Seizure After Stroke

Something I haven't talked a lot about is my life with seizures. My last bout with them was about three months ago and boy were they a doozy. If it hadn't been for the quick actions of my husband, a co-worker, and the neurological ICU team at Memorial Hermann, I'm not sure what the final outcome might have been. Seriously.

There was nothing at all significant leading up to this last event. The last seizure I had prior to this was two years ago. A strict medication regimen, an attempt at maintaining low-stress (insert laugh track here), and staying away from my known triggers seemed to be keeping the boogers away. At the very end I'll tell you what we think the culprit(s) was (were), so stayed tuned.

I went to work on a Tuesday, just like any other normal day, and started my normal work routine. Computer. Spreadsheets. Printing. You know, stuff. It was about 9:30 in the morning and I felt the familiar signs. For me, it's like a rush of warmth, dizziness, and sleepiness that starts in the back of my head and slowly spreads to the front. Eventually a wave of darkness takes over and along with it - motionlessness. Like being trapped in my prison. Most of the time I have the wherewithal to be able to call out for help. Of course, this time was different because I was all alone in my office. So the next best thing I could do was call my husband.

By the time Victor answered the phone I was non-responsive, only answering in short grunts and breaths. Alarm bells started going off in his head and he kept talking me through the seizure. These are what they look like - peaceful, sleeping Laura. But it's really a disconnect in my brain. A hardwired reset that takes everything back to zero. After a minute or two he started to panic. I had never been out longer than that and he was still counting the seconds. I believe this episode lasted closer to four to five minutes. When I came to, my speech was slurred and my right side was nearly paralyzed.

I knew better than to panic. Past lessons taught us about TIA's (trans ischemic attacks) and we were no stranger to them. Eventually I became clear headed enough to give him my nearest co-worker's phone number who showed up in a matter of minutes. Once my friend arrived, he decided the best course of action was to call an ambulance and they transported to me Memorial Hermann.

In the ambulance, I told the paramedic I felt another seizure coming on. This one was totally different. My body seized up in ways it never had before. Over and over and over. I remember the air getting pushed out of my lungs so forcefully that the noise coming out of me was nearly unrecognizable as my own voice. I was administered some medication and shortly after it stopped. I wasn't scared. I wasn't concerned. I was nearly relieved it was over.

My husband and both my bosses met me at the hospital. I was immediately admitted to the neurological ICU. I had scans completed, blood drawn, and evaluations done. A possible clot was found in my brain. The only question about it was whether or not the area was a congenital defect - the blockage wasn't a blockage but an area where the veins actually just stopped - or a blockage. No one could tell. Go figure.

We decided to accept the clot buster medication known as TPA. If I had a stroke, it could save my life. If not, I might just be easily bruised for a while.

A little while later I had another seizure. Victor was with me in the room. He noticed my left foot twitching shortly before my whole body convulsed. It was the same macabre dance as in the ambulance. He ran to get the doctors and nurses. They administered some drugs and kept asking me a bunch of questions. I think I answered them, but I don't really remember. Later, after the seizure, Victor overheard a nurse saying something an anxiety attack and had to bite his tongue. That must have been some anxiety attack.

I was in the hospital for two days. They wanted me to go home with a walker. I was able to walk, though very unsteadily. I was out of work for two weeks and so was Victor so he could take care of me. I couldn't shower myself for a few days and needed assistance. I couldn't go up and down the stairs alone for a few days. I was extremely unsteady for about a week.

Eventually my nervous system calmed down. My balance returned. My strength returned. Was it muscle memory?  I don't know. The official diagnosis was Todd's Paralysis - a temporary paralysis after a seizure. No stroke, thank God.

The cause? We'll never know for sure but here's the theory:

1) I took 100 mg of my anti-seizure medication. I took it in the form of 50 mg pills. My pharmacy, without telling me, switched me to 100 mg pills. For a short time (anywhere from 1 week to 3 mos) I was double dosing myself. I have taken the double dose of that medication before back when I was having a lot of seizures, but it's been a while. As soon as I realized my  mistake I corrected it. I told the EMT and all the doctors at the hospital about the mistake.

2) My insurance company no longer wanted to pay for the name brand of another medication I take that peripherally helps with seizures. It is not that medication's main function, but is a happy side effect. The insurance company asked the pharmacy to switch me to the generic.

3) This all happened at the same time.

In the end I was on three months driving restriction, which was awful on everyone in the house. I had to increase my seizure medication after all. And if I don't answer my phone, all my co-workers start to worry about me. But it could always be worse.

I want to give a special thank you to my company for feeding me for the first week I was out. And for everyone who helped give myself and all my kids a ride when we needed help. And especially for all the patience and understanding during my time of recovery. I am truly blessed and thankful for your all.

Till next time, friends...