Epilepsy
Temporal lobe epilepsy; Seizure disorder
Epilepsy is a brain disorder in which a person has repeated seizures (convulsions) over time. Seizures are episodes of disturbed brain activity that cause changes in attention or behavior.Causes, incidence, and risk factorsEpilepsy occurs when permanent changes in brain tissue cause the brain to be too excitable or jumpy. The brain sends out abnormal signals. This results in repeated, unpredictable seizures. (A single seizure that does not happen again is not epilepsy.)Epilepsy may be due to a medical condition or injury that affects the brain, or the cause may be unknown (idiopathic).Common causes of epilepsy include:Stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA)Dementia, such as Alzheimer's diseaseTraumatic brain injuryInfections, including brain abscess, meningitis, encephalitis, and AIDSBrain problems that are present at birth (congenital brain defect)Brain injury that occurs during or near bithMetabolism disorders that a child may be born with (such as phenylketonuria)Brain tumorAbnormal blood vessels in the brainOther illness that damage or destroy brain tissueEpilepsy seizures usually begin between ages 5 and 20, but they can happen at any age. There may be a family history of seizures or epilepsy.
SymptomsSymptoms vary from person to person. Some people may have simple staring spells, while others have violent shaking and loss of alertness. The type of seizure depends on the part of the brain affected and cause of epilepsy.Most of the time, the seizure is similar to the previous one. Some people with epilepsy have a strange sensation (such as tingling, smelling an odor that isn't actually there, or emotional changes) before each seizure. This is called an aura.Treatment
Treatment for epilepsy may involve surgery or medication.If epilepsy seizures are due to a tumor, abnormal blood vessels, or bleeding in the brain, surgery to treat these disorders may make the seizures stop.Medication to prevent seizures, called anticonvulsants, may reduce the number of future seizures.Epilepsy that does not get better after two or three anti-seizure drugs have been tried is called "medically refractory epilepsy."Surgery to remove the abnormal brain cells causing the seizures may be helpful for some patients.Surgery to place a vagus nerve stimulator (VNS) may be recommended. This device is similiar to a heart pacemaker. It can help reduce the number of seizures.Sometimes, children are placed on a special diet to help prevent seizures. The most popular one is the ketogenic diet. A diet low in carbohydrates, such as the Atkins diet, may also be helpful in some adults.Expectations (prognosis)
Some people with epilepsy may be able to reduce or even stop their anti-seizure medicines after having no seizures for several years. Certain types of childhood epilepsy go away or improve with age, usually in the late teens or 20s.For many people, epilepsy is a lifelong condition. In these cases, the anti-seizure drugs need to be continued. There is a very low risk of sudden death with epilepsy. However, serious injury can occur if a seizure occurs during driving or when operating equipment.
ComplicationsDifficulty learningBreathing in food or saliva into the lungs during a seizure, which can cause aspiration pneumoniaInjury from falls, bumps, self-inflicted bites, driving or operating machinery during a seizurePermanent brain damage (stroke or other damage)Side effects of medication
Thing is I may look normal to you when you see me and don't even think there is a problem with me. I've been a Guinea pig for some medication to see what may work for me and finally after grade 9 or 10 they found what works for me and control my "full body" seizures. I do however have partial ones but only in my right hand one week during every month. I am the only one in my family who even has it. It happened that i had a stroke while my mother was pregnant with me and caused me to have a scar on my left side of my brain near the speech area. And i cannot have surgery due to the fact there would be a 50/50 chance i would never speak again.
