of fluids often limited. This treatment, originated as early as the 1920s at Johns Hopkins Medical Center, was largely abandoned with the discovery of modern anti-epileptic drugs, but recently has returned to the anti-epileptic treatment arsenal. Ketogenic diets are sometimes prescribed in severe cases where drugs have proven ineffective.

There are several downsides to what initially seems a benign therapy, however. The ketogenic diet is not good for the heart or kidneys and medical problems resulting from the diet have been reported. In addition, the diet is extremely unpalatable and few patients are able to tolerate it for any length of time. Since a single potato chip is adequate to break the ketosis, staying on the diet requires either great willpower or perfect control of a person's dietary intake. People fed via gastrostomy or young children who receive all their food in the presence of a caregiver are better candidates.

Vagus nerve stimulation is a recently developed form of seizure control which uses an implanted electrical device, similar in size, shape and implant location to a heart pacemaker, which connects to the vagus nerve in the neck. Once in place the device can be set to emit electronic pulses, stimulating the vagus nerve at pre-set intervals and milliamp levels. Treatment studies have shown that approximately 50% of those treated in this fashion will show significant seizure reduction.

Some people with epilepsy receive a special dog which has the rare talent of sensing the onset of a seizure and is trained to alert the human so they can reach a safe location before their seizure puts them in danger. Other epilepsy care dogs do not sense seizures, but serve as companions and guardians during the loss of consciousness accompanying a seizure.

The Institutes for The Achievement of Human Potential promulgate a home program consisting of a healthy diet, clean air, and respiratory training. This alternative approach is regarded as dangerous and without value by most medical practitioners.

Magnesium and vitamin B6 exerted a positive non-specific influence on the mental states of patients with epilepsy, depression and anxiety during an experiment.[8]

A number of systematic reviews by the Cochrane Collaboration into treatments for epilepsy looked at acupuncture[9], psychological interventions[10], vitamins[11] and yoga[12] and found there is no reliable evidence to support the use of these as treatments for epilepsy.

More on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epilepsy#Treatment  (+ info)

Can Epilepsy affect what subjects at school your good at at?

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I have epilepsy and I'm quite good at most subjects (my best being history,RE and English).But I am terrible at Pyschics and Math.
Has this got anything to do with my Epilepsy or am I just not good at the subjects?
epilepsy does not have any affect on specific brain parts related to learning. some people are just "math" people and some people are more "verbal" people which it sounds like you are. i've read studies where it states that in general, men are better in math and science whereas girls are better at reading/writing. lately this is the subject of some debate because there are females good in math/science...it is just that traditionally women were never encouraged to be strong in these areas.
if you are getting poor grades in those areas, you might want to consider tutoring or getting help for those subjects. i know i am absolutely terrible at math and needed math tutoring my whole academic career.
congratulations to you for working hard in school! hope this helps. alicia  (+ info)

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