It's not epilepsy......

[moomins]

When I was 8 years old I began having seizures, which at the time were diagnosed as tonic clonic seizures, I was given anti-convulsant drugs (epilim) and after two years of being seizure free (age 11) I was taken off the drugs, I never again suffered a seizure until I was 28 years old and in my 8th month of pregnancy. My seizure in pregnancy was not tonic clonic, it was more of a partial seizure affecting the left side of my body. I am now 33 and still suffer from these 'seizures'. I do have seizures in my sleep where I bite my tongue. I have been under investigation for the past five years and have now been told that, I dont have epilepsy and probably never did have. I have been told that I have a functional disorder and have been requested to carry on treatment with a new doctor who practices in neuropsychology.
I am a little confused, as an 8 year old child my seizures were very typical of tonic clonics, aura, stiff muscles, falling over, making noises, tongue biting.........they seem a little harsh not to have been epileptic and I responded well to medication. Now I am being asked to undergo psychotherapy to find a trigger which may have caused the seizures to begin with........why would anti-convulsants not have been prescribed in adulthood from the outset. These pseudoseizures have put my life on hold for the past five years, there are times when I have even felt like I am going completely crazy. Can psychotherapy cure these or just help understand why I suffer them ???

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

[Mommyof_2Boys]

I agree with Laura, you should definitely get a second opinion.  I am on my third group of Neuro's and I am finially comfortable with the doctors I have.  I have had mild partial seizures since I was 18 and I am now 27 just getting to the bottom of what causes my seizures and where it is located.  I had multiple MRI's done and I am soon going to do the one week stent of the EED monitoring so they can authorize surgery to cure the issue.  I know what it feels like to not get answers......just keep looking for a doctor until you find one that makes you feel comfortable or like he understands your specific situation.

Good luck, I hope you find some answers,
Erin

[laurajean19]

It certainly sounds like a seizures to me.  Do you go to a neurologist that specializes in epilepsy?  I've read that there are common features of folks who have pseudoseizures, some of which are: a history of sexual abuse, frequent health problems that defy diagnosis, history of psychiatric illness, etc.  You can google this and see if you fit the profile.  I was diagnosed with epilepsy 2 years ago after 2 years of having episodes of vertigo, confusion, and difficulty responding to people.  I had auras too, but never a tonic clonic seizure.  Have you had an EEG or MRI?

I would definitely encourage you to get a second opinion.  Also, it's interesting that you had a seizure again during pregnancy.  It would seem logical that the hormonal changes would bring one on--mine are most common around menstruation.    I also was told that I may not have epilepsy after a week of continuous EEG monitoring and no seizures, but they said I don't fit the profile for pseudoseizures.  Now I'm being treated for something called vestibularbasilar migraine, even though I don't have headaches.  

Don't give up, you're not crazy, and if you feel in your heart that your doctor is wrong, talk to someone else.

Good luck,
Laura