Seizures

I was wondering if any of you have had a seizure without foaming at the mouth, or wetting yourself? My doctor has now flipped flop with his opinion of my LOC from seizure due to bleed, to fainting. The MRI showed a bleed after my first episode. The first time I was out for an hour, the second time 40 mins, but they didn't do another MRI because it was too soon after my first one. Is it even possible to faint that long?? He said no, but is still sticking with a faint, because I didn't foam, or pee myself, and because it was unwitnessed? Seriously? This has really been bugging me since I saw him on Thursday after my "Happening Now" post and visit to the ER. Can this be unrealated to my AVM all together? I hope to get better info from the Neurosurgeon on the 9th, I think my local guy is brushing me off.

Hi GinaL,

Yes, you can have seizures (even grand mal ones) without foaming or wetting yourself. Seizure activity can be a symptom of the presence of an AVM (http://brainavm.oci.utoronto.ca/malformations/brain_avm_index.htm) or it can be unrelated.
Let us know how your visit with your neurosurgeon went. Good luck!

Hi Gina.
I've been living with siezures for a couple of years now. I think you dr. doesn't know what he's talking about. I have at least one gran-mal a month and I never foamed at my mouth. And.. it's rare for me to lose bladder control. Although it has happened. For you to be unconsciouse for that long, is not a typical fainting spell. I'm surprised you dr. didn't send you to a siezure specialist. I willl tell you this - Very few drs. know much about AVMs and there effects on us. You should have better luck with the neurosurgeon, they seem to know the most. At least from my experiences they do.
Don't ever give up. We often have to be pro-active in getting the proper answers to the problems we are having. And in finding the right dr. who can help us.
Thumbs up to you for not accepting what he told you. :)
Good Luck

Ben

Hi Gina,

Seizures can have many different forms, and it sounds like this doctor doesn't know much about them!
Your neurosurgeon should be able to give you some better answers, but even neurosurgeons aren't seizure experts. If he or she thinks there's a chance they're seizures, make sure you find an epileptologist to help you find the best med to control them.
Good luck!
JH

Hi Gina. This link will show you how many different types of seizures there are…
http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/aboutepilepsy/seizures/index.cfm

My wife has had seizures for 12 years or more now, and has never wet herself or foamed at the mouth. She even had one for 1.5 hours. It's possible.

I have had several simple partil seizures as well as a grand mal. While I mit through my tongue with my molars and strained so hard that I partially sliped a disk in my upper back, I did not foam at the mouth, vomit, urinate or otherwise, yet none of the paramedics, nurses or doctors that took care of me that night ever expressed any doubt that I had anything other than a grand mal seizure. I ended up with the chemical burns and track marks on my arm from the dilantin that they were pumping in to me to prove it.

I had a grand mal seizure and did not foam or wet myself. I was taken to hospital by ambulance and discharged by A&E - they said I had had a migraine. I was not offered an MRI! THe next day my GP said I would have to wait weeks for an MRI so my mum, bless her, paid for it and I then given one the next morning. It showed I had an AVM, I was then referred to the National Hospital in London. So if you are not happy please push it because if my family hadn’t I would have accepted that it was just a migraine!

GinaL, If you don't feel that your doctor is not listening to you...look for another doctor...We need doctors that understand and believe in us..Stay Strong and Stay Positive!

I had one seizure when I had my first bleed. I did not foam at the mouth; but I did bite through my bottom lip requiring stitches, and broke my 2 front crowns. This was 9-3-2010; so far no seizure since.