Could this be epilepsy or just a panic attack or seizure?

[Tiffany Baby]

Lately I have been under a lot of stress in my personal life. I am a single mother raising 4 children and work 12 hour weekend nights. i average about 2 to 3 hours of sleep these days while working. Last time I worked I was stressed out that I could not get my machine to run right and there was a rush on the orders and I was being pushed to get them out. The boss walked by and said, so damn slow and I started to breathe heavy.

I started to walk out to the bathroom and began crying which by the time I got to the bathroom I was breathing so fast that I could not slow it down, I became light headed, my hands got real cold and my finger tips turned blue, my fingers began bending and locking up in odd positions, my legs started to shake and my body began cramping and locking up into arches and bends that i could not move from, It felt like my body was in a large charlie horse, the back of my head began to hurt and I kept breathing fast, I became confused and could not remember where I was nor could I remember my age. I could hardly even talk and started to stutter a lot (and i never stutter) and it was hard to get words out, as if I could not talk.

I ended up at the hospital where they gave me a drug through an IV that calmed me into a sleep. They released me from ER and put me on Alprazolam. I am 31 and have a history off asthma, 2 pulmonary embolisms and a blood disorder called APS. I do not know what happened or what caused. Was this a seizure or panic attack? Should I be tested or see a doctor? During the whole time my fingers and toes and back stayed cramped and my arms folded up and fingers were bent in several odd position and toes also. This event lasted about 30 to 45 minutes

 

[wanttoknowpleasex]

:wave: I've been there, sounds like an anoxic seizure. It's caused by lack of oxygen, it can be brought on by hyperventilation, or low blood pressure, or anxiety attack, etc. Most of the time it's nothing serious.

You should see your doc and get a calcium check tho - the curling/cramping part of it sounds like it might be from low calcium. It's called tetany when severe, or more commonly carpopedal spasm. Any chronic illness (especially autoimmune) can cause dangerously low calcium levels.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003194.htm

 

[Pristine]

Thank you for the reply, it made me feel good to know that somebody else has went through this. Is it common not to remember you age or phone number during this or not being able to talk? I had to struggle to just get one word out, and I did not understand that. And at times I would struggle and stutter. Has that happened to you or do you know what would cause this?

 

[Etzael G]

I believe you had a "panic attack" due to high anxiety and fear of losing your job. I have had those panic attacks while fighting in court to keep my tenure in a job. Those attacks were the results of anxiety and insecurity that caused me palpitations, etc. I am retired now, and never had a panic attack since because I am financially secure. Alprazolam is an "anti-anxiety" drug, but not a cure. I have an unothodox suggestion for you. Stash away as much money as you can -become thriftier- until you feel financially more secure. And that will reduce or eliminate your "anxiety" about a sudden loss of income in the future. Do not rely on Alprazolam and its temporary calming anxiety effect. I believe that as people with weight problems need to make lifestyle changes for life to stay healthy, people like us need to make lifestyle changes for life that will reduce or eliminate our anxiety. And there is a bonus for reducing fear and financial insecurity with plum savings. Financial security at retirement. It turned out to be a blessing for me.

 

[stained sports mom]

Yes, it's caused by lack of oxygen to the brain. Your episode sounds like maybe it was a combo of hyperventilation (from panic attack) and low blood calcium.

Mine are caused by a type of low blood pressure called Neurally Mediated Hypotension. Once it starts, if I don't lay down with my head down, it progresses till I pass out and seize. I can hear but it sounds like everything is off in the distance, down a tunnel and I can't understand anything anyone is saying to me. My vision is the first to go - fuzzy, like on an old TV set - then slowly goes black. Talking is out of the question, I barely even know where I am during one of these things:dizzy:. I've passed out in grocery stores, it's very embarrassing. When I come to I'm out of it, weak, pale and shaky, in a cold sweat.