Well it was a difficult day. I am over 6 years since gamma knife and had a significant seizure this morning, in excess of 5 minutes and spent the day in the hospital. This is my first seizure. I am really beat up, lumps on my head and bruising and am now on Keppra with an upcoming Neurologist appointment. Will not be able to drive for at least a year, life has taken a turn. It will be adjusted to! I owe a lot of thanks to ambulance staff, hospital staff and several police officers who are friendsā¦no recollection of the seizures, CT scan and missing about two hours. Neurologist viewed CT and feels likely generated by scar tissue but we will see. I received a lot of messages from friends and appreciate their support but know many here understand. Take Care all, John.
Iām really sorry to hear that John, thatās a lot. Take care of yourself and accept the help thatās offered. It may make life just a little easier. Bless you.
John,
Donāt know what to say, buddy. Itās good to hear your determination showing through, not that I doubted that at all! 
There are two things going on in my head: I think we both agree that to put the gamma knife behind us and rejoin normal life is the best thing to do but it does really knock you when something tells you that you canāt quite put it all behind. Darn!
Hoping you get on well with the Keppra 
Best wishes,
Richard
Hey JD. Sorry to read of seizure. It bites for sure. Hope you can find a new normal and remember weāre in this together, all AVM SURVIVORS! Hope you can find new ways to occupy your mind while you heal. Hoping the docs can adjust your meds accordingly if necessary. Take care!
A few years ago I had a pretty good seizure also, after the scans they determined itās due to the significant scar tissue on my brain; basically told me Iāll be on Keppra for life after thatā¦ took me awhile to adjust to the Keppra knock on wood I havenāt had a seizure in several years now
Iām so sorry to hear about your seizure @JD12
You offer so much comfort & support to many of us here & we all want to offer you the same in return as you deal with this.
Please keep us posted on your progress & sending prayers your way that this was a one off incidentā¦ God bless!
Thanks Adrian, Iām hoping for a one off as well! John
Iām hoping a one off, just a collection of factors but will stick with the keppra for as long as required. No real issues so far, but only a few days in and the dose gets upped next week. John.
Hopefully that is the case Johnā¦ did you have anything unusual happen prior or something that you feel may have contributed to this from happening?
In the past when I have had unexplained episodes it has always come down to a very lack of sleep and high levels of stress, maybe to help you for future referrenceā¦ God bless!
I was pretty tired, work was hectic and I had done a fairly extreme workout in the morning, I am going to be much more cautious for the next while for sure and see where my appointments take me. John
Hi John, sorry to hear about the seizure. That must have been quite unexpected six years on! I hope things normalise and you can get back to ānormalā life asap. Iām sure youāll gradually be able to build up the workouts but listen to your body (and head!) and maybe keep things moderate.
All the best mate.
Jonny
Prayers John, Iām 4 years out from gamma knife. Glad you have the AVM community to talk to.
Bummer brother John. I can relate. This really sucks sometimes. Hang tough my man, your can-do list, and this year will pass while you grow. Peace to you.
Hey Mike5,
I donāt post here very often, but some things deserve a response. Yeah, Keppra, or levetiracetam (a generic keppra, I presume) has its issues, and it takes some getting used to. I, too, assume I will be on it for life-- it has been about 6 years now-- but it is better than the other meds that I have tried.
My craniotomy was almost 7 years ago, June 2016, and I had my only seizure 14 months later, August 17, 2017. It happened in publicā¦ soooo embarassing!
Scar tissue also the villain here-- unless that is what they blame when they donāt see any other culprit. But, I am now down to 250 mg twice a day, and feel that the side-effects are minimized. I hate to be on anything āfor the rest of my lifeā, but if they make it longerā¦
Cheers, Eb
Thanks, Iām curious on the nasal spray, what is it? Take Care, John
Iām so sorry to read this, John. Life with an AVM can be unpredictable. My stroke was October 2020. My radiation to the AVM was June 2021. I was stable and unchanged after first year, and Iām told thatās what they want. I, on the other hand, hate that itās unchanged. Anyway, I had my first seizure later that month, and was put on horrible steroids that pretty much made me want to die. They thought I might have swelling from the radiation. They took me off of those due to my reaction. All things seemed fine until almost exactly 3 months later when I had a second seizure. This time they did a MRI and determined it was hemosiderin (iron) deposits on my motor strip. This is also where my AVM is located. Afterwards, I was put on Lamotrigine for the seizures, and I havenāt had one since. I have been told I will be on the medicine the rest of my life. Itās ok, Iād rather not have another. These are unfortunately side effects to the radiation, and all we can do is follow all the advice our doctors give us, and hopefully one day these awful AVMās will go away. Stay strong and hopeful. Things will get better.
Thank so much, and welcome! It is often difficult to stay positive, and I always try to realize what I can control, what I can influence and what I really have to figure out how to either co-exist or avoid. I have had a lot happen since last Wednesday, and am going to take my foot off the gas for a little bit and try to relax! I had a neurologist appointment this morning, as positive as it could be, and he believes the likelihood of another seizure at this time is minimal due o the medication and all the factors that added up, but to be cautious. I canāt drive for at least 6 months, and he mentioned things like staying off the roof! It will take a while for me to adjust to the medication. My follow up is going to be an EEG and MRI with contrast, had the angio with contrast last night with no surprises. I will do my utmost to stay strong, positive and hopeful, you do the same! John
This is in case you feel a seizure Viking you break it
Hey John,
Firstly, I want to qualify everything I say here because the rules regarding pharmaceuticals can vary wildly from one country to another. Iām in Australia and when I was working, in the disability sector, we were required to go through some pretty intense health management and medication training. Epilepsy was a major part of this. Now, I also need to admit my training has lapsed and treatment options may have changed since I last updated.
When it came to epilepsy we were, to clear the area, watch and monitor. Taking attention to the time. If the clients seizure, stopped, then restarted or had lasted more than 3 minutes we were to administer a single spray of a drug called Midazolam, nasally, then call an ambulance. Midazolam is a benzodiazepine, a sedative. It was explained to us that epilepsy is like an electrical storm across the brain. Midazolam can reduce and ultimately, interrupt this storm. As youād well know, the exhaustion post seizure can be very heavy, Midazolam only adds to this.
Hope it helps
Merl from the Modsupport Team
Hi John, Iām sorry man. Seizures are awful and terrifying. (I had one on Monday. Usually around 4/yr from the craniotomyās scar tissue.) Iāve been through the gamut of anti-convulsent including Keppra which I did not do well with. Iām on lamotragine now.
Iāve lost years of my life in terms of memory. I could tell you war stories about the seizures and ālumpsā. Hopefully this will be your one and only seizure.
Every seizure feels like a nose dive. I go through post-dictal funk for about 2 days and my muscles are sore, Iām tired, and fuzzy brain. If I did a face plant or bit my tongue itās worse.
Did somebody see you have a seizure for 5 mins? If so, Iām really sorry because mine arenāt nearly as long and I have no idea how long it will take you get out of the funk.
I wish I could be sitting with you. Youāll probably need lots of sleep. In a way thatās a blessing because you wonāt have to hurt from being ābeat up.ā
I can tell you lots and lots more because I have direct experience with what youāre going through. (many times) But I want you to rest and rest a lot. Heartfelt best wishes, Greg