Well my husband is having those staring episodes again, witnessed by others this time. Just stopped talking and stared then said what were we talking about? And some people at work saw him just fixated on things. Lasts only a few seconds. He is completely exhausted. sleeping most of time when off. I wonder if he is having more of these per day and just don't know it? I'm really worried about him. He also has a vp shunt and I wonder if symptoms are due to that, even though neurosurgeon says shunt is fine.

At one time after I would have a seizure I would get sleepy. After I slept for while I would fell still tired but awake. Then also as I was having one I would just stare off into space. Keppra can cause drowsiness, dizziness, and weakness . I am on Keppra myself, taking 1500 mg twice a day. I really have not had problems with it, but what is good for one, another one may not have as good luck. My thoughts and prayers are with you and him.

Darlene

Hi Lisa,

I'm sorry to hear that your husband may have had a sz. from what you described it sounds like it may have been an absence sz. also known as petit mal sz. I've had this type of sz. for 41 yrs. now and I will get a daydream look on my face, continue talking to others or working then when the sz. is over I'm confused for a few seconds trying to remember what happened before the sz. and then I used to get headaches that lasted for about 2 hrs. and I was exhausted also and I wanted to sleep. The headaches and sleepiness stopped after the surgery.
If I may ask does your husband have any sleep disorder, or snore? The reason why I'm asking this is because sleep disorders can lead to sz. and also heart problems. I'm going in for a sleep study in a couple of days I'm just waiting to hear from the sleep lab. Also my Epileptologist has asked me if I had any heart problems because often heart problems can trigger sz. if there's not enough blood flow to the brain. My prayers are with you and your husband that everything goes well. I wish the both of you only the best and May God Bless You!

Sue

Wow sue he does snore at nite and has high blood pressure and hyperlipidemia. maybe he needs to do a sleep study. never even crossed my mind about that. i guess we will find out more on tuesday at neuro appt. hopefully cause he is just miserable. He gets severe headaches too. extreme fatigue.

Hi Lisa,
I'm sorry your husband isn't feeling that good, take my word I will have days when I'm exhausted even though I go to bed early, I feel tired and my husband has told me I snore very loud. When I saw my Epileptologist last Thursday both my husband and I told her what was going on and this is why she ordered a sleep study to be done. If I have sleep apnea this can effect my heart which in turn will cause me to have more sz. do to blood flow and feeling tired.
You might want to write down any questions that you want to ask the Dr. so you don't forget. I make it a point to do this as well as renew my perscriptions. I hope and pray that all goes well for your husband and You and May God Bless You Both!

Sue

Sue~thanks for listening to me I'm so concerned with Dean, He has been in bed for 3 days now, only up for 20 min at a time. Had another seizure to day when I got home from work. Luckily he was off for 2 days, but called in tonight. He just can't go on feeling like this. His shunt seems a little swollen this eve. I wonder if it is the cause of some of this. I just don't know. He had confusion real bad after the seizure for a while. This is a man who usually never complains and is not one to miss work, but since his shunt our lives have been turned upside down. so many unanswered questions. hopefully Tuesday we will get some answers and maybe further testing to see what's going on. Have you ever had a video EEG? do you have to stay in the hospital? I just wonder if you can wear an at home monitor like a cardiac monitor?

Hi again Lisa .... I've had a video EEG twice at Barnes - October, '05, before my first surgery and May 07 before my second.
I think most e centers do their video EEGs differently. At Barnes I was wired into a bed and watched by a TV .... watched every second. Meds are radically reduced. lol lol -- when I needed to go to the bathroom I spoke into the air - I knew I was being watched and listened to - and someone came into my room to "help" me out of the bed and to walk to the bathroom. I was left alone while using the toilet but that's it. I was watched while I brushed my teeth !
I was really in bed .... not even allowed to drop a leg over the edge.
When the docs decided I needed something other than the bed I was loaded onto another bed with wheels and rolled into another room where they could make me exercise long and hard while wired. Yup -- that made me seize! lol.
The rooms at Barnes weren't nice or pretty but they did each contain TWO beds....... one patient per room but Barnes thought everyone dealing with such extreme testing would need a relative or such. And they knew a relative would demand to be with someone having such extreme testing.
I hope I didn't talk too much .... I just wanted to tell you that a video EEG has to be held in the hospital.
Again -- best wishes

Hi Lisa,
Just like Wren I have had video e.e.g.'s done 3 times and my Dr. cut me back on my sz. med before I went into the hospital for the test so I would have a sz. They put the electrodes all over my head, and had me on camera around the clock except when I used the restroom. They also had a 25 ft. cable hooked up to me so I didn't have to stay in bed all the time I could get up and move around, watch tv, etc. by doing the test they could see any time I had a sz. and what was weird is there were a couple of times they told me I had a sz. but I didn't feel it at all.
If your husband hasn't had a blood test done recently make sure he gets one. I'm wondering if he's really tired because he may be anemic meaning his red blood count is a little low and that can cause a person to want to sleep all the time. This has happened to me a couple of times do to my sz. meds but now I take Folic Acid 1 mg. once a day and that has stopped the anemia plus it helps control my sz. a little also and it's good for the heart.
I wish you and your husband only the best of luck and May God Bless You Both!
Sue

HI Sue~Thanks for the info. I took him to family md today cause I was so concerned with him and she is doing a CBC, CMP,B12 and Folic Acid levels along with a TSH. Today he has started to see spots and circles in his vision at times? Bad headaches. She said he may be having complex migraines. Anyway hopefully We get some answers Tuesday

Hi Lisa,

I wish you and your husband the best of luck. Often before I have a complex partial sz. I will see colors in my eyes in a zig zag form that go from one eye to the other this could be an aura (simple partial) sz. and maybe it's leading into a absence or complex partial sz. and that's why your husband is having headaches and feels really tired. I found over the yrs. that after I had a sz. I felt better if I got up and continued on even when I had the headache and sleepy feeling because it made those feeling go away faster if I was active but when I would lay down I felt more tired and miserable.

Maybe some of the meds. your husband is taking is lower in white or red blood count and this in turn could be causing a lot of the problem. I'm glad he had a CBC done because this will show everything going on.

Before I started to have sz. I started having migraine headaches that would last for hrs. if not days. this in turn lead to my sz. there is a connection between the both of them according to my Epileptologist.
I wish you and your husband only the best of luck and May God Bless You Both!

Sue