Do you know that many medical conditions can mimic seizure symptoms? Seizures occur when there’s a sudden electrical disturbance in the brain. Its symptoms depend on the part of the brain that is affected and the type of seizure you have. Generally, seizures are not dangerous unless they last longer than a few minutes. Learn what a seizure feels like and the conditions that mimic seizures in this article. Log on to www.doralhw.org for a consultation.

What does a seizure feel like?

A seizure causes sudden electric changes in your brain, affecting your behavior, movements, feelings, and levels of consciousness. If you get two or more seizures at least 24 hours apart without a known cause, then it’s called epilepsy. Seizures have many different types, and their symptoms can vary depending on how they affect your daily life. Most seizures last from 30 seconds to 2 minutes and sometimes it can last longer than 5 minutes (which is a medical emergency). Seizure types can depend on which area of the brain it begins and how far they spread. Mainly there are 2 types of seizures:

1. Focal (partial) seizures:

This type of seizure is also known as partial seizures because it begins in one area of the brain and spreads to other areas, causing mild to severe symptoms, depending on which area of the brain is involved. Mostly, with focal seizures, minor symptoms known as an aura occur, which may alter feelings or give the sense that seizures might occur. This aura can be different for everyone, and some may not even experience it.

During a focal seizure, you might have changes in motor or sensory feelings depending on the part of the brain involved. You may feel different symptoms depending on different types of focal seizures, including:

• Focal aware seizure:

In this focal seizure type, the electrical activity of the seizure stays in one area of the brain. It is also known as a simple partial seizure. During this seizure, you may experience:

• Strange feeling
• Stiffness or twitching in one part of the body such as an arm or hand.
• Feeling like this might have happened before.
• Tingling sensation in your arms and legs.
• Feel a weird sensation in your stomach.
• Extreme emotions like joy, fear, or anxiety
• Focal impaired awareness seizure:

This seizure can make you lose consciousness or awareness and make you feel like you are dreaming. It is also known as a complex focal seizure. You also experience an aura before this seizure. During this seizure, they are unaware of what is happening, they might repeat movements like hand rubbing and mouth movements, repeat certain words, or walk in circles. They may feel confused or tired after the seizure.

• Focal to bilateral tonic-clonic seizures:

This focal seizure spreads to both parts of the brain, which makes most people think it is a typical epileptic case, which it’s not. During this seizure, you may feel an aura, and then as it spreads you may lose consciousness, and then your limbs jerk, lose control of your bladder or bowel, may bite your tongue or inside your cheek, or have difficulty breathing.

This seizure stops after a few minutes but may last longer. After the seizure, you may have a headache or difficulty remembering what happened or feel tired or confused.

• Gelastic and dacrystic seizures:

This type of seizure causes uncontrollable laughing then uncontrollable crying or grimacing. This seizure is linked with a rare tumor-like lesion called hypothalamic hamartoma. You typically have consciousness during these seizures and may feel anxious and uncontrollable.

2. Generalized seizure:

This seizure occurs when both sides of your brain are involved. In most cases, you lose consciousness. While you may not be aware of sensations during the seizure, you may feel symptoms before and after the seizure. Here’s what you may experience during different types of generalized seizures:

• Generalized tonic-clonic seizures:

This seizure also evolves with either focal or generalized seizure types. During the seizure, you won’t feel anything because you’ve already lost consciousness at that time. Before this occurs, you may feel an aura. The symptoms are generally the same. However, in focal seizure, this spreads to both sides of the brain and causes tonic-clonic seizures and lead to myoclonic seizures, whereas, in generalized seizure, it occurs alone or as a part of another syndrome such as juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME) or juvenile absence epilepsy during adulthood.

• Tonic seizures:

This type of seizure causes muscle stiffness for 10 to 20 seconds but doesn’t proceed to the clonic stage. Generally, it mostly affects muscles in the back, arms, and legs. People with these seizures may pass out or fall to the ground. You may feel fatigued and confused after the seizure.

• Clonic seizures:

This seizure causes jerking muscle movements, especially around the neck, face, and arms on both sides of the body. This can last for a few minutes, and you may lose consciousness. It is rare.

• Atonic seizures:

This seizure causes sudden muscle strength loss, mostly in the legs. It is also known as akinetic or drop seizure because most people collapse when it occurs. You may stay conscious or briefly lose consciousness during the seizure. After the fall, you are able to get up after the seizure.

• Absence seizures:

This seizure is also known as petit mal seizure, which makes you lose awareness for 3 to 30 seconds. It mostly occurs in children. These seizures can occur around 50 to 100 times a day. During this seizure, you may stare into space or make slight body movements like eye blinking or lip smacking. People might think you’re daydreaming during this seizure.

• Myoclonic seizures:

This seizure causes sudden body or limb jerks, usually to the arms, head, and neck. This seizure feels like an electric shock, which lasts less than 1 second, which is why you don’t lose consciousness. But it may recur several times a day for a short period of time. It mostly occurs in the morning. If this seizure develops in adolescence with tonic-clonic seizures, it’s called juvenile myoclonic epilepsy. It also serves as a part of other epilepsy related conditions.

• Infantile or epileptic spasms:

This seizure mostly affects babies, usually during the first year of their life. As babies can’t explain how they feel, these seizures are difficult to diagnose; however, you may be able to tell as they briefly lose consciousness. They may do head nodding and have spasms.

If any type of seizure lasts for a long time or causes a series of seizures where the person is not able to regain consciousness in between, it is called status epilepticus, which is a medical emergency that needs to be treated as soon as possible. You should call for an ambulance or 911 if someone has a seizure that has not stopped after 5 minutes.

Conditions that may mimic a seizure

Seizures can be caused by many possible sensations, which also mimic other conditions as well. Here are some common conditions that may cause similar symptoms as a seizure include:

• Fainting
• Low blood sugar
• Low oxygen levels
• Panic attacks
• Hyperventilating
• Temper tantrums
• Night terrors
• Sleep apnea
• Narcolepsy
• Poor sleep quality
• Transient ischemic attacks
• Cardiac arrhythmias
• Vertigo
• Migraines
• Tremors
• Nervous tics

A seizure is a common neurological condition that occurs when a sudden electrical disturbance occurs in the brain. This causes many changes depending on the type of seizure. Most of them are not dangerous and last for a short period and get better without treatment. However, if the seizure lasts longer than 5 minutes then it’s a medical emergency and seek medical help.

If you need help with seizures, visit our neurology clinic in Brooklyn to get professional medical help. Call us to book your appointment now!!!!!

Doral Health and Wellness has several urgent care clinics around New York that can cater to your family’s medical needs. We also have the best medical providers, physicians and staff that are highly trained in their respective specialties. To know more about the locations of our urgent care clinics, you can visit us at Doral Health and Wellness. If you are looking for urgent care near you, you can visit Doral Health and Wellness Urgent Care. We provide urgent care for common illnesses and injuries. Additionally, we also provide comprehensive care for any related injuries and health problems. We also offer other services, such as vaccinations, immunizations, and blood testing. For more info, visit us or call 1-347-384-5690.