Seizures during sleep
 

If there is no one to monitor my sleep pattern, how do I know if I am having this problem:

Frontal lobe seizures...Mayo Clinic
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fro...810/DSECTION=1
Signs and symptoms

Frontal lobe seizures can vary greatly, but some characteristics are commonly noted:

* Frequent seizures
* Clustering of seizures, often during sleep

I am taking 500mg of Keppra twice a day already. I had my first seizure a coupe of weeks ago after brain surgery on the frontal lobe.

The most common method is to look for indirect clues. My wife can usually tell by her sore/cramped muscles (especially the calf muscles), or if she bit her cheek or tongue. Waking up with a headache or disoriented (more so than normal) can also give her a clue.

The more I read on these various epilepsy forums, the more I wonder about whether the majority of folks who have nocturnal seizures also have sleep apnea (which causes a drop in blood oxygen). If you suspect you are having nocturnal seizures, you might ask your doc about getting tested for it.

Thanks Bernard.

I woke yesterday feeling somewhat disoriented, but this could simply have been me waking in an "off" state due to Parkinson's. So, as you can tell, I have to sort through a couple of issues here.

I will call my neurolgist.

Hi Carolyn
 

When I started having seizures (complex partials) they were ALL at night but woke me so I was well aware of them. It was months before they moved to daylight hours too.

If you would have a Video EEG in your hospital any seizures would be easy to spot.

I spend some time in a brain tumor forum and lots of the people who have had brain surgery for tumors develop seizures. There it is very common.

Best wishes.

nocturnal sz
 

My Epi suggested I keep a notebook next to my bed and write down anything 'off' as soon as I wake up. Like if I have sore muscles, bitten cheeks or tongue, feeling unrested even though I slept, etc.

Maybe give that a try and see if it helps out some.

Carolyn-

I frequently would have seizures at night while sleeping (complex partials) that would awaken me (usually) or else I would sense them while they were happening. Another big clue for me was nightmares which were very frequent and the panicked feeling I would get as part of my aura would happen sometimes awakening me. I too kept a journal of how I felt when I awoke. Generally I had a headache after I'd had a seizure (also very common since I had a brain tumor, but it was different somehow when I'd had a seizure during the night, mainly because I'd been clenching my jaw something fierce).
The nightmares have recently returned and I'm wondering if that means the seizures are returning at night again too. I feel for what you're going through.
A VEEG was very helpful for me in finding out what was going on.

stef

:( I also have had seizures while sleeping. Describing them is a little difficult, but I will try.

I go to bed when I am tired. After about five minutes or so, I fall asleep. Once asleep the action begins, and the scary crap begins. At first it starts out a nice little dream. Then it goes horribly wrong. In an out of body like experience I can see myself having a full grand-mal seizure. I can see and hear everyone around me.

Many of the family and friends around me are crying because of the result of the full grand-mal seizure. At that time I'm back in my body, when I hear my mother crying as she begins holding me. I tell her I'm alright but she continues to cry, and tells me my face isn't. It seems the full grand-mal seizure had cause stroke-like face sagging. But the dream makes it worse. At that time I wake up from my bad dream, so I think.

Soon after I have another seizure. This time it's different. I am conscious, but I can speak or move any of my muscles. I try as hard as possible to yell for help, but I can't get the words out. When I eventually break through, I finally wake up. My whole body is shaking, and I'm covered in sweat.

I just started having these types of seizures this year. So far I've had about five (that I know of). The first (which I described) was the worst, and scariest. :(

I am sorry you started having this happen after your surgery! You have had good answers already. My son has seizures in sleep and his have been hard to determine with EEG. They do find some abnormality in both frontal and temporal lobes, so we feel it starts frontally and spreads. HE has been treated for this, but still does not have control for his seizures. When he has a seizure in sleep, he wakes up feeling really foggy and his thinking is very slowed. We can tell that is is "off", just not his normal self. We have seen his seizures on occasion (not as often now that he is a teen). He also has a sleep disorder, complicating things immensely. He is often sore and achy and sometimes bites his tongue, but not always. That link really describes the variables very well!

I hope your neuro gives you answers and help!

G

i stopped here in this forum, perusing, although i don't suffer from seizures. well, i had an eeg done a year ago at the university hospital (my neuro is a professor) and it came out inconclusive. funny. and duh, i'm almost totally deaf and blind in my left eye, as i have been my whole life. so, i wonder???? how do i know if i have seizures if my disabilities mess up the eeg? i've read that you can get it even conscious. i've had an experience once as a kid that i didn't tell until i could explain it, as i grew up thinking it was made up by my overactive mind. i also had experience of shaking in my sleep 14 years ago. i told my doc, and he just dismissed it. of course, i've had problems with mental fog, which could be caused by a wide variety of conditions or medications. i've had disorientation, too. it's weird because i would feel like i'm losing my mind. i even ended up in the e.r. last year because i was way out of whack mentally and my coordination was messed up. turned out to be a migraine, but i'm not sure about it, though. docs know best, huh? i doubt the veeg would help because i can sleep like the dead. i've woken up not knowing what day it is. sure is a crazy spin, but a lot of us here at neurotalk seem to be going through the crazy spin, too. i mean, spin in life and diagnosis - not the head, although some get that literally.

Bump up for newcomer.

Thanks for bumping the thread! *smile at everyone* I'm sorry we are all suffering similar challenges, but happy we have each other and this forum to support each other.

I also have other issues with what I think of as brain chemistry. Six years ago I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. I've been bipolar practically my entire life, as I look back on it, but developed coping mechanisms and so seemed "normal" (whatever that may be) to all but family and close friends. Unfortunately - untreated - bipolar disorder can get worse over time. It did.

I understand that the frontal lobe is involved in bipolarism, as it is generally in seizure disorders.

Seizures - mainly noctural at this point - began for me late last year. Actually, I had one or two several years ago but they stopped almost as soon as they started and I thought little of them. Now in spite of medication (Dilantin) they seem to be increasing. I am aware of them at the beginning and end of sleep and sometimes during. I know I have more than I am aware of because my family has heard me making odd noises and has seen the convulsive movements. At that point they are unable to wake me. Apparently the episode needs to run its course.

I went to hospital for tests only because my brother responded to the noises and was so alarmed by the seizure the rest of the family insisted I go. Tests revealed nothing out of the ordinary with heart or brain. Now I'm having sleep studies done.

I believe the episodes are growing more frequent, mainly because I am so terribly tired. I get up for several hours and then must sleep again. I'm also having noticeable problems with short term memory loss.

I'm not sure if this is epilepsy. What seems odd about these seizures is that the ones of which I'm aware are generally preceded by my changing position in bed - for instance rolling from back to side or raising a knee up toward my body. I can't find any references to seizures related to body position.

What medication are you taking for the Bipolar disorder? Many AEDs (anti-epileptic medicines) are used to treat other mental illnesses. The difference is in dosage.

Dilantin is one of the very first medicines most doctors start us off on. It is not the greatest treatment of localized seizures. It's better used for generalized seizures. The hope is to get onto a medicine that adequately controls local seizures so seizures don't secondarily-generalize and become tonic-clonics.

Most medications can get to dangerous levels, and induce seizures. A seizure disorder is when a person has a tendency to have seizures (usually a certain kind, or kinds). Just in case you didn't know that. Dilantin is well-known to cause slowing of brain activity. This will make you more sleepy, more forgetful, and clumsy.

Seizure disorders can also affect any area/s in the brain. The most common area affected is temporal lobe, next common is the frontal lobe. From there, parietal lobe, and lastly the occipital lobe. Doctors are most willing to do surgery on the temporal lobe, if the person's speech won't be greatly affected. The frontal lobe will also be worked on in surgery, carefully, as the speech and decision-making (and other executive functions) could be seriously damaged.

Traumatic brain injuries, illnesses, cancer, and unknowns can all cause epilepsy to occur. High fevers, encephalitis, head injuries, strokes, and cancer commonly do cause epilepsy. The brain is an amazing part of our body, in charge of every single thing (other than the heart beating). That fact taken into account, you can imagine how many people will have epilepsy some day in their lives. It's certainly worth learning all about. (A big passion of mine, in case you hadn't noticed ;)

Have you called that university (Rush, I think it is)? Any word yet on when you can get in to see an epileptologist?

Shez

Hi Shez. In fact, yes, I called Rush and should be seeing a doctor there soon.

I have had trauma to the brain in the past: spinal meningitis, concussion. Neither of these was recent.

This week I had a bad seizure during the day. I was just about to head downstairs when I felt one coming on, with only a second's warning. Luckily I fell backwards into my room, not downstairs. When I regained consciousness I was flat on my back on the floor, having just missed a chair with my head. Seizures in bed are one thing...no immediate risk of injury. Collapsing in a heap in the daytime, near the stairs, not safe.

For bipolar disorder I take Cymbalta 60mg a day.

The Dilantin is certainly slowing me down - sleepy, forgetful and clumsy describes my current condition.

Thanks again for responding! I appreciate that much much.