The First Seizure
What is a seizure?
A seizure is basically an alteration in the behavior or body movements of a patient whose brain is in one way or another suffering dysfunctional electrical activity. The brain of a person having a seizure has neurons or nerve cells fire electrical discharges that may be localized in a single area or simultaneously happen in different areas and spread throughout other areas of the brain or, or a combination of both. These electrical discharges manifest in a variety of ways, often including jerky movements of one part or the entire body with or without the loss of consciousness. Symptoms depend on the type of seizure being experienced.
What makes it a seizure?
There are varieties of behaviors and movements that may all be identified as symptoms of seizures. In general, these include sensory, physical and emotional symptoms such as the following:
Sensory
This includes deafness or decreased ability to hear sounds clearly, blacking out, confusion, electric shock feeling, loss of consciousness, spacing out, visual loss or visual blurring, changes in the sense of smell, and/or out of body experience.
Physical
On top of symptoms like convulsion, shaking, and tremors, patients undergoing their first seizure may exhibit the following symptoms: drooling, incontinence, swallowing, sweating, breathing difficulty, heart racing, tongue biting, chewing movements, twitching movements, teeth clenching/grinding, difficulty talking, falling down, eye fluttering, eye rolling, making odd sounds, lip smacking, inability to move, stiffening, foot stomping, hand waving, and staring.
Emotional
On the emotional level, patients may experience fear and panic during the attack.
Seizure attack extends far beyond the seizure itself. Post-ictal symptoms or symptoms that occur right after the seizure should be noted as well. These include memory loss, confusion, fear, frustration, sadness, depression, bruising, difficulty talking, injuries, sleeping, exhaustion, headache, nausea, thirst, weakness pain, urge to urinate or defecate, and pain.
Is it a seizure, or something else?
For people who have no history of seizure, a sudden lapse in consciousness, jerky muscle movements of one area of the body, or even violent movements of the entire body may not be initially considered a seizure. But it is. Seizure is manifested in many ways and sometimes, even the most familiar symptoms of seizure may be confused with another disease, or the other way around. There are several conditions whose symptoms may mimic those of a seizure. These are:
- Migraine
- Breathe-holding spells
- Panic attacks
- Psychogenic pseudoseizures
- Gastrointestinal reflux
- Benign paroxysmal vertigo
- Non-epileptic jitterness, stereotypies, staring spells
- Movement disorders such as dystonias, benign myoclonus, tics and dyskinesia
What to do after the first seizure?
Seizures are not to be underestimated. If you have experienced a seizure, it is best to seek a specialist's attention right away so that a clinical diagnosis and recommendation of treatment, if necessary, may be provided.
By Anders Eriksson
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