ADHD and Petit Mal or Blackouts | ADHD Information

Hi, I'm new here and searching for answers.

 

I'm not clinically diagnosed with ADHD however from an early age I was "hyper", ADHD never existed then and kids that were hyper and all that goes with ADHD were just naughty or lazy kids and in most cases thought to be both.

 

My uncle is diagnosed and so is my 12 year old son, we have another son who like me has never been diagnosed but is without a doubt ADHD. I have lost faith in the medical comunity as a whole when it comes to any form of behaviourl disorders. In my experience for the most part there is a concert " if it can't be seen it is in your mind " and " We're not sure what it is so take these meds and see how we go ". So as a family we muddle through, maybe somewhat disorganised and living a life full of eventful moments but we do get there.

 

Recently I was tested for Petit Mal due to having a blackout whilst driving. Nothing showed on my EEG, CT Scan or in the bloods. The doctor put it down to me being a day dreamer.

 

What I experience is not like a day dream, I jolt to like awakening just as you're about to doze off but you have that falling sensation and then I have a loud whooshing through my head as I'm coming to. Within me I feel like I've screamed ( only I haven't ) or done something embaressing. No one else notices it because on the outside it is so quick nobody realises what just happened to me.

 

I've kept this little secret to myself for many years ( over 10 ) because I knew that would be the response. It is scary. I only saw the doctor because it happened whilst driving, I stopped at a red light, the next thing I knew I jolted to and found my self driving and had driven as though consious of the whole thing. Just one problem, I lost an entire 2-3 minutes and have no recollection at all of how I got there and a car load of people staring at me, really staring at me. I have no idea of what I did or how I got to where I was. The whooshing was there, that feeling of yelling inside of me etc. My GP suggested Pettit Mal and refered me. I got on the net to research and found all that I had been experiencing since I could remember was listed there. Thing is now the results are in, the Nuroligist thinks it is in my head and I just wish I had not told my Hubby who convinced me to see the doctor. I wish I had just kept it to myself.

 

Please can someone tell me if they have experienced anything like this or knows anything about what I am talking about?

 

Can anyone tell me if it would definetly count out Petit Mal or anything like it because nothing showed on the EEG?

 

A friend of mine is well knowedged in ADHD and told me she knew exactly what I was talking about and remarked "you are ADHD as well aren't you" when I told her about the episode in the car and what happens from time to time whilst in conversation or being in noisy places. She said that the 2 can tie together.

 

Any help much appreciated. I'm feeling like a bit of a freek right about now. 

I don't think it is all in your head. I think you need to go have another eeg.

Hi guys. Thanks so much for the quick response.

Petit Mal is a for of Epilepsy. Gand Mal is where the full on fit kicks in. I couldn't believe how many forms of Epilepsy there where when I looked.

Apparently the ADHD and Petit Mal can be linked because you only lose conciousness for 20-30 seconds and is most commonly in children and is grown out of although some people don't grow out of it. It can be missed and most often is because it comes over as inattentiveness. So with schooling a child can miss these 20-30 second chunks of information which effects their ability to learn and then they get restless etc.

I actually drove the car but as I came to the guy in the car in front of me was abusing me, waving his hands at me because I was so far up his backside ( not touching at all, the cars never hit ) and another car load of teens were driving past giving me the strangest of looks. I changed lanes and all during the episode.

It is a scary feeling with the noise or rather not so much scary but it makes you feel embarressed, like blurting out something inappropriate. I kinda feel like everyone is staring at me but in actual fact no one even knows or is awear f what just happened. It doesn't happen that often. Twice in the car in 10 years but much more frequently like every couple of months or more that I am aware of. It is so un noticable that my Hubby of 8 years has never known about it.

   

hi fellow aussie ,

it sounds like petit mal and i would go and get a second or third or fourth opinion..

having said that, my brother has blanked out before and it was stress induced.. come to think of it so has my husband..

good luck!! please don't leave, its lonely one of the only southern hemispherians here!!

Hey Ya Brookelea

I like it here, tis friendly and informative. I thinks you'll all be stuck with me for a while .

That is the one thing I've found on lots of forums, Aussies aren't huge on them but people sure make you feel at home and it is really amazing how connected you can become emotionally across such a vast ocean.

Look forward to getting to know you.

hello gym rose

brookelea 'll be glad to see ya.  she's another aussie on the board.

i just wanted to say hello and welcome.  cos i never had what you were describing ooh the screaming bit sounds quite spooky though.  and i never heard of petit mal either.  did you drive alright when you were out of it.  did you drive straight or wonky or not drive at all...

well i am sorry, these things are quite weird.  could it be some type of mini-epilepsy.  not that i have ever had epilepsy either.

someone was saying on the board that her child was diagnosed add and then later she found out it was epilepsy.

well, good luck with it all.  and glad you are here.

 Another thought to consider also:

Have you been checked for mini strokes? They can happen when there are Blockages in the carotid artery in the neck.  Its not as scary as it sounds. My dad had that and your driving thing reminded me of his almost same story.

Sherry

 

Um, maybe narcolepsy?I don't hear the whooshing - but often I "go somewhere else"  when I'm driving and wake up and think I'm lost.  Usually just a few seconds though I think.  I have found myself walking into Krogers once when I didn't remember parking and had no intention of going there. 

Don't be embarassed to tell - Not your fault.  Keep trying to find answers.

Gym Rose -

That does sound very scary!

As a teen I suffered from low blood pressure - from stress and not eating enough food.  Sometimes either when getting up quickly or sitting without moving too long I would get blackouts - a buzzing sound followed by general body weakness.  I would wake up in a minute or two and have no idea of what happened.  My doc got me on a diet and salt tablets, and I avoided stress and it never repeated as an adult.  But it sounds similar so I thought I'd pass it by you.

Petit mal seizures are sporadic and just plugging into an EEG is no guarantee of finding them.  Sometimes they happen and show up on an EEG while you can be wide awake and talking too - so that might not be what you're experiencing.  Also, any seizure you would have most likely would not allow you to do normal things like driving.  Most likely you would have woken up with the passenger's screaming as you headed for the curb.

A thought occurred to me as I read what you've been writing and it might be appropriate.  You have not been diagnosed - and it could be Bipolar.  I'll tell you why:  My ex GF of 13 years is Bipolar.  One of her traits was that, when on her "low" or "high" plateaus that are common with it - she would suffer blackouts where she could do things and seem normal - then later not know what had occurred.  Many times we would be somewhere and she would snap to attention - not knowing how she got there.  It happened quite a few times and was very worrysome to say the least.

Another possibility might be post traumatic stress disorder.  I don't know your personal history - but if you've been harmed as a child or an adult - especially sexually - PTSD can do a lot of the same things.  You might be in a place or think of something that can remind you of the original trauma - and you'll blank out - only returning when your body lets you.

Most importantly you should go to a good psychiatrist.  They can be the only ones who can determine what's wrong.  You need control of your life and I'd think that they might be able to answer a lot of questions for you.

Best of luck - I am pulling for you and hope for the very best!

 

This is interesting and I have written about it before (on another site).

I have had petit-mal seizures noticeably since around jr. high. In my case, I have also been embarrassed and tried to hide them. They usually last 2-3 seconds; it happened again today. 

It never happens in the car, and I don't hear sounds or any other sensations, but I do have a fluttering of my eyes, a quick jerk of my head, and sometimes my hands.

I had an EEG in high school and it showed "abnormal activity." They wanted to put me on a really, really harsh anti-seizure medication and I refused. I still don't take anything for them, and they happen about once every two or three months maybe. I wondered if, perhaps, they were related to ADHD or even my blood sugar issues or if they are just all separate.

It's interesting to hear someone else  talk about this.

bb

Thanks so much for all the thoughts, it all helps.

It has never bothered me really because it was just something that happened, it left that embarressed feeling and was a little scary that was for sure but it never endangered anyone but since this one in the car it does bother me and I just want to get to the truth so I know.

The first time it happened in the car ( about 10 or more years ago ) I had recently had a new injection for hay fever so it was put down to that and never investigated. This time though I wasn't on any medication or anything.

I will certainly look into a few of these possibilities. I'd hate to have my boys in the car and have this happen.