Seizures Symptoms

A seizure implies a sudden change in the behavior of an individual as a result of temporary alterations in the electrical performance of the human brain, especially its external rim which is known as the cortex. There are some symptoms experienced by the people during, before and following a seizure. A seizure may occur in various forms and affect people in various ways. All the symptoms may not occur in a single person.

Stages of a Seizure
1. If an individual is conscious of the starting of the condition, it might be taken as an aura or a warning. If they are not aware of it, there might not be a warning at all. At times the aura is not pursued by other symptoms, in which case the doctor might take it as a simple partial epilepsy or seizure.

2. The middle stage of the spasm may acquire various forms. If there is a warning, the aura might persist, or it might even convert into a convulsion or any complex partial seizure. If there is no warning, it might carry on as the complex partial seizure; if not, it might become a convulsion.

3. The ending of the seizure stands for a shift from the seizure into the normal state of the individual. It is called the “post-ictal stage”, with the ictus referring to a seizure. It indicates the recovery time of the brain. The duration may differ from seconds and minutes to hours even on the basis of the parts of the brain affected and if the person was taking anti-seizure medicine. If there is a convulsion or complex partial seizure, the state of awareness generally improves during this period.

Warning Signs of Seizures
Thought based or sensory

• Smell
• Jamais vu
• Déjà vu
• Taste
• Sound
• Blurring or virtual loss
• Racing thoughts
• Taste
• Strange feeling
• Sensation in the stomach
• Tingling

Emotional

• Panic or fear
• Pleasant feelings

Physical

• Headache
• Dizziness
• Nausea
• Numbness
• Lightheadedness

Lack of Warning
At times, the seizures appear without warning

Symptoms of a Seizure

Thought or Sensory

• Blackouts
• Deafness or hearing of sounds
• Confusion
• Loss of consciousness
• Electric shocks
• Spacing out
• Smells
• Loss of vision or blurring
• Out of the body experiences

Emotional

• Panic or fear

Physical

• Convulsions
• Chewing motions
• Drooling
• Difficulty in speech
• Fluttering of eyelids
• Rolling up of eyes
• Stomping of feet
• Waving of hands
• Inability of movement
• Lip smacking
• Incontinence
• Shaking
• Making sounds
• Stiffening
• Sweating
• Swallowing
• Tremors
• Biting of tongue
• Breathing trouble
• Racing heart

Post-ictal Symptoms

Thought

• Loss of memory
• Problem with writing

Emotional

• Depression or sadness
• Fear
• Confusion
• Embarrassment and shame
• Frustration

Physical

• Problems with speech
• Nausea
• Headache
• Thirst
• Pain
• Weakness
• Sleeping
• Injury
• Bruising
• Urge for urinating or defecating