Seizure history taking pdf

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Did you bite your tongue or the inside of your cheeks? After the spell: Were you confused or tired? Could you speak normally? Did you have a headache? Did your muscles ache?

How can my family and friends help? Ask them to write down a detailed description of what they saw soon after the event, because memories fade with time. Even after they talk to your doctor, save these notes, because they may be helpful to another doctor later.

If the episodes occur often, it would be very helpful for the doctor if someone could film one or more of them on a cell phone or home video. Your parents or other family members also may be able to help with some important questions about your medical history: Was your birth difficult?

Did you have any seizures with high fevers when you were a baby or small child? Did you ever have a head injury? If so, did you lose consciousness after the injury?

How long were you unconscious? Were you taken to a hospital? Did you ever have meningitis an infection of the membranes around the brain and spinal cord or encephalitis a serious viral infection of the brain? Has anyone else in the family had epilepsy, any other neurological disorder, or a disorder associated with loss of consciousness? What else should I tell the doctor about?

If the incidents occur repeatedly, try to identify associated factors. For example, some women with epilepsy have more frequent episodes at certain times in their menstrual cycle, so you may want to track this kind of relationship on a calendar.

Some people try to link their seizures with environmental factors such as stress, using an antibiotic, or eating too much sugar. Often these associations are just coincidences. Keep careful records of when the possible factor occurs in relation to the time and frequency of your seizures.

And remember that even if the factor and your seizures turn out to be associated, that doesn't necessarily mean that the factor is causing the seizures. Authored By:. Reviewed By:.