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Pregnancy

Talk about every stage of pregnancy, from early symptoms to preparing for birth.

Fed up of seizures.

8 replies

Bb14 · 21/01/2014 11:33

Just looking for a bit of support...

I'm 27 weeks and have epilepsy which was well controlled until I got pregnant. Now I keep having clusters of small seizures and a few big ones. I just don't know what to so about it. I keep being admitted to hospital which doesn't really help as I get less sleep there than at home! I have a 2.5 yr old too which makes things more difficult. I'm still working but I'm thinking might be time to get signed off for a bit. Is there anyone else experiencing this?

OP posts:
PleaseBonkMeMoreGently · 21/01/2014 14:37

:( I'm really sorry you're having so much trouble, I wish there was something I could suggest that would make it magically smooth out. Seizures suck.

If you're tired and struggling, maybe it is right to get signed off for a few days, just to see if you can sleep? Your toddler won't come to any harm in a closed room with you on the sofa and them watching TV - and maybe you can snooze a little? Paracetomol is quite good for pregnancy aches and pains if that is part of what is stopping you sleep.

The end of pregnancy is so tiring, and a lot of us really struggle even without chronic conditions. The tiredness gets you down, and means you're so much less well equipped to stay cheerful when even minor stuff happens. But you know the condition, you're just so tired it's tough to deal with it as well as you normally would. It's not going to last - after pregnancy your hormone levels and weight will get back to normal. So this is a big push for a very worthwhile goal. You'll meet your new baby and it will be worth it in the end.

OK, the only suggestions I can think of:
Maybe it's time to get your levels done again? Even if it takes ages to come back, at least you can look forward to an answer sometime soon. Remembering an old thread, your levels had gone really low, so maybe it is happening again? You could see if your GP would be willing to do them every 4 weeks so at least you can tell if there is a trend of them dipping this pregnancy, and you always have a recent set of results 'in the bank' for when you don't know what's happening? Are you putting on lots of weight? (Such a personal question!)

Anyway, big hugs, sorry you're having such a rough ride. It'll be worth it in the end - honest!

Writerwannabe83 · 21/01/2014 14:48

Hi Bb14 - sorry you are having such a rough time - what are your team doing to try and get things a bit more under control?

I'm 30+4 and thankfully I've had no problems with my epilepsy. About 2 months ago I had to increase my dose as my levels dropped significantly but they seem to have stabilised now - I've got to get them re-checked in another 2 months.

I think you absolutely should look at getting signed off sick, definitely!! When I told my boss I was pregnant (at 6 weeks) she told me that if I even had one seizure then I was to go off sick - no argument! You sound like you are having a bit of a stressful time and the rest will do you good. Put yourself and baby first Thanks

scissy · 21/01/2014 15:29

Hi bb14, I'm sorry you're having a rough time. I was lucky, this didn't happen to me but it did happen to my friend. Her epilepsy got really bad, however neurology signed her off work from 26 weeks right until 39 weeks! It did help and meant she wasn't admitted to hospital any more. She was signed off for epilepsy (rather than pregnancy related stuff) which meant that she didn't have to start her maternity leave allowance early. If being signed off for that long sounds daunting, I think before she was signed off completely they did a "fit note" stating that she had to work reduced hours? Would that help do you think? Or being signed off for just a short period to see how it goes? Either way I think speaking to GP/neurology team would be a good idea Smile. On the plus side, less than 24 hours after her baby was born her seizures disappeared again and she had no problems (whereas I had the opposite!)

Bb14 · 22/01/2014 12:49

Hi thanks so much for replying. The reason it's taken me so long to read the responses is that I was admitted to hospital yesterday. To be honest I think it's for the best and I can look into getting signed off work. The most positive thing is that the baby seems happy.

I am in a research study so bloods are done every 4 weeks now, and I'm now on two drugs.

As for my weight I've put on 11lb which I think is fairly average for 27 weeks!

The strangest thing is that I'm on the antenatal ward but the drs don't know too much about epilepsy so they have to wait for the neurologists to come and make all the decisions. It's better than being on the Neuro ward I supposed.

Thanks again for your support. I'm feeling more positive today. I think having seizures makes me feel quite down afterwards. Must be something to do with brain chemistry.

Xx

OP posts:
Bb14 · 22/01/2014 12:51

Hi thanks so much for replying. The reason it's taken me so long to read the responses is that I was admitted to hospital yesterday. To be honest I think it's for the best and I can look into getting signed off work. The most positive thing is that the baby seems happy.

I am in a research study so bloods are done every 4 weeks now, and I'm now on two drugs.

As for my weight I've put on 11lb which I think is fairly average for 27 weeks!

The strangest thing is that I'm on the antenatal ward but the drs don't know too much about epilepsy so they have to wait for the neurologists to come and make all the decisions. It's better than being on the Neuro ward I supposed.

Thanks again for your support. I'm feeling more positive today. I think having seizures makes me feel quite down afterwards. Must be something to do with brain chemistry.

Xx

OP posts:
Writerwannabe83 · 23/01/2014 19:13

How are you feeling now Bb14?

Sorry you ended up being admitted but hopefully the silver lining will be that you get signed off sick. I'm glad baby is ok Smile

Bb14 · 23/01/2014 21:57

Hi
I'm home now. Feeling ok. Going to try increasing the Keppra and see how that goes. Only 13 weeks to go. Baby has the hiccups. It's making me smile!

X

OP posts:
PleaseBonkMeMoreGently · 24/01/2014 10:46

Glad to hear that :) Keep smiling...

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