Pegasus Posted March 22, 2016 Share Posted March 22, 2016 Nephew had a seizure last weekend. No known health issues prior. It lasted about 15 minutes and he didn't remember anything, including the time immediately afterwards. He was taken to the hospital where they did basic tests (I don't know which ones) which were inconclusive. They were away from home during all this but he was cleared to fly back home and follow up with his own doctor. So, other than the really scary reasons for a seizure out-of-the-blue like this, are there any benign causes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 I knew someone who had serious seizures... and it turned out to be an allergic reaction to a dye. She stopped eating anything with that dye and hasn't had one in many years. But it took awhile to get to the root of it. I would guess it could be a lot of things - some bad and scary, some that are going to be not great but manageable conditions, and some that wouldn't be a big deal like my friend. I'd wait and see before panicking too much. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 15 minutes sounds pretty long for a seizure. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 (edited) 15 minutes sounds pretty long for a seizure. My friend who had seizures that I mentioned above had ones that were that long. It was scary to witness and they spent a bunch of time figuring it out... but then, like I said, it turned out eventually to be no big deal. Of course... who knows in this case. Just to say - I've seen a seizure last that long. ETA: To be clear, my understanding is that the entire time a person is out counts as the time. My friend would shake for maybe a minute or so, but there was often a time before when she would blank out and then it would take her awhile to come to again. Edited March 23, 2016 by Farrar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted March 23, 2016 Author Share Posted March 23, 2016 15 minutes sounds pretty long for a seizure. I agree. I wasn't there. Maybe it just felt like 15 minutes to his mom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 I started having seizures at 17 that were migraine related. In my case, it was strongly hormonally linked (I hit puberty late, so for me, 17 was about the peak, coupled with juggling all the usual 17 yr old stuff). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 My friend who had seizures that I mentioned above had ones that were that long. It was scary to witness and they spent a bunch of time figuring it out... but then, like I said, it turned out eventually to be no big deal. Of course... who knows in this case. Just to say - I've seen a seizure last that long. ETA: To be clear, my understanding is that the entire time a person is out counts as the time. My friend would shake for maybe a minute or so, but there was often a time before when she would blank out and then it would take her awhile to come to again. I don't know if this applies to every kind of seizure but I've seen mention of the danger of brain damage if a seizure goes over 15 minutes. But does that apply to the entire the time the person is out, as you mentioned? or does it only apply to the time meant actively seizing? That I don't know. OP - you asked for non-scary reasons and here I am mentioning some scary things. I'm sorry about that. But I did want to mention this just because it might be something to follow up with doctors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom31257 Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 (edited) Was it a grand mal seizure (now called tonic clonic)? I know you said not scary, but that long is scary. My nephew has epilepsy. I care for him on a regular basis. A grand mal seizure going that long would have been considered life threatening, and I would have administered emergency meds and called an ambulance as well as used the oxygen kept at his house. Had he taken any new medicines or been given any vaccines? A friend's daughter got shots for college and a mission trip over 2 days time and began having seizures at 19. Edited March 23, 2016 by mom31257 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 It's not common, but there are plenty of cases where people have one seizure for no apparent reason and then never have one again. It's why neurologists won't diagnose epilepsy until a person has had at least two. So there's definitely a chance that nothing is wrong. It'll probably drive everyone crazy wondering what the heck happened, of course, and he's going to have to restrict his activities somewhat while he waits to see if he has another one. Also, depending on where he lives, it's going to be illegal for him to drive for six months to a year. I have epilepsy, and I have fifteen minute seizures. They're terrifying and the migraine afterward is a bitch, but it's possible to have them and come away with zero effects. It's normal to have some amnesia after a seizure of that length, too- I didn't recognize my own mother once after having one, lol. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slache Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 I started having seizures at 17 that were migraine related. In my case, it was strongly hormonally linked (I hit puberty late, so for me, 17 was about the peak, coupled with juggling all the usual 17 yr old stuff).This is me too but I hit puberty early. If we could stop the migraine we could usually stop the seizure. I don't usually have them anymore unless I'm pregnant or very ill. I've probably had 100 seizures and have no injury to speak of. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TranquilMind Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 Nephew had a seizure last weekend. No known health issues prior. It lasted about 15 minutes and he didn't remember anything, including the time immediately afterwards. He was taken to the hospital where they did basic tests (I don't know which ones) which were inconclusive. They were away from home during all this but he was cleared to fly back home and follow up with his own doctor. So, other than the really scary reasons for a seizure out-of-the-blue like this, are there any benign causes? I have a family member that had a short seizure when some ill-advised phlebotomist attempted to put this person immediately upright after a vasovagal reaction (lightheaded episode-have to lie horizontally). It all turned out ok, and was not repeated. I don't know about 15 minutes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momacacia Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 Could be low blood sugar, but that's less likely. Stone of figuring it out is finding out what was going on beforehand-- lots of sleep loss, dehydration, hypoglycemia. They could all be a clue. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom2Five Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 I have heard of infections causing seizures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 My ds19 had a seizure last October. They ran a battery of tests including a CT scan and an MRI. They determined it was because he had gone without sleep for over 24 hours. He had stayed up all night. The doctor said everyone gets one free seizure that is due to something like this and that she would be surprised if it ever happened again. He's decided to never stay up all night again. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storygirl Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 My sister had one grand mal seizure six or eight years ago. The doctors were not able to figure out why, but she never had another one. Isolated seizures do happen sometimes. Hopefully it is a one-time thing for your nephew as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susan in KY Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 (edited) Sure: fever, stress, hormonal changes, and allergies are a few not-so-scary reasons. Reacting to vaccines is another reason that is slightly scarier but not epilepsy. Often times it's environmental or a one-off; no reason is found and there's no repeat. In other words, it's not yet time to panic. :cool: Susan Edited March 23, 2016 by Susan in KY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
City Mouse Posted March 23, 2016 Share Posted March 23, 2016 My dad was in his early 20's in the Air Force and had two seisures one day. He was given a medical discharge and put on medication for epilepsy. He has never had another seisures. He stayed on the medication for like 30 years just because he would have to give up driving for 6 months to stop the medication. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegasus Posted March 24, 2016 Author Share Posted March 24, 2016 Thank you, everyone. I had trouble finding my way back to this thread. For some reason, "my content" is only showing some of my posts and oftentimes, my most recent posts do not show up at all. I even tried searching by author and couldn't find it. I appreciate the information and experiences. We still don't have any information yet on the possible cause. He's supposed to go back to the doctor next Monday. For now, his mother is just repeating "he's fine" whenever anyone asks. I'll try to come back and update if/when there are answers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
passionate for truth Posted March 14, 2017 Share Posted March 14, 2017 In my situation hormones and foods were the biggest triggers outside of the initial vaccine injury and subsequent heavy metal poisoning causing the seizures in the first place. Your gut health is directly tied to your brain, so even when we don't necessarily understand where or why seizure activity starts, which is sadly the case most of the time, removing foods that are known triggers can at least lighten the load and burden off of them until you can determine more and/or get to the bottom of things. Gluten, grains and dairy, along with artificial sweeteners like aspartame (diet soda) and msg (food flavoring additive) can all build up in your system and be huge triggers. My daughter started her seizure activity after vaccinations at age 4.5, and she is now 95% seizure free after a lot of research and protocols, and diet changes. I hope that you find your answers and will be praying! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storygirl Posted March 14, 2017 Share Posted March 14, 2017 My sister also had one grand mal seizure and no others afterward. She was also told by the doctor that it is not uncommon to have one isolated seizure for an unknown reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lailasmum Posted March 14, 2017 Share Posted March 14, 2017 There's extreme vasovagal syncope that can cause a seizure but also in some people that can trigger anoxic epilepsy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted March 14, 2017 Share Posted March 14, 2017 This is a zombie thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted March 14, 2017 Share Posted March 14, 2017 This is a zombie thread. Yeah, the new poster is pulling up seizure threads. FYI...for anyone wondering... If someone is having a seizure for the first time, seek medical assistance. Someone you don't know, and you find seizing, seek medical assistance. Someone with a history of epilepsy with a true tonic-clonic (grand mal) seizure lasting more than 5 minutes, seek medical assistance. Someone having a tonic-clonic seizure that long needs help sometimes to break the seizure in the form of an emergency med, which if the person doesn't have or that you know about, can be administered by emergency medical personnel. Depending on your particular location, police sometimes carry oxygen, and get to 911 calls first and can begin to administer oxygen. Status epilepticus is prolonged seizure activity. Either one continuous seizure or clusters so close together the person doesn't return to his/her baseline. It is a medical emergency. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted March 14, 2017 Share Posted March 14, 2017 In my situation hormones and foods were the biggest triggers outside of the initial vaccine injury and subsequent heavy metal poisoning causing the seizures in the first place. Your gut health is directly tied to your brain, so even when we don't necessarily understand where or why seizure activity starts, which is sadly the case most of the time, removing foods that are known triggers can at least lighten the load and burden off of them until you can determine more and/or get to the bottom of things. Gluten, grains and dairy, along with artificial sweeteners like aspartame (diet soda) and msg (food flavoring additive) can all build up in your system and be huge triggers. My daughter started her seizure activity after vaccinations at age 4.5, and she is now 95% seizure free after a lot of research and protocols, and diet changes. I hope that you find your answers and will be praying! What a load of crap. Apparently now that they've ruled out vaccines playing any part in autism the anti-vaxxers are going to try to blame vaccines and gluten for epilepsy, instead. :001_rolleyes: Go peddle your website somewhere else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted March 14, 2017 Share Posted March 14, 2017 Nephew had a seizure last weekend. No known health issues prior. It lasted about 15 minutes and he didn't remember anything, including the time immediately afterwards. He was taken to the hospital where they did basic tests (I don't know which ones) which were inconclusive. They were away from home during all this but he was cleared to fly back home and follow up with his own doctor. So, other than the really scary reasons for a seizure out-of-the-blue like this, are there any benign causes? I hope your nephew hasn't had any more seizures. I know this is an old thread, but I'm hoping he just had situation that didn't repeat. As for a 15 minute seizure...yes, he could have had a tonic-clonic (grand mal) seizure that lasted 15 minutes. That, frankly, for a first time seizure, is scary as hell. It is called status epilepticus and is a medical emergency. However, the entire episode your nephew experienced could have lasted 15 minutes but it was not an active tonic-clonic seizure for 15 minutes. He might have been confused at first, then seized, then had a postictal period that was included in the 15 minutes. Postictally people can be unconscious, confused, frightened, combative, nonverbal, exhausted, unable to move...it really can present in a variety of ways. They also can be cycling into another seizure. Anyway...I hope he's OK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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