Any connection between sick sinus syndrome and Partial complex seizures please?

[Karedug]

Please may I ask but is there any videos showing an adult having a complex partial seizure. My husband Been diagnosed with these and he just sits and stares frighteningly I speak to him but cannot answer. I tell him about them when they have passed which is a few seconds or minutes, sometimes confused when round other times not. He is on Lamactil and until a very traumatic stressful episode was controlled but he had a very minor one but as he never has no recollection never believes me! This causes stress for both of us. If he saw what I do I think maybe he would. At the time I am too stressed to get my phone out to video it. Prior to being diagnosed with this which was a long time he would collapse. However he was found to have sick sinus syndrome and had a pacemaker inserted. Thus we thought was the end of his collapses and it was but these strange " frozen" episodes continued and we saw a neurologist and was diagnosed. Is Sick Sinus syndrome and Epilepsy connected? Does one cause the other as they both came together,perfectly fit 67 year old prior

[Hidden]

Hi,

There are videos on different types of seizures: epilepsysociety.org.uk/seiz...

The "frozen episodes do sound like some types of focal seizures.

I also found this information about arrythmias and epilepsy: epilepsy.com/information/pr...

All I can say from my own personal experience is that I have very low blood pressure and a tendency for bradychardia so I often lose my vision and "black out" or get dizzy if I am not well hydrated, however, this is as a feeling and symptom very different to the seizures that I have (tonic clonic) and focal sensory seizures.

Perhaps you could ask your husband's neurologist about the difference or raise it with the GP or cardiologist?

I wish you lots of positive energy to get through this stressful time - as the uncertainty around symptoms and the questionning of diagnoses is full of ups and downs. I hope you find treatment that works for your husband the best way possible. x

[Karedug in reply to Hidden]

Thank you so much for this response, this site has helped a lot. Had it not been for this site what happened last week could have been dismissed. That is medication. My husband is on Lamactil ( brand not generic) I had been reading comments from people whom had had medication mixed e.g. One month brand and maybe the next lot generic and they were having break through seizures. I was therefore on my guard when my husband came back from the chemist and said to me his tablets were in a different box!! I looked and they were the generic ones. After having 2 episodes of his driving licence taken away we are nearly at a time when he can get it back so no way we're doctors because of expense which isn't a lot, messing with out lives, as had he had a break through seizure his 12 months driving ban starts again.

Eventually after a lot of talking to Drs and printing things from the internet advising GPS of switching drugs we eventually got the correct ones and have asked to be put on his prescription do not switch brands which they have done.

Unsure about anyone else but when you have this illness it's hard to cope at times but you can and you do. However the medical profession has put so many obstacles in our way since getting diagnosed 16 months ago that had we not been knowledgeable to challenge as they were not right and proved to be so that something stressful enough had been turned into nightmares! Sites for patients and relatives such as this are first class, whoever is behind it thank you

[Hidden in reply to Karedug]

Hi,

I am happy to hear that you had some success at the Dr's. I hope that the situation stabilises and he is able to feel confident and independent again.

If you are based in the UK the epilepsy society has a phone number you can call if you are ever concerned and also have sheets to help you break down the problems that you are going to discuss with the doctors. I know that it felt difficult to get doctors that were over worked to understand what I was trying to tell them at first.

I was never sure of what was relevant and also tended to minimise anything that I was worrying about... which made it easier for the dr's to conclude that it wasn't important, I assume. Also, I think that there is so much that they don't know, because seizure disorders and the brain are so complex that they can manifest quite differently in different people and the medications also react differently with each individual.

All my best to you both, and, you are not alone going through tis alone - this forum is brilliant, I take great comfort from this website too! x

[Karedug]

Thank you yes we are in the U.K, is yourself in the UK, we are in Leeds, West Yorkshire. We are very lucky that we have a brilliant neurologist and since the very sudden, out of the blue onset of this we have never seen a GP for it as my husband was rushed into hospital. It took a while to get a neurologist and we in the end went private for a consultation. We gave gone back to NHS but still under the consultant, so why a GP whom we have never seen for this condition can change a medication prescribed by a consultant is upsetting, anyone not in the know would not have realised and wondered why there are having break through seizures, which reading thus forum does happen. Thank you.