epilepsy and migraines

Thread view:

Enable EMail Alerts

Start New Thread

Thread rating:

jemineye - 25 Jun 2004 07:14 GMT

I hope you can help me. My daughter was having these auras with a mild
headache that we though were migraine headaches. Her PCP sent her for an
EEG and it came back as frontal lobe seizure disorder. I have read that
basilar migraines are often confused with partial complex seizures. My
doctor is out of town (I received the EEG report today in the mail) so what
I am wondering is does this rule out basilar migraine? Is the EEG
conclusive in diagnosing epilepsy in this manner? She takes Midrin when she
first gets the symptoms (prescribed by her PCP) She says they help a little
bit to diminish the episodes (she has like 3 or 4 a day) So I wonder if it
is just placebo or if maybe she really does have basilar migraines?

jem

Reply to this Message

Allie M - 25 Jun 2004 11:53 GMT

Jem,

Howdy from Australia! I have Temporal Lobe Epilepsy and have Complex and
Simple Partial seizures (with Absence ones also). I often have migraine
headaches and usually end up taking normal headache tablets for them and
have lots of sleep....

I'm not sure about diagnosing epilepsy in children but this url should help:

http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/answerplace/Life/children/
http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/answerplace/quickstart/newlydiagnosed/index.cfm

Allie M.

http://www.stixdesigns.com.au/epilepsy-support/index.html
http://au.groups.yahoo.com/group/australian_epilepsy_group/

Reply to this Message

CyberCafe - 25 Jun 2004 14:05 GMT

> I hope you can help me. My daughter was having these auras with a mild
> headache that we though were migraine headaches. Her PCP sent her for an
> EEG and it came back as frontal lobe seizure disorder. I have read that
> basilar migraines are often confused with partial complex seizures. My
> doctor is out of town (I received the EEG report today in the mail) so what
> I am wondering is does this rule out basilar migraine?

I don't think so. Anybody can have two or more conditions at the same time.
The thing with some forms of epilepsy is that a lot of people think there are
going to be obvious visible symptoms or that the patient knows that he/she is
having seizures. Not so.

> Is the EEG
> conclusive in diagnosing epilepsy in this manner?

Here is a link that gives conditions that can be tested using EEG:
<http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003931.htm>

> She takes Midrin when she
> first gets the symptoms (prescribed by her PCP) She says they help a little
> bit to diminish the episodes (she has like 3 or 4 a day) So I wonder if it
> is just placebo or if maybe she really does have basilar migraines?
>
> jem

My daughter gets migraines (forehead and face) mostly, so I was interested in
your message. I feel so bad for these kids. My own questions about this
basilar migraine are things like, okay if it can refer pain to the frontal and
temporal areas, would that mean the EEG in those areas (frontal, temporal)
would be affected? I just don't know.

Barb

Reply to this Message

jemineye - 25 Jun 2004 17:50 GMT

> My daughter gets migraines (forehead and face) mostly, so I was interested in
> your message. I feel so bad for these kids. My own questions about this
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>
> Barb

I found a site the other day that said when having auras and to
differentiate from a partial seizure and a basilar migrain, a basilar
migraine has flasing lights or spots in the peripheral vision, and usually
monochromatic particularly black and white. The seizure aura typically has
large multicolored spots in the entire feild of vision. Do you suppose this
is accurate? My daughter gets multicolored spots in her whole field of
vision. It bugs me that my doctor is out of town :-(

jem

Reply to this Message

CyberCafe - 25 Jun 2004 21:05 GMT

> > My daughter gets migraines (forehead and face) mostly, so I was interested
> in
[quoted text clipped - 15 lines]
>
> jem

Boy, I don't know. I have temporal lobe seizures and don't get any lights from
seizures. I THOUGHT my daughter said she did not have flashing lights either
with her migraines. If you do get some clarification on this from the doctor,
can you let us know?

Barb

Reply to this Message

Warfy22 - 26 Jun 2004 07:32 GMT

Hi
Thanks to this NG I have finally found out somethhing to do with my
epilepsy, even if I don't know half the names and terms.
I'm going to find it hard to put all this into words here, so bear with me.
At the age of around fourteen I began to have these what you now term,
auras - feelings of spaciousness, a funny weirdness or spaced out, or of not
being 'there' - maybe I wasn't LOL
A hot, sickly feeling and sweaty. A terrible feeling but nothing one could
really put into words to describe to the medic.
I would end up with a most blinding, sick headache for about three or four
days. The auras coming and going for a few days before disappearing until
the next time. The only meds that would help a little was Migraleve.
This would happen about three or four times during the year. The funny thing
being. a violent, electrical storm would follow about a week later. Could
this could be co-incidence or not I ask myself a thousand time whilst
growing up!!!!
But I must stress that the same feelings have never failed me, even to the
point of when I had my first epileptic attack about 15 years ago at the age
of 35. And the auras and feelings still occur even though the epilepsy has
been largly controlled with medication.

Warfy

Reply to this Message