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details, for those interested
I've had some questions about WTF happened this weekend, so here's one more post about what all went down in seizure-land. It's all still pretty mysterious, as there isn't anything they can pinpoint as the cause, but, for those interested,
I woke up early on Thursday with S4 and made the coffee, like always, and felt fine. I fell back asleep for a little bit after he left. The 2nd time I woke up I felt really weird, but just thought I was having a tougher time than normal transitioning from sleep to wakefulness. What was really happening, I know now, was a seizure "aura". It's hard to describe, but it's a really bizarre and distinctive mental state - feels kind of like deja vu, or like you're really stuck deep in thought and can't quite shake it, or something vaguely dreamlike. Auras, I've learned, are minor seizures in and of themselves, and often premeditate a more serious ones. The feeling passed, and I got up the rest of the way and went to work and didn't think much of it.
At work, we all convened for a staff meeting late in the morning. I sat down, and had the same kind of feeling I had had earlier in the morning. I sat for a minute and waited for it to pass. The next thing I knew, I was on the floor, and immediately after that paramedics were loading me onto a stretcher and into an ambulance. I remember the paramedics fitting me with an oxygen mask and an IV. It was really lucky things happened when they did- my desk is somewhat isolated from the rest of my colleagues, so the fact that it happened in a meeting meant I got help immediately and 4 witnesses to tell the paramedics what happened.
There are several kinds and levels of severity of seizures; mine seems to have hit all of them. Lucky me! I had what's formerly known as a grand mal. Nowadays they're more commonly referred to as "Tonic-Clonic". It was convulsive, "general" (involved more than one part of my brain), and "absence" (I lost consciousness). I don't know exactly how long it lasted, but apparently it was several minutes- long enough, anyway, for it to be considered a medical emergency and for an ambulance to get there.
I think I was in and out of consciousness in the ambulance and for a while in the ER, because I also don't remember having my clothes replaced with a hospital gown, but I'm not totally sure if this was because of the seizure or from the muscle-relaxing medication they gave me.
They immediately did a cat scan in the ER, which ruled out really scary stuff. I was in the ER until early evening, when I was transferred to a regular hospital room. Shortly after moving there they attached my head to a video-monitored EEG.
The next day a woman came in and did what seemed like trying to induce another seizure, so they could monitor how my brain responded on the EEG. I was made to stare at strobe lights flashing at several different frequencies, and to purposefully hyperventilate.
The rest of the time was just waiting to get in for an MRI, punctuated by many phone calls and visits. (Thanks everyone!) I finally got in for my MRI later in the evening. The results came back fine, and I was discharged sometime between 11:30 and midnight. I'm supposed to check in with a regular doctor in the next week or so, and again with the neurologist who was assigned to me at the hospital in 3 months.
I woke up early on Thursday with S4 and made the coffee, like always, and felt fine. I fell back asleep for a little bit after he left. The 2nd time I woke up I felt really weird, but just thought I was having a tougher time than normal transitioning from sleep to wakefulness. What was really happening, I know now, was a seizure "aura". It's hard to describe, but it's a really bizarre and distinctive mental state - feels kind of like deja vu, or like you're really stuck deep in thought and can't quite shake it, or something vaguely dreamlike. Auras, I've learned, are minor seizures in and of themselves, and often premeditate a more serious ones. The feeling passed, and I got up the rest of the way and went to work and didn't think much of it.
At work, we all convened for a staff meeting late in the morning. I sat down, and had the same kind of feeling I had had earlier in the morning. I sat for a minute and waited for it to pass. The next thing I knew, I was on the floor, and immediately after that paramedics were loading me onto a stretcher and into an ambulance. I remember the paramedics fitting me with an oxygen mask and an IV. It was really lucky things happened when they did- my desk is somewhat isolated from the rest of my colleagues, so the fact that it happened in a meeting meant I got help immediately and 4 witnesses to tell the paramedics what happened.
There are several kinds and levels of severity of seizures; mine seems to have hit all of them. Lucky me! I had what's formerly known as a grand mal. Nowadays they're more commonly referred to as "Tonic-Clonic". It was convulsive, "general" (involved more than one part of my brain), and "absence" (I lost consciousness). I don't know exactly how long it lasted, but apparently it was several minutes- long enough, anyway, for it to be considered a medical emergency and for an ambulance to get there.
I think I was in and out of consciousness in the ambulance and for a while in the ER, because I also don't remember having my clothes replaced with a hospital gown, but I'm not totally sure if this was because of the seizure or from the muscle-relaxing medication they gave me.
They immediately did a cat scan in the ER, which ruled out really scary stuff. I was in the ER until early evening, when I was transferred to a regular hospital room. Shortly after moving there they attached my head to a video-monitored EEG.
The next day a woman came in and did what seemed like trying to induce another seizure, so they could monitor how my brain responded on the EEG. I was made to stare at strobe lights flashing at several different frequencies, and to purposefully hyperventilate.
The rest of the time was just waiting to get in for an MRI, punctuated by many phone calls and visits. (Thanks everyone!) I finally got in for my MRI later in the evening. The results came back fine, and I was discharged sometime between 11:30 and midnight. I'm supposed to check in with a regular doctor in the next week or so, and again with the neurologist who was assigned to me at the hospital in 3 months.
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why is it called a Tonic-Clonic? thats a funnier name than Grand Mal
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I didn't get a chance to say hi at the game (though we hugged S4 during the break)...It was awesome seeing you on the track after all that scary stuff...
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In any case, yeah, it sucks and it's scary! I hope you don't have to experience that again!
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Grand mals suck. I'm surprised you felt okay to skate. My body always hurt like crazy after one (although I never got muscle relaxants). Waking up from one is scary as hell. It's kind of what I imagine you'd feel like after electro-convulsive therapy. Wiped blank, wiped out, just wiped.
I'm really glad you're okay. Here's to hoping you don't ever have another one.
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Thanks for helping us work out some of the bugs.