Hey all, I'm Rich although I have several medical conditions epilepsy is not one of them, however my mother-in-law does I'm not real familiar with types but I was told they are called brain storms. She has meds to help prevent them but lives alone due to husband passed a few years ago (married 45 yrs.) and she forgets or I believe she doesn't think she needs it. Basically she has the brain storms 24 hrs a day and she and we can't tell when they happen but her brain gets re-set and she doesn't remember lots of things like she already had her nightly drink and has a few more then becomes unable to do simple tasks like talk on the phone, turn on or off the TV, or use the lock on the door of her house of 50 yrs. My wife and her brother tried to tell her that they were worried about her and so were her neighbors and relitive who lived nearby due to seeing her drive several times around the block before pulling into her drive way, finding her face first flat out in her floor when coming to check on her, or find her setting in her drive not knowing how to get the car in the garage or her self into the house. in her younger days she had seizures and took meds but hadn't had any problems for about 54 years until her husband passed, then this year her older sister passed then a few weeks ago her younger brother passed. Anyway she doesn't believe anything anyone tells her about this problem or that she's not supposed to have liquor with her meds she is taking, she just gets hurt and offended and refuses to believe anything told her. I understand that her reality is different than what we see which makes it harder for her to grasp, but for her safety and quality of life we need to get her to accept the truth about this and take her meds and stop the nightly drinks. Does anyone have any expierence with this type of problem, or ideas/suggestions on how to get her to accept our help. also three of her four kids have offered her to come live with us one in CA,TX,& VA she just crys and says she likes her life there in NY and her frends, she has lived there all her life. Any help will be greatly appreciated Thanks, Rich!

Hi Rich,

I'm sorry to hear that your mother in law is having such a hard time. I've had epilepsy for 39 yrs. and what's happening is to much electrical activity in the brain is firing up the neurons in your you mother in laws brain and this is triggering seizures (sz.) Also drinking alcoholic beverages will cause sz. like crazy and if a person doesn't take their AED's (Anti epileptic drugs) it will cause more sz. and lead to more brain damage making the sz. worse.
Your mother in law shouldn't be driving in NY the state law is a person is to go without a sz. for 1 yr. and have a Drs. written statement that it's safe to drive she's indangering herself and others by driving.
Your mother in law needs to go to a Epilepsy Center which are usually at university hospitals and see an epileptologist (Dr. specializing in epilepsy).
I will tell you that stress, lack of sleep and alcohol are the 3 main things that trigger sz. for a person. I find it strange how you mother in law can't remember anything for the day. Usually after a sz. a person is confused for a few seconds and tired but then things are fine. If I may ask have you noticed your mother in law asking the same questions over and over again in a short time? Also watch her checkbook or any other banking she does. I'm beginning to wonder if she isn't getting alzheimers. I've seen alzheimers run in my family and that can lead to sz. sometimes. What you are describing sounds like she may be in the beginning stages of alzheimers but I hope I am wrong. Get her on vitamin B12 once a day 1000 mcg. this should help her and you can buy it over the counter until she sees a Dr. Here's wishing you and your family only the best and May God Bless All of You!

Sue

Hey Sue, Thank you for your ideas, response,& kind words my mother-in-law is like my own mother and there are lots of people that are worried about her, some with medical background sugested alzeimers or dementia possible. The problem lays in getting her to believe she has a problem, her Dr. did an EEG and showed many mini sz, while even doing the thet and told her son that it was like a brain reset and she wouldn't remember events that happened in those few seconds and prescribed her an AED but she dosen't take it. However the other memory problems are something like who attended my father-in-laws funeral and how to operate simple things like phone and garage door opener etc...any suggestions on how to convince her she needs help!

Hi Rich,

This may sound strange but you need to do a short term memory test on your mom. Just write down a few words like you would on a grocery list then read the list to her and see how many words she can remember. (the words don't have to be in order.) My neuro does this with me to see how my short term memory is and take my word the more sz. a person has the more likely it is for a person hippocampus (memory& learning area of the brain) to shrink and get harder causing memory loss.

Tell your mom that if she refuses to take her AED's that a nurse will have to come into the home 24/7 or the family will have to put her in a nursing home for her own safety. This is very hard and heart breaking for everyone but this is what we had to do with my Grandmother after she left the stove on when she was baking. You also have the legal right to speak with her Dr. and let the Dr. know what's going on and how she's refusing to take her AED. Then the Dr. will speak up to your mom. Another thing that could happen is if your mom refuses to take her AED then it could lead to status epilepticus sz. which are life threatening the sz. lasts 40 min. to days depending on the person and the person has to be admitted into the hospital and given an iv of med in order to come out of the sz. this in turn causes more brain damage. Just tell your mom that if she loves her family to take her AED's and also stay away from cell phones and nutra sweet both cell phones and nutra sweet cause more electrical activity in the brain and trigger sz. for many people. I found this out the hard way when others were using cell phones around me I always go into a sz. and nutra sweet from diet soda triggered sz. like crazy for me. I wish you and the family the best of luck and May God Bless All of You!

Sue

Hi Rich,

I forgot to tell you that there has been a study done where they found that cooling the brain helps reduce sz. I was in the study with a neurobiologist at Binghamton University. I had to take my temperatue 3 times a day at the same time and each time after I had a sz. Then I had to keep track of each time I yawned during the day and write down what time I did any yawning. I did this for 1 month and they found that on the days that I had any sz. my temperature was higher even before I had a sz. and I was yawning much less that day. When they did the second part of the study I had to continue what I was doing but this time if I had any warning I was going to have a sz. I was to put a cold washcloth on my face and neck. Each time I did this the sz. stopped and my temperature went down to stop the neurons in the brain from firing up and triggering a sz. You might want to tell your mom to put a cold washcloth on her face 3-4 times a day to see if this helps reduce or stop her sz.

I know over in Britian they have already started surgery on people by putting a microchip in the brain that helps cool the brain and stop sz. Rochester told me that they would be doing this form of surgery in another 2 yrs. they are waiting for the FDA here to approve of it. Here's wishing you and your family the best and May God Bless You!

Sue

Hey Sue, Again thank you so very much for the info, I'll pass it along.

I feel for your MIL, and I know you are concerned. She deserves to be able to enjoy her life as she chooses. To give it up and move in with relatives without exhausting all avenues of care first is a pity. However, I am concerned about her safety. That does not mean that she needs to give up her freedom. Who prescribed her seizure meds and what kind of doc is this? What are they and what kind of seizures does she have? I had seizures for more than 35 years before I learned of much better care that is available. It is also vey underutilized because most do not know of it, and the general neurologists will not tell their patients either out or ignorance or fear they will lose a patient. I encourage you to tell her to check into making an appointment with an Epileptologist ( Board Certified) at a Comprehensive Epilepsy Center. There are several in NY. This made all the difference in my Quality Of Life, and I got my life back! She deserves no less! Seizures get worse if not stopped. She is not too old for a change in QOL with the right care not by a long shot! Ask her to come here and read this! Tell her to ask her PCP to make the referral ( not the general neuro!!) to a Level 4 Comprehensve Epilepsy Center. I have included a link to the National Asociation of Epilepsy Centers that grades Centers based on their criteria. It also shows those in NY that are Level 4. Strong is one of those. Getting the Right care for her particular case is the very next thing to do. Ask her to come here! ALso read that post re the diets by DogtorJ. I have not lost consciousness in 12 years now, but i recognize and did experience the not knowing where I am and having probems getting myself back home. That was NOT dementia. That was the result of seizure activity or possibly the post ictal (after a seizure) resolution time. Better care is needed from one who treats only epilepsy and has done the Fellowship in Epilepsy, a board certified Epileptologist, NOT a general neurologist or her PCP!!! They do not have the tools needed. You can tell it is an area of passion for me. We all deserve the right proper care. I do want to stress strongly that no one here has any ability to suggest that she has any particular diagnosis sich as alzheimers! We are not physicians, and only a physician or Np can diagnose. To start thinking alzheimers instead of devoting all attention to seeking the correct care for her epilepsy short changes your MIL, and it is her QOL we are writing about and devoting our concern. Do not go there especially since alzheimers can only be diagnosed on autopsy! Before that, it is a guess! She deserves better than that! Tattoo

http://www.naeclocator.org/default.htm

http://www.naeclocator.org/locator/resultsall.asp Scroll to NY

Hey Tattoo2, Many thanks for you heart and passion and reaching out to another person. My MIL is like my Mom and has treated me like a son from day one (I lost my Mom at age 14) the link to find a center will come in handy as we (my wife, her brother, my MIL, all my children, and I) have decided to have her move here with us in virginia, I will be able to help with ensuring she takes her meds and get her to her appointments.

Also she has always wanted to move in with us when the time came. She will have plenty of family here to keep her busy and help her. She is going to her Dr. in NY tomorrow and my wife and her brother's wife have arranged for a trusted neighbor to go with her to ensure she is taken care of and get Dr. orders in writing.

As for types of sz. one is focal and the other causes mini blackouts and loss of time, and through communications with her neighbors they have found her face down and out so a few grand mal sz possible.

Again many thanks!

Hi Rich -
So sorry to hear about your MIL. I hope she is able to find some answers to her medical condition. What part of NY does your MIL live in? I am in NY as well. If she is on Long Island, I really like my Neurologist if you need a referral. Wishing you and your family well.

Hey Ceba, Thank you very much for your offer to assist me with my MIL's care.

She is in upstate near Utica, but soon to relocate to Virginia with me and my wife. Also three grand children their spouses, and seven great grand children, so she'll have plenty of love and care around her.

Again Many Thanks
And God Bless!