I didnt understand my doctor well.. this is the first time something was found with eeg.. i had two before when i was younger..never found anything until now.. also had mri never found anything
I was told to do a new mri
Doctor said dont bother because even if there was something i wont go through with a surgery since epilepsy is considered well controlled
Liked by Leonard
@nadinen, Test results can be a challenge to understand. EEG findings should be discussed with your doctor who can interpret the results with the context of your overall clinical history. I strongly encourage you to talk to your doctor and ask questions until you get a picture of what it going on.
Like @jakedduck1, I'm a bit confused. Are you saying that one doctor order the EEG and another doctor said not to bother? Are you having new symptoms?
Liked by Leonard
Sorry i should have been more clear
Yes i got told by my doctor not to bother with another mri
I guess i am just confused by the results how it says the left side is slowing.. my memory has become horrible and i am on double dose of my tegratol now due to having more auras..
Slowing as in my brain functions slowly or?
Liked by Leonard
@nadinen
Hi,
Our brains change significantly over time just like the rest of the body. When young, for a few years the brain makes new connections at the rate of one million per second. Not sure how scientists came to that conclusion. Our brain isn’t fully developed until between age 25-35 more or less. Our speech and language don’t usually change but memory usually does. Seizures (probably not all seizures) and Epilepsy medication usually add to memory problems. Around age 60-70 the brain actually begins to shrink and probably shrinks the most between 70-80. One place this happens fastest is in the frontal lobe which may be why it’s more difficult to learn and make and retain memories as we age.
Jake
Liked by Julia
@bruceg
There is no doubt Seizures and Anticonvulsants definitely take their toll on our memories. Most seizure meds are sodium channel blockers like your med Lamotrigine which are better than the Calcium Channel Blockers which are now understood to cause memory and some brain damage. Anything that affects your cognitive abilities, learning, thinking, perception, visual processing, problem-solving and concentration have a direct affect on memory.
There are so many things that affect memory including our age, nutrition, emotional health and sleep among many other things.
As far as what can be done about helping improve or get memories back I’m not sure.
When I was in rehab last fall I had speech therapy which helped improve my memory, short term, to some degree. Not sure what can be done for long term. Decades of my memory are are gone forever due to Status Seizures causing Retrograde Amnesia. My past might be best forgotten anyway. Doing things that stimulate the brain like crossword puzzles, exercise, social interaction, good sleep habit, good nutrition, reduce stress, laughter, avoid anxiety, depression and stimulating activities certainly can’t hurt.
Jake
Hi, at the moment i am taking extra tegratol, and i am going to see if that helps, if that doesnt help my simple partials, my doctor is convinced the sensations i am feeling may be due to anxiety and will put me on an anxiety medication
I hope it doesnt get to that point,but anything for these auras and partials to go away.
Liked by Lisa Lucier, Leonard
@jakedduck1
@nadinen
Hello,
I don’t understand what your question is.
You mentioned having two previous EEG’s that were normal but your last one was abnormal. Since you didn’t experience a seizure during the first two EEG’s the tests were normal. Normal tests are very common in Epilepsy patients. During your last EEG you had some seizure activity even though you may not have shown any seizure symptoms.
It appears you have TLE (Temporal Lobe Epilepsy) with Focal Aware Seizures (formerly known as Simple Partial Seizures) which appear to be controlled. As far as the new MRI is concerned it’s always a relief to know there are no structural problems other than the expected age related changes. But if your seizures are controlled there is no reason for surgery or electronic devices. Unless your having new symptoms or more frequent seizures another MRI seems pointless other than for piece of mind.
Wishing you health and happiness,
Jake