Compromised speech
My son is 39 yrs old started siezing everyday 2x a day as of October ..not been diagnosed what type of siezure as of yet..due to multiple siezing his speech has been compromised.. has anyone experienced a loved one where thier speech been compomised due to siezing
recently..increased to
3000mg of Keppra still siezing at least 2x a week..
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@victory0716
Good Morning Victor
I am very sorry to hear that is happening to your son.
Seizing does affect the speech of a person. When I have a seizure, depending on its intensity I can stay 1 hour without being able to speak. My seizures are mostly complex partial ones (I get absent). I had a convulsion (tonic-clonic seizure) once and this was even worse.
What happens to your son when he has a seizure? Does he fall to the floor and start jerking or is he just absent? The Epilepsy Foundation has great material on seizures and might be helpful to understand the kind of seizures your son has. Here is the link to types of seizures: https://www.epilepsy.com/what-is-epilepsy/seizure-types. Understanding the kind of epilepsy and seizures your son has is very important to define an effective drug for his seizures and to have success in the treatment.
What kind of doctor is treating your son? An epileptologist would be the most indicated, especially for those who have drug-resistant epilepsy like me (around 1/3 of people with epilepsy).
Wishing you and your son all the best!
Chris (Santosha)
@victory0716
Like Chris mentioned speech and language problems (Aphasia) often go hand in hand with seizures and Epilepsy.
When I read your title I thought of LKS (Landau-Kleffner Syndrome.) This is an Epilepsy Syndrome associated with Speech and language but is a childhood epilepsy syndrome. Whether or not this syndrome is capable of manifesting itself in adulthood is unknown to me but something you may want to peruse.
Can you go into more detail as to how your son’s speech/language skills are impaired?
Can he speak?
Is it understandable to you?
Can he understand you?
Can he comprehend reading?
Can he read/write?
Do these episodes of Aphasia only happen during the recovery phase of a seizure like in Chris’s situation or do they happen in everyday life?
Like Chris, @santosha I’m interested if your son is having Focal or Generalized or perhaps both types of seizures.
Does your son have nocturnal seizures or only during the day?
Has your son been to an Epilepsy Center and evaluated by an Epileptologist? The correct diagnosis is essential for proper treatment.
Here is a link to Epilepsy Centers in the U.S.
https://www.naec-epilepsy.org/about-epilepsy-centers/find-an-epilepsy-center/
I would recommend that when he has his medication refilled the same manufacturer should always be used. In some people it's more important than in others. Hopefully, your son takes an extended release version of Keppra.
Take care,
Jake
Thank so very much for your response...my Son fall to the floor ..some jerking..in his last report in August last year I read a medical term grand mal..he has not had any good care due to being incarcerated..and now he's left with an speech impairment..jaw dropped and shakes..pressured speech as thier medical staff refers to..he was normal per say as of last October just got him yesterday and to see how these ongoing non- stop sizeing everyday messed him up so sad..I actually think it looks like he possibly had a stroke..I'm new to this an appreciate your info I will definitely look into it
@victory0716 , Santosha and Jake will have very good information for you! They have both been such a guiding resource for me. I will pray for you on this journey to seek info and help for your son. God bless him🙏🏻
@victory0716
I have had epilepsy for 57 years since I was 14 however my seizures are not currently active. I have been seizure. Free for four years now.
Your concerns regarding your son, having a stroke, may indeed be valid. People who have epilepsy have a higher rate of strokes than the general population. Some radiologist believe I had a stroke when I was younger others don't.
I believe everyone with epilepsy has a right to know as much about it as possible and many doctors refuse to tell patients what I'm about to tell you. I'm not telling you this to try to frighten you. I just think you and your son should know even though these conditions are rare. People who have uncontrolled epilepsy and frequent seizures. This is called Convulsive Status Epilepticus Seizures that last longer than 5 minutes, or have more than 1 seizure within a 5 minutes period, without returning to a normal level of consciousness between episodes. Conversive status, epilepticus is a medical emergency that needs immediate medical intervention. It may lead to permanent brain damage or death.
There is another rare condition known as
S.U.D.E.P. (Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy. there isn't much known about why this happens. It's suspected by some that the person stops breathing and their heart stops. The victim is usually found face down, which is why many people sleep with an ant, suffocation pillow.
also, I wanted to mention that your son should not take a bath or if he does he shouldn'tbe alone, it takes less than 2 inches of water for a person to drown. washing dishes can also be a dangerous activity. When I wash dishes, I don't fill the sink up with water.
You need legal advice, there's a strong possibility your son is not receiving proper medical care. Withholding proper medical care and allowing his health to worsen would seem to be cruel and unusual punishment regardless of the crime.
I started having seizures 25 years ago after a car accident, it took 5 years to gain control, they started again 3 years ago. Seizures had 4 levels of classifications when I first started 25 years ago. My original diagnosis was partial complex seizures back then, I refer to the seizures I am not receiving as grand mal seizures, not sure what the proper terms are today.
Only 8% of seizure patients make noise during a seizure, I'm part of that 8%, even screaming a few times (wherever my seizures take me must be terrifying). I had a seizure in the hospital a few years ago, I heard the neurologist tell the nurse, "I would have thought he was faking had I not seen that" she responded, "I heard him all the way down to the nurse's station" followed with "we called in the stroke team". That's when I learned my blood pressure skyrocketed, more than double my normal which is already too high.
It's not unusual for a seizure to cause critically high blood pressure with the ability to damage all of your organs including your heart, brain and lungs and, in a rare case, be life-threatening. It can cause a stroke. I've had several minor strokes affecting my ability to walk and talk for 12 hours or more. Fortunately, I fully recovered. It doesn't sound like your son has fully recovered.
Your son may not be receiving proper medical care because an EEG showed no seizure activity. My understanding is an EEG will confirm a seizure diagnosis only 50% of the time because it requires some level of seizure activity. Subsequent EEG's may never confirm a seizure diagnosis in as many as 10% of patients.
Your son needs and deserves proper medical care.
@victory0716 Hi
Thank you for the information you shared with us.
Grand mal is the same as tonic-clonic, generalized seizures or convulsions. Terms have been changing lately. Did the doctor inform in the reports what kind of epilepsy your son has? Again, having the correct diagnosis of the kind of epilepsy one has is important to treat it correctly.
What @jakedduck1 has mentioned is very true, unfortunately. Therefore, it is important to understand epilepsy, it empowers us. I have learned a great deal from the Epilepsy Foundation website.
I hope your son gets very soon proper medical care and gets better 🙏🙏🙏
Chris (Santosha)
Thanks you very much for the info..I got my son to the Mayo Clinic Er..CT scan was done everything good there..Nuero Dr did say he has a case of Dysotonia so I'm getting familiar with that..due to his insurance he was transferred to another hospital..EEG & MRI done there..Dr did say his condition was generalize epilepsy
Thank you for sharing..I took my son to the ER at Mayo clinic..CT scan came back no tumors or bleeding..due to his tremors on his left face..Nuero Dr diagnosed him with Dysotonia ..MRI was done results of that was good and EEG which you already understand most of the time nothing appears there..Nuero Dr says he has generalized siezures..
Thank you greatly