Complex-Partial Seizures

Hello.

One of my previous posts was about Simple-Partial Seizures. So, you now know that there is more than one type of seizure. One type is called: Complex-Partial.

At the beginning of my epileptic life, I had Grand Mal Seizures. Everybody recognizes those. You know, a person thrashing around on the ground. Well, about a year after I had Grand Mals, I started to have Complex-Partials. A brief definition of a Complex-Partial seizure is: movement. These look different in every person. In my case, I would stop in my tracks, clench my left hand, twist my body to the left, and freeze in that position. Those seizures would last about 15-20 seconds.

I bet you can imagine how embarrassing those were. I would have them at school, home, the store...everywhere. There is one time I remember in particular, when I was walking down the hall at school, and it happened. I stopped in my tracks, clenched my hand, twisted my body, and froze. Being aware during the seizure, I was glad that nobody was walking down the hall. That gladness didn't last for long. Soon after that thought, two people talking together, walked down the hall, passing me. You can imagine what they were thinking: "Why is this girl standing in this weird position?" I know I would wonder that.

Another time I had a Complex-Partial Seizure, was when I was at home. I had just pulled the ketchup out of the fridge, and my mom was sitting on the couch talking to me. I felt the seizure coming, but I couldn't stop it. Luckily I hadn't opened the ketchup bottle yet, because it was upside down while my body was twisted. My mom noticed I wasn't talking anymore, so she waited. I remember feeling humiliated.

There were many times I had Complex-Partial Seizures, and it never got any easier. Over time, my Neurologist would add another medication, testing it to see if it would work for me. I went from Keppra, which didn't control my Grand Mal Seizures anymore, to adding Trileptal to that. When the Complex-Partial Seizures weren't getting better, Lamictal was added. I've always been nervous about being put on new medications, but luckily the Lamictal worked, and now I only have Simple-Partial Seizures.

Though I still have seizures, I try to think about how much better they are. Don't get me wrong, I hate having Epilepsy with a passion. It never gets easier. The humiliation never goes away. Despite that, I still try to think about how far I have come.