pretty scary....

[Liesje]

Some of you may know who my boyfriend is b/c he posts here (usually in the sports forum) as Got Philk. Well, earlier this spring there was two times where he passed out. The second time, he said it was weird b/c his whole body tensed up and when he woke up he had some pretty bad gashes on his hand where he'd scratched himself. He went to the ER and had a CAT scan, but it didn't show anything unusual so they sent him home to rest since he'd been sick with a sinus infection, pink eye, and broncitis. They thought he just passed out and needed more rest. I think he might've posted a thread in here about that incident. This morning it happened again so he went back to the ER and they determined he's had seizures, but still nothing unusual on the CAT scan. Now he can't drive or do much of anything until he can see a neurologist and have an MRI and maybe an EEG.

So this is kinda scary and totally sucks being that I don't have a car and he's not allowed to drive so we can't see each other and now he's not sure how/if he can get to work until this is all sorted out. Not to mention he has to wait until Tues to see a regular Dr. who will then have to refer him to a neurologist and then he'll have to get an appt with the neurologist and have tests done.

 

[Techie2000]

Hopefully things can get sorted out. Do you have a license? Maybe you could drive him in his car?

 

[neutral]

not fun...

 

[MissVelvetDress_75]

 

[Chizip]

that is pretty scary, its a good thing that hasnt happened while he has been driving already

your boyfriend seems like a really cool guy (for a cubs fan) so i hope the doctors can help and everything gets worked out alright

 

[dandy]

 

[Liesje]

Hopefully things can get sorted out. Do you have a license? Maybe you could drive him in his car?

That's what I'm thinking. We both have to work (we're poor college students!), so there's not really a choice there. I'm hoping if it takes a while for this to get sorted out that he can find a bus route from his neighborhood to work and then I can pick him up at night b/c I live closer to where he works than where he lives, and like you said, if he's not allowed to drive, I might as well help him out w/ his car.

His parents are driving here right now (from Iowa...about 8 hrs) to help figure out what doctors he needs to see and such.

 

[tiny dancer]

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

my dad has epilepsy so i know how you feel.

good luck

 

[cell]

 

[Angela Harlem]

good luck to you both

 

[beli]

I hope all goes well and the doctors find the correct medication for his type of epilepsy.

another

 

[martha]

That is indeed scary. I hope everything is soon diagnosed. I bet his folks are speeding up there. I would be.

for both of you.

 

[Lynz778]

 

[fah]

 

[Laura M]

I have 2 family members with epilepsy and a friend has it too. It's quite a frightening thing to watch people have/ suffer from. They have all been able to get the right medications for them though and cope just fine. Hopefully Mr Philk will get the best help he can, see all his doctors quickly and will be able to get the proper medicines that he needs.

 

[Liesje]

Phil's parents came today and are here indefinitely. Tomorrow he's going to pull as many strings as possible to get into a local family dr. in order to get a physical, blood work done, and a referral to a neurologist.

Right now, the worst thing is the no driving. That wasn't just a recommendation, the hospital notified the health department. Public transit here sucks, but my little sis turns 16 next week and still needs a summer job so she can buy U2 tickets, so I suggested she drive Phil around while his license is suspended.

I'm guessing it'll be a few weeks before a neurologist can see him. Then it'll be at least three weeks before he can get an MRI, since the waiting lists are so long and since he's not seizing everyday, he's not exactly priority. Who knows how long he'll have to wait for an EEG. I wish healthcare just moved faster! I mean, once I signed up for a senior psych experiment at my college and got an EEG test the next week for free, but...whatever. I'm just trying to be thankful b/c the CAT scan shows no tumor or aneurysm.

I'm thinking this can't be epilepsy since that's pretty rare in adults, especially since he's had no seizures during childhood or adolescence. His Dr. from Iowa said he may have some brain damage on the left side of his brain from an improperly treated concussion he had when he was younger. This could make sense since when he had these seizures, his muscles on the right side of his body (controlled by the left side of the brain) were so tight he felt like his fingers were popping off one by one. We're hoping it's maybe not so much neurological, but something with his blood sugar, like hypoglycemia.

I dunno, I guess I won't worry too much at this point. A part of me wishes I was there to observe these seizures so we'd have a better idea. The first time this happened, Phil told me he'd had this nightmare that he was in the shower and his body tensed up and it was like his fingers were coming off. Then the same thing happened again, but it was real and he woke up in a wet puddle on the floor of the bathroom. It wasn't until this second seizure that he knew the first one really happened and wasn't a nightmare. Thinking back, I remember him telling me about this nightmare over and over, it was really bothering him, and he couldn't figure out why b/c it didn't seem real. Now we know it was.

 

[Techie2000]

Oy, that kind of stinks how slow its going. Well he is an extremely lucky guy to have such a caring girlfriend and family willing to help him out...

Keep us updated, I will send good vibrations your way...

 

[Liesje]

In case anyone cares...Phil went to the first Dr. appointment today and after 3 hours, they ruled he's having Jacksonian seizures. Not only that, but he's having a very rare form b/c he loses consciousness. These seizures are when something in the brain is not right and it makes a certain area of the body tense up and moves out from there. In Phil's case, every time it starts in his right hand which curls up so tight his fingers are basically moving out of joint, then his arm tightens and curls in, then it moves throughout his body and he passes out. He'll still need the MRI and EEG, but has his first appt. w/ the neurologist on Friday.

 

[martha]

Oh man. Now what? Are these things treatable?

 

[shari schultz]

Good thoughts and wishes to Philk.

 

[nbcrusader]

Prayers for Phil, his family and you

 

[cell]

praying and sending good vibes to you and philk

 

[Russty Cat]

I will be praying for Philk as well. I know what he is going thru. I have very similar seizures due to being born with damage to part of my brain. Tell him to hang in there and keep the faith. It is a hard thing to deal with, but in the end hopefully they will have a treatment so that he can drive again. I drive safely now and have for years. I still get seizures now and again, but I have learned what some of the warning signs are so I know when its most likely going to happen. It might be a good idea for him to start keeping a journal of how he is feeling if he has any strange headaches, muscle tention, tremors in his hands, feet, arms, or legs, tightening in his jaw or clenching his teeth for no reason. He might start to see patterns that could be good warning signs that a seizure is coming on. Tell him till this gets straightened out to be very careful in the shower, I actually fell thru a glass shower door once when I had a seizure in the shower and was hurt really badly. A plastic chair in the shower or just sitting down while in there is a good temporary solution.

to you both.

 

[fah]

My thoughts are with you both

 

[KhanadaRhodes]

russty cat

livluv and philk

 

[LarryMullen's POPAngel]

Very scary.

's to you both.

 

[diamond]

prayers


db9

 

[kellyahern]

 

[Got Philk?]

Hi everyone,
Thanks so much for all your thoughts and prayers. It really means a lot...

I'll update you a little one what's up. Well, Livluv told you about the first and second seizures. These both happened in the shower. The latest one actually woke me up in bed. I remember almost being annoyed and thinking, "oh my gosh...not again."

Well, today I went to the neurologist where he poked and prodded me with some pins, we played some walking games, and I touched my finger to my nose a few different ways. In the end, he said I needed a MRI and an EEG. The nice thing is he got me these tests next week tuesday and thursday. So that's pretty fast. The unfortunate part is he goes on vacation when the results come back so I'll be left hanging a while. But at least things are getting done and will be figured out soon enough.

I guess it's just kind of scary since I used to think it just happened in the shower, but it could happen anywhere and any time. I know i shouldn't live in fear, but for now it's hard not to. It's been a long week and to be honest, at 10:30 this friday night, all I want to do is sleep off some of this anxiety.

I'm on a medicine called carbotrol. For some, it is the end all to their seizures. Here's hoping...

later all
mr. philk