Todd's paresis/Todd's paralysis

[TaraF]

I was wondering if there was anyone here that has seizures and experiences Todd's Paralysis with them? If so, how do you cope during it? How long does it last? My seizures took a turn in late December from being well controlled, few a week if that, to uncontrolled and 4-6 a day. It was also the first time I had experienced todd's paralysis, without knowing what it was.

I woke up one morning and had a seizure upon waking and so I rolled to my left side, facing my husbands back. I'm *knockwood* always conscious for my seizures and can talk if I want to but I usually just "work through it" before doing anything. This time was different. My heart rate plummeted and I started to panic. I tried to call for my husband and I couldn't. I tried to reach out for him and I couldn't. I was frozen. It had never happened before so I didn't know what was happening. I could see my husbands back, I could hear him snore, but I couldn't talk or move and it felt like my heart rate was just becoming weaker and weaker. I honestly thought I was going to die. I remember thinking, "really? This is how I'm going to die? This sucks" lol I tried breathing through it to regulate my heart rate but I think panic wasn't helping. I think it probably lasted only 1 or 2 minutes but it felt like a lifetime.

My neurologist said that he is surprised I've been having seizures for over 3 years now and this is the first time I've experienced it because it happens in about 15% of all focal seizures. It scares the CRAP out of me. My fear is being that I'm diabetic that if my sugar drops one day while in paresis that I'm going to be in a lot of trouble. I actually told my husband if he sees me staring off while in bed or sitting up to snap his fingers, shake me and call 911 if I don't answer. It really scared me.

Does anyone here experience this? How do you "work through" it when it's occurring?

My Dr actually put me on a new drug with my old seizure meds and I'm sleeping 10-13 hrs a night. I slept 13 hrs last night and I'm freaking tired.

[Patty Smyth]

Holy crap Tara that sucks. I have no wisdom in this area just want to say good luck.

[lecale]

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[TaraF]

Thanks Patty. My Neurologist said that there really isn't anything you can do during the paralysis portion and it's actually after a seizure that it occurs so it isn't part of the seizure.

And lecale the type of seizures I have are focal seizures, more specifically temporal lobe seizures, and mostly hallucinatory. Symptoms of them had remained the same (up until December) in that no matter what I was doing I would stop in my tracks, feel a heaving in my chest, smell things high in my nostrils, etc. Now to those that have grand or petit mal seizures they'd recognize it as an aura, a precursor to a larger seizure. Thankfully I have yet to cross that line into a larger seizure. During focal seizures (and auras) a person is totally conscious, can move, sometimes talk and usually always remembers what happens.

There are so many types of seizures and the word itself leaves the impression that someone is seizing out on the floor with limbs jerking uncontrollably and rendering themselves unconscious. That can happen but luckily mine haven't progressed in that direction. But I assure you that it doesn't make the experience any less frightening, especially not knowing if THIS one is the one leading into that large one.

[lecale]

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[walkonby]

Tara, I just want to say hope they do not get any worse or more frequent, and lecale, wow, you certainly have first hand experience. Stay safe both of you.

[TaraF]

Damn lecate! See, that is what I do NOT want to experience! From what I was told, Todd's Paralysis is experienced more with focal seizures than any other kind of seizures. It was what tipped my Drs off to my brain tumour, those damn weird feelings and smells. I have had 3 EEGS since and every time I've had seizures but looking at me during it you'd never have suspected it. My neurologist actually suggested a medic alert bracelet the other day because he said if someone found me passed out it could be because I had a seizure or because I'm hypoglycemic, but interesting point about hurting yourself if you have a full on seizure. I have a friend that has grand mal seizures and she informed me they (grand and petit) are now just referred to as generalized seizures? She is in the US though. Hers are bad too, she just got a bad concussion and bit part of her tongue off during her last one after she hit the table in the kitchen when she went down.

I consider myself HUGELY lucky on how my seizures manifest, especially when I hear what she goes through and what you have to go through, but again I get people asking me if I'm sure it's a seizure and the like because it's just not what you think of. When one hits I STOP what I'm doing and stand/sit there and see what happens, because I know it can go nasty. I'm still on Carbamazepine twice daily but my neurologist just added Topiramate to add to that twice daily as well. Hopefully it works. For anyone interested in learning some new stuff:

Simple Focal Seizures:

Simple partial seizures are a very subjective experience, and the symptoms of a simple partial seizure vary greatly between people. This is due to the varying locations of the brain the seizures originate in e.g.: Rolandic. A simple partial seizure may go unnoticed by others or shrugged off by the sufferer as merely a "funny turn". Simple partial seizures usually start suddenly and are very brief, typically lasting 60 to 120 seconds.^[7]
While awake some common symptoms of simple partial seizures are:^[5]

• preserved consciousness
• sudden and inexplicable feelings of fear, anger, sadness, happiness or nausea
• sensations of falling or movement
• experiencing of unusual feelings or sensations
• altered sense of hearing, smelling, tasting, seeing, and tactile perception (sensory illusions or hallucinations), or feeling as though the environment is not real (derealization) or dissociation from the environment or self (depersonalization)
• a sense of spatial distortion—things close by may appear to be at a distance.
• déjà vu (familiarity) or jamais vu (unfamiliarity)
• laboured speech or inability to speak at all
• usually the event is remembered in detail

Todd's Paralysis:

Todd's paresis or Todd's paralysis (or postictal paresis/paralysis, "after seizure") is focal weakness in a part of the body after a seizure. This weakness typically affects appendages and is localized to either the left or right side of the body. It usually subsides completely within 48 hours. Todd's paresis may also affect speech, eye position (gaze), or vision.

[TaraF]

And thank you walks. I can hope the new meds do their job!