I think I have epilepsy, can someone please help!!

Hello everyone, I think I have epilepsy but wanted to ask if anyone else has seizures like this. They started way back when I was only 12 years old, I would get this nervous feeling in my tummy, then I would start jerking, but not so much that I would fall down, and I was completely aware of what was happening, my body would shiver like I was very cold, it would last for about 10 to 15 minutes. These episodes were very rare, only having them once every 7 or 8 months. Then when I was 14 I was diagnosed with asthma, and given a fast acting inhaler with albuterol, every time I would take it, I would start to tremble, doctor said it was just a side effect of the inhaler, and it was just causing me to get jittery. This has continued for almost 15 years, I have never seen a doctor, because the jerking was not that bad, but a week ago, I started having the jerking so bad that I can't stand up, it is very strong jerking, and it's my whole body, I still get the nervous feeling right before it happens, and I am doing this 2 to 3 times a day now, and it is lasting about 15 to 20 minutes at a time but I never pass out, I am always fully awake , but now, after the hard jerking stops, I still have these little jerks all day long, it almost goes away at night but my husband tells me that I do jerk some all night long, I have made an appointment with my doctor, but it will be a few more days before I get in to see him. My muscles are getting so sore from the jerking, that I dread waking up in the morning and it seems that the jerking is getting harder now (I didn't think it could) and I am scared as heck, I don't know what I am going to do. One of the things that start the seizures is eating, every time I eat a meal, about an hour later, I get the nervous feeling, and I start jerking, to be honest, I think there harder on my husband, than they are me. Is 15 to 20 minutes a long time to have a seizure?  I am sorry this post is so long, but I am a bit emotional, and tend to jabber when I am nervous.

I have the exact same type of epilepsy. It started when I was fourteen. Its called juvenile monoclonic epilepsy. The same thing happened to me. I would wake up in the morning and get theese like little jerks. I never really thought about it until one day I had to work at 7 a.m. for my first job. I couldnt sleep the night before so i took tylenol p.m. boy.. was that a bad idea! the next morning not only was i jerking, i couldnt control my legs, arms, or body. it was not a full "siezure" i guess you could say, but i was jerking everywhere and had that same nervous feeling. i would be aware of where i am and fully awake. i went to the doctors and thats when i wqas diagnosed with epilepsy. some very important things you might want to know with this kind of epilepsy is that it is VERY VERY important to get the right amount of sleep. Also, avoid alcohol or sleep aids (such as tylenol p.m.) i don't know why, but this is what triggers most of those jerks. When you do talk to your doctor ask him about Lamictal. It's what I take, and it has helped me a lot. I hope everything goes well with you. keep your head up, be strong and remember to get a lot of rest. If you need someone to talk to you can always e-mail me because I know exactly how you feel.

Post Edited (sparkelz) : 1/29/2007 4:00:31 PM (GMT-7)

no problem. if you ever need someone to talk to or have any questions just feel free to ask. good luck!!