Is this possible? Does anyone know? I know anything is possible, but are there any links?
I have had 5 grand mal seizures over 15 years. They can not pinpoint why. None can tell me what triggers them. This last one, I stopped working in July due to sleeping about 20-22 hours a day (I kid you not), I had a grand mal on August 8th. I can't really tell you about the previous ones and if I had been tired before (I think I remember one, where I was tired, maybe not AS tired as I have been in the past year).
I am just curious if sleep apnea or possibly (the next thing they will look at if the machine doesn't help my sleepiness all the time) narcolepsy? I am probably just grasping for answers. I wish I knew what triggered them. I have had extensive testing and nothing even remotely triggered brain activity. (Oh that sounds bad LOL-- seizure activities)
Sleep Apnea + Seizures?
4 posts
• Page 1 of 1
Sleep Apnea + Seizures?
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Rachel in AZ
rachelinaz@gmail.com
http://www.spencephotography.smugmug.com
Rachel in AZ
rachelinaz@gmail.com
http://www.spencephotography.smugmug.com
Hi Rachel,
Are you saying the seizures happened during your sleep? I haven't read your other posts, but how long have you been on cpap and has it helped with your sleeping? I have heard there is a relationship with epilepsy and sleep apnea, although I don't believe the apnea is the cause. I don't know much about narcolepsy, but if your cpap isn't helping and everything with it is working well, then a test for narcolepsy might be wise. Was your brain activity tested for a long time? (longer than a typical sleep study)
Linda
Are you saying the seizures happened during your sleep? I haven't read your other posts, but how long have you been on cpap and has it helped with your sleeping? I have heard there is a relationship with epilepsy and sleep apnea, although I don't believe the apnea is the cause. I don't know much about narcolepsy, but if your cpap isn't helping and everything with it is working well, then a test for narcolepsy might be wise. Was your brain activity tested for a long time? (longer than a typical sleep study)
Linda
don't give up, ask your doctor about seeing a Cardiologist and have them check your heart and rulet that out. You may need a pace maker. Appears an irregular beating heart can sometimes trigger seizures.
There was even a case recently on that tv show Dr. 90210, the young gal was going to have a boob job done with that Dr. Lui (SP?) and she said she had seizures all her life and finally they found she had a irregular beating heart, installed a pace maker and seizures stopped. they were turning off the pace maker for the boob job then turning it back on afterward. They were using one of those color tv demagnetisers and a laptop.
at least they should rule that possibility out with you. But I have also heard of OSA possibly being a trigger for seizures. It makes sense, when you have an OSA event it puts stress on the heart actually causing one side of the heart to grow larger than the other over the years, this causes to beat not as efficiently as it could.
There are simple non-evasive tests where they can test for this the color nuclear test is one, in it they have you exercise on a treadmill to maximum heart rate, inject some dye into a vein in your arm and have you get on a scanning machine. A doctor sits next to the scanning machine monitoring your heart. It shows your heart beating in 3D in color (it is really cool to see). They can even see the muscle contractions and heart rythm of the heart muscle.
There was even a case recently on that tv show Dr. 90210, the young gal was going to have a boob job done with that Dr. Lui (SP?) and she said she had seizures all her life and finally they found she had a irregular beating heart, installed a pace maker and seizures stopped. they were turning off the pace maker for the boob job then turning it back on afterward. They were using one of those color tv demagnetisers and a laptop.
at least they should rule that possibility out with you. But I have also heard of OSA possibly being a trigger for seizures. It makes sense, when you have an OSA event it puts stress on the heart actually causing one side of the heart to grow larger than the other over the years, this causes to beat not as efficiently as it could.
There are simple non-evasive tests where they can test for this the color nuclear test is one, in it they have you exercise on a treadmill to maximum heart rate, inject some dye into a vein in your arm and have you get on a scanning machine. A doctor sits next to the scanning machine monitoring your heart. It shows your heart beating in 3D in color (it is really cool to see). They can even see the muscle contractions and heart rythm of the heart muscle.
It was just a passing thought since they can not figure out what triggers them, 4 years ago (this coming December) I had intense testing done in Washington at Swedish Medical for 2 weeks. They wanted to keep me for 21 days but nothing showed up after 14 days.
Neither sleep apnea or narcolepsy were ever mentioned. But the doctor also insisted I never had a grand mal seizure (I did, my neurologist confirmed them, all 4. Because they couldn't trigger one, I must not have one (or 4 at that point)) but they were panic attacks. My doctor had to call and tell this guy they were indeed seizures.
I was awake during all of them. I may have had one in my sleep (I woke up feeling like I had one but no one saw it). I was just wondering if the lack of o2 during sleep or lack of sleep could trigger them.
Perhaps it is something I will never know.
Neither sleep apnea or narcolepsy were ever mentioned. But the doctor also insisted I never had a grand mal seizure (I did, my neurologist confirmed them, all 4. Because they couldn't trigger one, I must not have one (or 4 at that point)) but they were panic attacks. My doctor had to call and tell this guy they were indeed seizures.
I was awake during all of them. I may have had one in my sleep (I woke up feeling like I had one but no one saw it). I was just wondering if the lack of o2 during sleep or lack of sleep could trigger them.
Perhaps it is something I will never know.
LDuyer wrote:Hi Rachel,
Are you saying the seizures happened during your sleep? I haven't read your other posts, but how long have you been on cpap and has it helped with your sleeping? I have heard there is a relationship with epilepsy and sleep apnea, although I don't believe the apnea is the cause. I don't know much about narcolepsy, but if your cpap isn't helping and everything with it is working well, then a test for narcolepsy might be wise. Was your brain activity tested for a long time? (longer than a typical sleep study)
Linda
_________________
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rachel in AZ
rachelinaz@gmail.com
http://www.spencephotography.smugmug.com
Rachel in AZ
rachelinaz@gmail.com
http://www.spencephotography.smugmug.com
4 posts
• Page 1 of 1