I was released from the hospital yesterday afternoon. I went into the emergency room on Friday afternoon suffering from the worst anxiety I have ever experienced in my life. After routine blood tests they could find nothing wrong with me and sent me home. On my way out of the building I had a seizure in the men’s room and lost four hours of my life. I regained awareness of my surroundings lying on a stretcher in the emergency room and was told that I had been out for about four hours and that it was now early in the evening. My discharge papers say “drug withdrawal seizure with complication.” I could not answer any questions about who the POTUS is or where I was or who I am or where I work; I just kept repeatedly saying “I don’t know.” I was admitted for observation and stayed there for two days while they kept an eye on me. I am home now and something incredible is happening to me. My wife and I are nearing a state of destitution and are saving money any way we can. I am bundled up in Army long johns and the thermostat is off. It was about 64 degrees in this room before I turned the fireplace on and I was pouring sweat with a foul odor of rancid grapefruit rinds emanating from every pore in my body. My wife is upstairs sleeping. I need her to come downstairs soon so that I can tell her that she is the most amazing and strongest woman on the face of the Earth right now. I have to tell her that I will never leave her side as long as I live and breathe. I have never felt this aware of who I am or what my place is on this planet and what I will have to do to maintain it and to ensure my wife’s and my continued survival. What is happening to me? Have I scrambled my brains for lack of a better way to put it? Is this temporal lobe epilepsy?
Moderator Action
Since this involves medical opinions and advice, let’s move it to IMHO (from GQ).
It’s Donald Trump. No, really…it’s Donald Trump. Seriously, I’m not joking. Ask anyone.
A seizure could be caused by just about anything. Your doctor will no doubt run a battery of tests to see what’s going on. Only he can tell you for certain.
Question: When the nurses called it a “drug withdrawal seizure” what kind of drugs were they talking about? Or did they pull that part out of their asses?
Hope you feel better!!!
Cut that out! Hasn’t the OP been through enough?
Benzodiazepines.
I LOLed.
Please find someone else IN REAL LIFE to check on you and your wife. Even stay with you awhile.
I know you from the Dope. You have some people out in the real world that WILL help you. ASK them for this. SOMEBODY will be there for you if you ask.
You are not asking for money. Or for them to fix your roof. But IMO you DO need someone to keep an eye on you right now. The reasons why are not important at this very moment.
When you are not thinking straight is the very definition of “do not be alone right now”.
PS. The electoral college has spoken. Willy Wonka is now the commander in chief. No shit. And lay off the fucking grapefruits.
Double PS. Right fucking now. Find someone right fucking now that will hang with you.
Thanks. Hope it helped. Feel better soon!
IMHO You do have some symptoms of temporal lobe epilepsy. IANAD, but there is a reason I have cause to suspect this. If you want to know any more as to why, PM me. I would see a neurologist if I were you, as soon as you possibly can manage it… Do you recall having MRI in the hospital?
So basically my brains ARE scrambled and I just picked on the only explanation that most non-professionals know about, but it could be anything, right?
Head CT yes, fMRI no.
Ah, okay. In that case you should know that Benzodiazepine Withdrawl Syndrome can be very, very serious, even potentially life-threatening. Seizures are a VERY common side effect of benzo withdrawl.
The good news is that if the hospital’s aware of your condition and released you anyway, you’re probably not in any mortal danger right now. The bad news is that these symptoms can persist for weeks or even months, though naturally they should decrease in severity over time.
You should definitely consult with your doctor. Contrary to what janis_and_c0 said, it’s not likely that you’ve developed epilepsy as a direct consequence of your withdrawl. It’s theoretically possible to develop epilepsy concurrently, but the chances are extremely remote. You should talk to your doctor. Did I mention you should talk to your doctor?
IANAD, YMMV, etc. just speaking from personal experience.
I am literally headed out the door.
PLEASE make sure some around you is thinking straight and will watch you.
I’ve been where I ain’t thinking straight. Nothing bad happened but it sure as hell could have.
PS. I’ve have had tears in my eyes the last few minutes. I ain’t fucking around. Please do the same (don’t fuck around with this).
By the way, I’m assuming that you quit taking benzos very recently, as in just days before your crisis. If it’s been several months and these symptoms appeared out of the blue, that’s another ball of wax.
Check your PM’s Washoe. All the best to you!
I won’t. I’ll get an appointment today. Maybe not be able to see anybody, but get an appointment. I’m leaving in the next half hour tops. Promise. Thanks.
Don’t cry. I got an appointment with the doctor and got my prescription filled.
Hi W: I had three grand mal seizures in one night in 2012. They were most likely caused by Tramadol.
Like you, my brain was not working well post-dictal. I had a very realistic hallucination for a day, was confused and weak for two weeks. Honestly, it took six months to feel like myself again.
You might ask about an RX for Lamictal, an anti-seizure drug. It comes in a very cheap generic; I haven’t had a seizure since starting it.
Also cruise the American Epilepsy Foundation for info, they’re a great resource.
In sorry this has happened to you. Seizures are really frightening.
Another epileptic here. I can’t speak for Benzodiazepine Withdraw Syndrome but I can speak for temporal lobe seizures, and that does sound like what you described. When I have them I black out, and afterwards my memory is all screwed up and I am extremely tired. I agree with buddha_david that it is rare to develop epilepsy as an adult unless you experience something like mental trauma or another neurologic disease.
Seizures can be scary, frustrating, and much more.
Currently my wife and I try to keep lighthearted when I have them.
Wife: Gedd, spell ‘Stop.’
Me: The seizure is over, I’m OK.
Wife: Do it, I’m checking.
Me: Fine. S-T-O . . . Fuck.
Wife: Told you so.
P.S. If your neurologist didn’t tell you, until you’ve been cleared by them don’t drive. It’s the biggest mistake people having seizures don’t think about.