I faced a scary situation a little over a week ago. I was hospitalized two days. I had a seizure.
This is what happened:
I've recently been prescribed some medication that occasionally can cause seizures (a fact I didn't know.) On friday the 20th, I took an extra dosage by mistake. I pretty much started feeling "off" right away and developed vision problems a few hours later. I didn't get much sleep friday night, and early Saturday morning the vision problem had gotten worse. It was as if I couldn't see from one eye entirely when both eyes were open. I was perceiving light quite differently in each eye, and one of them had shadowy spots. And I felt off and ill.
Anyway, I got scared and drove myself to the emergency room. I described to the staff the vision problems I had developed (I didn't mention that I took an extra dosage of the medication I was on.) I also didn't mention that I was feeling off and ill, perhaps because I attributed that to my anxiety. Anyway, they merely ended up diagnosing me with LOSS OF VISION and recommended I go see some eye specialist. I don't remember what happened next, but I must've started having a seizure after they handed me the paper work.
I remember coming in and out of consciousness and very distantly perceiving all the doctors/nurses standing over me. It was so so strange. I looked at some youtube videos of people having seizures and it's quite horrific.
When I came out of it they unsuccessfully attempted to extract some spinal fluid for testing. I was given a bed and a few hours later given MRI tests. Nothing was found.
Sunday morning I was prescribed some anti-seizure medication and told to go see a neurologist. And I was also told, "oh yea, you shouldn't drive for six months. We won't report your condition to the DMV but if you drive and something happens, you're going to be liable."
What's truly eerie is that the symptoms that convinced me to go to the emergency room is called an aura. It often precedes a seizure:
So yea I could have entered that seizure state half-way to the hospital...
Anyway, point of this thread is, I'm 90% certain this all happened because of that extra dosage of that medication. I'm not convinced that I'm in danger of having a seizure at any time. I didn't bother to schedule an appointment with a neurologist or get on the anti-seizure medication the hospital prescribed.
Should I be driving?
Posted by Wingracer (Member # 12293) on :
You should have told the doctors. Pretty hard to make an accurate diagnosis if they don't have important information. I would suggest seeing your doctor and explaining the ENTIRE situation to him.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
I second Wingracer.
You have no idea if there are lasting consequences from taking the medication inaccurately. You need to talk to your doc and tell him the whole thing. He might clear you to drive and then you're fine.
Posted by Aros (Member # 4873) on :
My wife has seizures. . . .
She is licensed to drive. She has indications (as did you, it seems) that one is coming on. If she gets said indications, she refrains from driving.
Neurologist is the bet bet. I'm not sure, though, they might take away your license.
Posted by FlyingCow (Member # 2150) on :
Not until you have been checked out an cleared by a neurologist.
Posted by Samprimary (Member # 8561) on :
this conversation sure feels familiar
Posted by AchillesHeel (Member # 11736) on :
I like how the OP answers the exact question of the thread.
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
quote:I didn't bother to schedule an appointment with a neurologist or get on the anti-seizure medication...
Why not?
Posted by Rakeesh (Member # 2001) on :
Ha! I had forgotten entirely about Clive's involvement in that conversation, FlyingCow. It's a pickle-shall we believe Sa'eed is hypocritical enough to post this thread honestly, given those previous remarks-or dishonest enough to be making this up for trolling purposes? I sure can't pick.
Posted by Heisenberg (Member # 13004) on :
quote:Originally posted by Rakeesh: Ha! I had forgotten entirely about Clive's involvement in that conversation, FlyingCow. It's a pickle-shall we believe Sa'eed is hypocritical enough to post this thread honestly, given those previous remarks-or dishonest enough to be making this up for trolling purposes? I sure can't pick.
You're getting your trolls mixed up. I've pulled back on the deliberate dickishness, though, and certain other posters haven't, so I can see where the confusion came from.
As for Sa'eed, if you can tell the symptoms and you're the type of person who will actually pull over rather then telling yourself you can tough it out or it's only five minutes more to get home, then drive.
Oh, also, if you're a person who can set up some kind of system where you're not doubling down on your meds. If you can't do that, then no, don't drive.
[ September 30, 2013, 10:14 PM: Message edited by: Heisenberg ]
Posted by Shanna (Member # 7900) on :
I debated wading in but decided to give the benefit of the doubt.
I would not recommend driving until you have spoken to, at the very least, the doctor who originally prescribed the medication. If you are still on the medication, this episode suggests its entirely possible that you could have another seizure (without or without the extra dosage.) If you have quit taking this medication, you may or may not have certain withdrawl concerns that need to be discussed with your doctor.
There is also a concern that a seizure could precipitate another within a certain window of time. Recovery from a seizure can take up to a few days. Also, not all seizures resemble what we typically call "grand mal" but can include only momentarily loss of consciousness and awareness that can be difficult to perceive if you are the one undergoing it.
Some statistics: around 4% of the population will have an unprovoked seizure in the lifetime. Around 10% will have a seizure including ones brought on my illness or medication.
Alot of things can trigger people including sleep deprivation, changes in blood sugar, changes in oxygen levels, anxiety, etc. An MRI and some basic blood work could catch something, but there's still a number of significant concerns worth monitoring and atleast worth discussing with your primary physician, even if you don't want to see a neurologist.
Auras can provide some warning but they do not occur with every seizure and can sometimes only provide a moment's warning, and therefore not enough time to locate a safe place to stop a vehicle.
It is a complex medical event that needs to be discussed with a medical professional.
Posted by Sa'eed (Member # 12368) on :
I did have an appointment with a doctor today that was scheduled before the seizure. He seemed to be aware of what had occurred and prescribed alternative medication that isn't associated with seizures. Still, I can't rule out this seizure arising naturally, and I definitely should have scheduled an appointment with a neurologist like they suggested. Now my insurance runs out in a few days and I won't be able to schedule an appointment for quite a few months.
Posted by umberhulk (Member # 11788) on :
That sucks. I hope it works out without any more complications. Proceed cautiously.
Posted by Shanna (Member # 7900) on :
Glad they switched you to something else. I hope it was just a medical reaction. Did the doctor today have a recommendation on the driving situation? Or an opinion on whether they thought the anti-seizure medication was a good course until you're able to see a neurologist? I'd be hesitant to say that medications are a good idea when you won't have insurance, and therefore access to a doctor who would be monitoring your reaction to a new drug. But if it could allow you to drive and alleviate some concern there, its worth asking about.
For legal reasons, I'd also suggest you look into your state's individual laws on seizures and driving privileges. The "six month" rule is pretty standard across the board but some states do allow driving if a doctor believes a seizure to be an isolated event with an identifiable probable cause (often, related to a non-chronic illness or a change in a medication.)
Posted by Szymon (Member # 7103) on :
How does it look like legally? How liable are you? Ie, when you're drunk driving and someone else causes an accident you are in, it's practically your fault still, right? Same with driving without a valid licence. This is how it looks like in my country. My uncle, who is a lawyer, told me, quite cynically, that you can kill a person or two, and if you are sober, healthy and licensed, you are not going to jail.
So, for your sake, don't drive.
Posted by theamazeeaz (Member # 6970) on :
My advisor had a rather spectacular seizure sometime in October a few years ago, as a side effect of cancer treatment. He was barred from driving for 6 months. As far as I know, he didn't have another one until February (at home), at which point he emailed all of us to tell us about it and that he would not be coming in to the office. Presumably he would have told us about other ones. He died (suddenly) less than a month later.
So yeah. Just because you have been "fine" this week, doesn't mean you are out of the woods. Please wait six months.
![[Frown]](frown.gif)