My husband had a grand mal seizure while coming home from work last week.
He’s early 60s and has never had a fit in his life. Luckily he was in a busy place and people helped him but the description of what happened horrifies me - he fell backwards on a hard floor and could have been badly hurt. He fitted for at least 5 mins and it took around 20 mins before he was fully conscious.
He was taken to A&E and had all the necessary tests including a head scan. Everything came back clear, thank goodness… but now we need to get to the bottom of this. He’s been referred to a seizure clinic.
Im just getting over the initial shock but now I have so many questions.
- Is it possible to develop grand mal epilepsy later in life?
- Is it possible to have a one-off seizure - what could cause it if vital signs all ok?
- He remembers a weird visual disturbance leading up to the fit. Does an aura like this allow people to sit down and make themselves safe before a seizure?
- How do people cope with the uncertainty of another seizure? To be honest, I’m terrified of witnessing one but I know I should be prepared - and our teen kids too.
I’m aware of the nasty causes like brain tumour etc but I’m hoping the CT scan means it’s not that - although I suppose he may need more detailed scans.
My husband can’t drive for at least 6 months, possibly a year, depending on what happens next. He’s devastated by this as he loves driving. I’m anxious, as I’m not a confident driver but I’m going to have to take over all the longer trips he usually did.
So many things to get our heads round.
if anyone has any insights, I’d love to hear them - thank you.