For families with a first-time seizure victim, parents or family members are often distressed and confused. What is epilepsy? Why do you have seizures? What happens when you have a seizure? A series of questions follow. This is especially true for families with only one child, as the sky feels like it is collapsing and it is impossible to live. What to do? What to do? Let’s face it and find some solutions!
1. What is epilepsy?
Epilepsy can be thought of as an abnormality in the electrical activity of the brain. Pulse-like discharges in the brain can cause the body to have brief changes in movement, behavior, or sensation, or a brief change in consciousness. These changes or alterations, which may last from a few seconds to a few minutes, are called seizures. A person who has 2 or more seizures without a trigger, and the two are at least 24 hours apart, is usually considered to have epilepsy.
2. Symptoms of epilepsy
The widely known manifestation of epilepsy is convulsions – a sudden, uncontrolled movement. But seizures can also cause a variety of other manifestations, from dazed eyes to fumbling to straighten clothes and more. Doctors classify seizures into several different types, depending on how the patient’s brain is affected. Each seizure type has its own set of symptom patterns.
3. Anhedonia seizures
Aphasic seizures are often described as delirium. The person having the seizure will suddenly stop and stare blankly at what he is doing for a few seconds and then continue with the action he was doing as if nothing had happened. This type of seizure is most often seen in children and usually begins between the ages of 4 and 12. Some children can have hundreds of disoriented seizures in a day.
4. Generalized tonic-clonic seizures
Generalized tonic clonic seizures, which used to be called grand mal seizures, are one of the most recognizable types of seizures. They usually start with stiffness of the arms and legs followed by a sharp pulling and flexing movement. These convulsions can last up to about 3 minutes. The person feels tired or disoriented after the seizure. This type of seizure involves both hemispheres of the brain.
5. Partial seizures
Partial seizures that affect only one side of the brain. A simple partial seizure may have sharp pulling and flexing movements, or hallucinations, and the person is still awake and aware of what is happening. With a complex partial seizure, a person may be in a trance, mumbling, smacking his or her lips, or fumbling with his or her clothes. He or she seems to be aware of the people around him or her, but does not actually know what he or she is doing.
6. Childhood epilepsy
Some types of childhood epilepsy may terminate after a few years as the child ages. Until then, many children are able to achieve long-term seizure-free control by taking regular medication. If the medication does not control the seizures, other treatments may be helpful. The child’s condition can be informed by the school, which helps the child with epilepsy to be able to participate safely in most activities.
7. EEG to help with diagnosis
Your doctor will take a history and perform a physical examination by learning your description of the seizure situation. An EEG can confirm the diagnosis and provide more information about the seizures. An EEG is a non-invasive test that records the wave patterns of electrical activity in the brain. The pattern changes during a seizure and can show which parts of the brain are affected. It can show the pattern of brain wave changes during a seizure and can also show where the lesion originates in the brain. This can help guide treatment.
8. Brain imaging diagnosis
Detailed images of a CT or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of the brain can help your doctor rule out possible causes or lesions of seizures such as intracranial tumors or cerebrovascular lesions. CT is a superb X-ray imaging technique, and MRI is resonant imaging using magnetic fields and radio waves. This imaging information will help your doctor to develop the most appropriate treatment plan for you.
9. Complications of epilepsy
The best way to avoid complications is to find a treatment that works for you and to stick with it. to avoid injury during a seizure, most people with epilepsy can live a long life. A patient who often falls during a seizure may need a special helmet to protect his head. Certain types of seizures may increase the risk of death, but this is very rare.
10. Safety matters in epilepsy
Because seizures are often very sudden and without warning, they can be dangerous for certain activities. Sudden loss of consciousness while swimming, or even bathing, can be life-threatening. Similarly, in many extreme sports, such as mountain climbing. Some states in the United States have laws that require at least as many seizure-free hours to drive a car. In China, people with a history of epilepsy are not allowed to get a driver’s license.
11. Drug treatment
The most common method of epilepsy treatment is antiepileptic medication. If the first drug treatment is unsuccessful, the doctor adjusts the dose or switches to another drug by If treated regularly, about two-thirds of patients can achieve control with anti-seizure medications to be seizure-free for a long time.
12. Ketogenic diet
Your doctor may recommend this special diet if medication fails or if you cannot tolerate the side effects. It is a strict one, and you need to be closely supervised by a dedicated medical team. This diet is a high-fat, low-carb combination that allows the body to replace sugar by burning fat. This design helps reduce seizures by changing the way the brain supplies energy. At least half of the children who follow this diet have a 50% or more reduction in seizures. Some even stop having seizures.
13. Vagus nerve stimulation
VNS stands for vagus nerve stimulation. This treatment, sometimes called a “brain stimulator,” is a small device installed under the skin on the chest that sends electrical impulses to the brain through a larger nerve in the neck, the vagus nerve. VNS may also be a good option for patients for whom medication has not worked.
14. Surgical treatment
Some patients with partial-onset seizures can also have their seizures terminated surgically. If the treatment team can determine that your seizures always originate in a fixed area of the brain, removing this area of the lesion may end the seizure or facilitate control. Surgery is also indicated for some treatments of the cause of seizures, such as tumors in the brain.
15. First aid for seizures
If you meet someone who has a seizure, you can take the following first aid measures.
(1) Note how long the seizure lasted.
(2) Move some hard, sharp objects around the patient to avoid injury during a seizure.
(3) Loosen the patient’s collar button so as not to interfere with breathing.
(4) Turn the patient’s head to the side while lying flat to avoid choking on the vomit during a seizure.
(5) Put a soft pillow under the head to avoid head injury.
(6) Do not let the person hold anything in his mouth.
If the seizure lasts for more than 5 minutes; or if the patient has a second seizure after a short interval; or if the patient is a pregnant woman; or if the patient is injured during the seizure; or if the patient has diabetes in total, the 120 emergency number should be pulled and the patient should be sent to hospital as soon as possible.
16. Treatment of persistent status epilepticus
Prolonged, repeated seizures may be a form of persistent status epilepticus. It can cause serious complications and requires emergency treatment. To end the seizure as soon as possible, intravenous antiepileptic drugs and oxygen are usually required.
17. Epilepsy and pregnancy
In most cases, pregnancy is safe in women with epilepsy. In women with epilepsy, more than 90% of babies born with epilepsy are healthy. However, if you are planning to become pregnant, you should tell your doctor in the first place. Some antiepileptic drugs may have a risk of making the baby teratogenic. You may need to change or adjust your medication.
18. Service dogs for epilepsy
You must know about guide dogs. There is also a service dog for people with epilepsy, which is specially trained to protect patients with epilepsy. For example, this dog will lie beside the owner during a seizure to protect the owner from injury. Or when a child has a seizure, this dog will make a warning sound to alert the parents.
19. Research on epilepsy
Researchers are still looking for new treatments to reach two goals: The first goal is to increase the number of people with fully controlled epilepsy. The second goal is to reduce the side effects associated with treatment. Some researchers are also working on a device that can be implanted that can do the job of warning patients when they are having a seizure.
20. Living with epilepsy
People with epilepsy can enjoy a full, active life. Most patients can live a seizure-free life as long as they take their medications according to the rules of their treatment regimen. For the few patients who are temporarily uncontrollable, do not lose confidence. There are many treatments and resources available. You can have a specialist, a doctor who is an expert in this area, develop an individualized treatment plan for you to minimize the impact of seizures on your life.