Posted by medlib on May 16, 2000, at 0:01:35
In reply to Re: What's Wrong with Having a Seizure???, posted by Mark H. on May 15, 2000, at 18:00:42
> At the core of this is this basic question: is having a seizure a bad thing in itself or not?
----------------------------------Mark--
I had just seen the subject-line of your post when my son called, so I asked him your question--he's an epileptic who has tonic-clonic seizures with aura (prodromal syndrome). After deleting his expletives and incredulity, he said (approximately--and minus quotes):
--It's damned inconvenient. Assuming I don't injure anyone else, I could be badly injured falling or thrashing against something.
--I wake up with a headache you can't even imagine, thickheaded, confused, nauseated, and feeling like I've been tumbled in a concrete mixer for 2 days. My tongue is the worst, of course. (He bites nearly clear through it.) I can't eat or talk normally for days and have to take mega painkillers.
--It's terrifying. The aura is like staring into the jaws of hell--pure panic with all systems revving full out and knowing that only becoming and staying perfectly calm will give me the slightest chance of avoiding falling in.
--I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy, and if drugs didn't completely control it, I'd rather be dead. (BTW, his last seizure was about 10 years ago, and he was depressed for *weeks* after it.)I'm fairly confident that the medication he has to take to prevent seizures (1200 mg/day Tegretol) has more potential for brain damage than his seizures. He didn't mention the potential for status epilepticus. Certainly memory problems on Tegretol are more serious than those from a single seizure.
So, you see, the sedation, muscle relaxants, controlled conditions, and limited voltage of ECT are all there for a reason. However enticing the fantasy of an occasional cerebral "reboot" might seem, reality is a much rougher ride. To mix a metaphor--If wishes were horses, we'd probably get kicked in the teeth!
"Well" wishes--medlib
P.S. I'd tell you about *my* favorite fantasy and Babbleland's connection, but computer's acting peculiarly, so will try to get this posted (sans editing) before it "seizes."
poster:medlib
thread:33497
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000508/msgs/33552.html