injured on the job
I was struck near my temporal lobe by an awning that came loose and hit me. Other than the brain fog and blurred vision that happens when I have an episode I separately have these strange emotional responses at times when I do not have other symptoms occurring.. I will see something that will make me happy and I will smile. Suddenly tears will roll out of my eyes and I feel upset.. Then I get angry with myself for these uncontrolled emotional responses. Any advice? I do not take any medication currently.
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Hello @canary22 and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I understand that you've been experiencing post-injury complications and episodes.
I wanted to provide you with a resource that may offer some helpful information as you navigate your symptoms.
-Temporal lobes / Impact per brain area / Consequences:
https://www.braininjury-explanation.com/consequences/impact-by-brain-area/temporal-lobes
Can I ask when this injury happened and what advice your care team or physician has offered you?
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@canary22
Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect.
Have you seen a primary care doctor or Neurologist?
Have you received a diagnosis or had an MRI, EEG?
I wonder if you could have received a lesions on your brain. Lesions often cause seizures.
People with TLE (Temporal Lobe Epilepsy) can become very happy for no reason or cry, however crying is an unusual seizure occurrence. Do you ever experience hallucinations or unusual smells or tastes (often a metallic taste), feelings, hear sounds, voices, people, have unusual feeling in your stomach. Has anyone ever seen you have one of these episodes? I'm asking because I'm wondering if your ever unresponsive during one of these incidents.
There are emotional symptoms associated with epilepsy as well as traumatic brain injury. Have you ever had a Tonic-Clonic seizure? If you have been alone you probably won't know unless your sore or you bit your tongue, cheek, or lip. Are you tired or sleep after an episode? However only a qualified physician would be able to differentiate between the two or another potential diagnosis.
I hope you seek medical help if you haven't already.
Take care,
Jake
This happened in March 2016. I've had a Spect scan and there is damage to 5 areas of my brain. I've been told to stay active and engage my brain, & I was told to take anti-seizure medications.
I am very lucky that I have not had a Tonic-Clonic seizures. I get brain fog , a sense of loss of my surroundings, blurry vision and extreme exhaustion during my seizures. I have major memory problems and I wake up with blurry vision often.
At times I have had tightening in my body, jaw and in my stomach.
There was a time that I felt like I was kicked all over my head and body after having seizures in my sleep. I had a lot of body tremors that night. I had an EEG soon after and had seizures in my frontal lobe at that appointment. So, I assume that is what was happening in my sleep and caused such a different seizure reactions.
I do see a Neurologist, but I hope to fly back to the states eventually and visit the Mayo Clinic.
Thanks for the concern. :).
Do you also have seizures?
@canary22
I see your new to Mayo Clinic Connect and I also want to welcome you.
Yes, I have had Epilepsy for 54 years, 44 years it was intractable often with many daily Tonic-Clonic seizures and the other 10 years they stopped for whatever reason provided I didn’t forget my medication. I believe they stopped because I switched to extended release medications and made sure they were always the same manufacturer and didn’t switch between brand & generic or
vs versa.
I’ve beeping in comas at least 8 times from a few days to 8 months from Convulsive Status Epilepticus.
Were you diagnosed with Frontal Lobe Epilepsy? Has your Neurologist told you specifically what type of Epilepsy you have or what type of seizures your having? You mentioned you have damage to 5 areas of your brain. Do you know were that damage is? Did the awning hit your head in various locations, front, top, side or back or in one place?
Also stress, anxiety & depression can lower a person’s seizure threshold. What medication are you talking? How often do you have nocturnal seizures?
Regardless of how rare it is and because you have nocturnal seizures I just wanted to mention S.U.D.E.P. (Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy.) Doctors rarely bring up the subject. Although normally S.U.D.E.P. is mostly associated with uncontrolled Tonic-Clonic seizures that may not always be the case. However it doesn’t sound as though you have the usual risk factors for SUDEP but that’s not to say it isn’t possible. If you sleep on your stomach you might invest in an anti-suffocation pillow. Just an extra layer of safety. You never know when your Focal seizures could become focal to bilateral Tonic-Clonic seizures. I have talked to numerous people who have lost loved ones and never heard of SUDEP and because they didn’t know this condition existed they didn’t take precautions that may have saved their loved ones.
I hope your able to come to Mayo Clinic’s Epilepsy Center. It’s the top rated Comprehensive Epilepsy Center in the United States.
Best of luck,
Jake