Abdominal Epilepsy - Epilepsy Message Board

anders15 · 12-03-2007, 05:01 PM

Anyone suffer from abdominal epilepsy? If so, how do you feel? Does your seizures start from severe abdominal cramping?

sammi2 · 12-04-2007, 08:34 AM

I hope someone can answer your question. I have always wondered if my symptoms of abdominal cramping then fainting were seizures. I was told by my gastroenterologist that they were probably caused from an oversensitive vagus (sp?) nerve. What are your symptoms?

anders15 · 12-04-2007, 12:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sammi2

I hope someone can answer your question. I have always wondered if my symptoms of abdominal cramping then fainting were seizures. I was told by my gastroenterologist that they were probably caused from an oversensitive vagus (sp?) nerve. What are your symptoms?

That is also what I was diagnosed with. Did they tell you Vasovagal Syncope? Which in term, send the pain from your stomach that is so severe through your vagus nerve causing you to faint. That's what they THOUGHT I had until a week ago when my mom witnessed me fainting from the cramps, and she works in the medical field and knew it was a seizure. So I got an EEG and also a MRI with and without contrast which came back pretty good. Only 1 abnormality which is a venous angioma which is no big deal they say. Mine start off from stomach cramps that are very painful, then I will end up on the john (toilet)

then I will get up after seeing that I can't go and everything starts to go black until I finally hit the floor and wake up in a drenching sweat and I get a drink of gatorade and my symptoms subside. Weird I know but I talked to my Dr. from St. Louis who said it is rare but very possible I have abdominal epilepsy since everytime I pass out it always begins with cramping. I also have very bad generalized anxiety disorder which seems to bring on these spells more frequently and I am really worried, can epilepsy kill you?

sammi2 · 12-05-2007, 09:15 AM

anders15, sounds like me. This is gross but there was a time when everytime I had a BM I had to have a table in front of commode to lay over when I passed out so I wouldn't hit the floor. It took me 30 yrs for a dr (gastroent) to finally tell me that it was related to vagus nerve. I don't remember if she called it vasovagal syncope or not. I was so relieved after all these years she knew what I was talking about I didn't hear anything else. As to if it can kill you, I have been told it is more dangerous now that I'm older. My BP usually drops & I am very weak for a long time. I guess it could cause heart failure. Maybe someone knows.

This may be too personal, but have you had a colonoscopy yet? I am due one & worried that with all the "stuff" we have to drink & most likely colon cramps that I will end up on the floor passed out. Dr said I would probably need to stay overnight in hospital to be monitored. Something you might keep in mind if you ever have to have a colonoscopy.

anders15 · 12-05-2007, 11:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sammi2

anders15, sounds like me. This is gross but there was a time when everytime I had a BM I had to have a table in front of commode to lay over when I passed out so I wouldn't hit the floor. It took me 30 yrs for a dr (gastroent) to finally tell me that it was related to vagus nerve. I don't remember if she called it vasovagal syncope or not. I was so relieved after all these years she knew what I was talking about I didn't hear anything else. As to if it can kill you, I have been told it is more dangerous now that I'm older. My BP usually drops & I am very weak for a long time. I guess it could cause heart failure. Maybe someone knows.

This may be too personal, but have you had a colonoscopy yet? I am due one & worried that with all the "stuff" we have to drink & most likely colon cramps that I will end up on the floor passed out. Dr said I would probably need to stay overnight in hospital to be monitored. Something you might keep in mind if you ever have to have a colonoscopy.

Wow you are identical to me with the colonoscopy prep. I had to stay overnight in Barnes Jewish hospital because of my syncope. I got very anxious when they hooked me up to a heart monitor because they didn't give me no explainations and I just thought I was going to die. As for the prep and colonoscopy I was soo worried about it and so worried I would pass out. But it is really a piece of cake. You don't get the cramps, the stuff doesn't taste to great but you just get that quick feeling of the runs, and you can feel the gases move in your stomach. I would definitely suggest you stay at a hospital just so you feel a sense of security in case something happened and you did pass out, but I can almost gurantee you that you WILL NOT pass out, because I have a pretty bad case of that Vagal junk and I was fine. Do your pass out spells happen from stomach cramps and feeling like you have to go to the bathroom or are they just when you have bowel movements?