Last week's EEG report: what's it mean (if you might know) ?

After posting the above, I put a certain string of words found in the neurologist's report about my Wed. 19 Aug. EEG. In DuckDuckGo.com search box, I put "eeg left temporal phase reversing delta" and had a number of hits about medical and surgical things done for this flaw. From the very little I've read so far, some people it seems have an implant put in to apparently stop the seizures. [Due to great benefit to me from 2 eye witnesses last month when I was traveling far alone, the neurologist here in my home city wrote that, last month, I had "a witnessed generalized tonic-clonic seizure preceded by ictal scream".] About me taking only half of the 750 mg tablet: I called the ER RN and she put on a pharmacist who told me it would be good for me to take the full 750 mg tablet twice a day instead of the 375 mg I'd been taking twice a day since this past Fri. 21 Aug. 2026. Therefore, I took the other half of the tablet after speaking with him and will continue at the 750 mg level.

@musicbart I am a 78 year old female with left temporal lobe tonic clonic seizures that only occur at night. They are controlled with keppra 750 mg that I take twice a day. My neurologist says I will need to be medicated for the rest of my life. Initially I was very sleepy from the medication but that improved. I had one seizure in 1994 which was witnessed by my husband. I was on medication for 2 years so I could drive. I was then seizure free til 2025 when I had 3 seizures ( one was like the deep sleep you described).

@musicbart
Speaking for myself, after the confusion of the post ictal phase. I’ve never known if I have a seizure.
Amnesia of the seizure is very common. Someone always has to tell me even if I’m laying on the floor, tongue and cheeks bitten and muscles aching or hurt in other ways. I never have any memory of the seizure or time prior or after. So it sounds like you may have had a seizure. Do you have any memory of being confused?
I wouldn't change my medication dose without the advice of your physician.
Why did you lower the dose? Was it because of side effects?
Did your doctor agree with your change?
I normally sleep 24 hours to a week.
Did you bite your tongue/cheeks?
Take care,
Jake

@jakedduck1

Hello Jake. Thanks for making comments again.

The instant that the July 2026 seizure began (my 1st seizure in life) was also the instant that amnesia began in my mind: I remembered nothing then about what happened to me nor what that young couple did for me and this amnesia about that event remains today.

I looked up the drug prescribed and read that the usual dose is 500 mg. I think that's why I cleanly broke the large 750 mg tablet in half and only took 375 mg two times a day. But that didn't last long: a pharmacist gently said that I should take the entire tablet and I've been taking all of it still just 2 times a day. On this 750 mg level, I do feel sleepy, sluggish, and wobbly but I'll continue at this level. Next month I meet with a neurologist so I'll have a bunch of questions for that MD.

No, I didn't bite my tongue nor my cheeks last month in my 1st seizure. I was certainly lucky: I was seated when the seizure struck, two people I never consciously saw nor talked to helped me and one of them sent me a number of text messages about what she and her boyfriend witnessed, and I didn't bite my tongue nor cheeks.

Good morning @musicbart,
I'm not a doctor, but from my understanding, this EEG has captured an abnormality in your left temporal lobe, a region in your brain where your seizure likely originates.
I myself have temporal lobe epilepsy, with seizures starting on the left side. In temporal lobe epilepsy, there are two kinds of syndromes: mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (my syndrome) and neocortical temporal lobe epilepsy. I'm sharing a link here that might help you better understand these two syndromes:
Temporal Lobe Epilepsy (TLE) — Epilepsy Foundation
https://www.epilepsy.com/what-is-epilepsy/syndromes/temporal-lobe-epilepsy
I take Keppra myself, and sleepiness or unusual drowsiness are common side effects of this medication. Unsteadiness can also happen, though it's less common — this is actually why my doctor asked me not to climb on chairs, step stools, or portable ladders.
Like you, I started on a higher dosage and had several side effects. My doctor later decreased my dosage little by little and adjusted it to fit my body better.
By the way, there's a discussion in our group about Keppra side effects that might interest you:
Side effects from Keppra? — Mayo Clinic Connect
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/does-anyone-know-if-intense-keppra-side-effects-are-normal/
Since your appointment isn't until September 21st, I'd suggest keeping a daily diary — writing down how you feel each day, then summarizing it for your appointment. That's what I do every time I start a new anti-seizure medication.
Some questions I would ask your doctor:
* Can you help me understand the results of my EEG and CT scan?
* Wouldn't it make sense to get a specific MRI of my left temporal lobe?
* The report mentions this finding could reflect a structural issue or "circulatory insufficiency" — should I be evaluated for anything related to blood flow or vascular health?
* Is this Keppra dosage adequate for me?
Do you know whether the Keppra you're taking is the extended-release (XR) version?
Please feel free to reach out if any other questions come up in the meantime. I'd love to hear how things go, both with adjusting the Keppra and at your appointment in September.
Chris

@musicbart
I'm glad you didn't bite your tongue/cheeks, can be very painful making it difficult to impossible to take pills, eat or drink. I used the prescription spray lidocaine but many doctors refuse to prescribe it.
It sounds like your seizures are like mine, one second your conscious & aware the next you are unconscious. Do you have any memory of wierd sensations, hallucinations, hearing odd noises, odd tastes?
My memory before, during & after the seizures never returns although I do remember a Focal aware seizure I had. It was a Déjà vu episode. Also I remember waking up in a ambulance seeing my neighbor but not knowing who he was
The majority of seizure meds do cause drowsiness, memory and balance problems.
Those side effects often improve within a few weeks to a few months.
Please be sure to let us know how your Neurology appointment goes. Hopefully, he can let you know what type of epilepsy you have (assuming you have it.)
By any chance did the people who helped you tell you what you were doing when you first started having the seizure for example were you just staring like you were daydreaming? Or did you fall and start to shake and all of that fun stuff?
I'd like to know is if you're having tonic clonic clonic seizures, or focal to bilateral seizures or who knows
what 🤷‍♂️🤔

@santosha

Thanks Chris for this swell post having the 2 links and on what I should know and learn and on what I should ask next month when I have a meeting with a neurologist on Mon. 21 Sept. I'm sure I'll have a bunch of questions on this and that related to what happened to me last month and on what's been learned from the brain CT scans (one done in the distant city where my 1st ever seizure occurred, and the other one local, where I live) and from the importance of the one EEG I've had just last week.

@jakedduck1

I didn't notice anything weird moments before the seizure occurred last month: no bizarre sounds, no strange tastes, no lights flashing or blinking. I only weakly recall getting off the plane with all my stuff (which was on the plane with me by my seat and in the overhead bin), walking down the plane-to-airport hallway, and very vaguely remembering that I took a seat in the waiting area to use my smartphone to figure out how to use the public transit system to reach my hotel. I don't know exactly how long I was sitting before the seizure suddenly hit and I might not ever know that. The plane landed at 12:30 PM. Since I was sitting at the rear end of a large plane (3 people on each side of the aisle), it took time to empty the plane and I don't know the exact time when I simply sat down in the waiting area to do my Internet research on the city's public transit system.

I don't know if, while probably seated in a waiting area chair, I remained sitting during the seizure or if I slumped onto the floor, but I do know from the 2 witnesses that I shook violently and had unusual breathing for a while 'til things improved a bit for me. [Before the seizure began, I only *VERY VAGUELY, VERY WEAKLY* remember sitting in a chair to do that public transit research.] It was after 10 PM when I woke up in front of a young MD in a commercial hospital in the city I was visiting. I was released ~ 10:15 PM and arrived by Lyft or Uber in my hotel at 10:33 PM. I wasn't nervous nor scared nor worried about what had happened to me. I simply felt OK after the seizure and my 3 weeks of travel/sightseeing in 3 different large cities went well for me.

My pleasure @musicbart
Have a nice weekend!
Chris

Hi @musicbart
By the way, how have you been feeling on the Keppra these past several days? And did you have any questions about the material I shared? If so, I'm happy to help.
Chris