A seizure diary is designed to support you between doctor visits. You or your caretaker can use it to keep track of seizure patterns, medications and any other changes. The diary can help both you and your doctor make more informed decisions about your care. In addition, a digital seizure diary can educate you about your condition and help you feel more in control. If you or your caretaker notices any changes in seizure patterns, medications or other changes, be sure to bring them up with your doctor at your next visit.[1][2][3][4]
What are the different types of seizures?
Some common types of seizures include:
Tonic-clonic seizures (formerly known as grand mal seizures)
These are the most common type of seizure and involve a loss of consciousness. Tonic-clonic seizures usually start with a tonic phase, where the muscles stiffen, and then progress to the clonic phase, where the muscles contract and relax rhythmically.
Partial (focal) seizures
These seizures involve only a part of the brain, and the person usually remains conscious. Partial seizures can progress to tonic-clonic seizures in some cases.
Absence (petit mal) seizures
These seizures involve a brief loss of consciousness and often happen in children. Absence seizures are typically less than 15 seconds long.
Myoclonic seizures
These seizures involve muscle jerks and can happen in isolation or as part of another type of seizure. Generally, myoclonic seizures affecting the whole body are called grand myoclonus.
Atonic seizures (also known as drop attacks)
These seizures involve a sudden loss of muscle tone, which can cause the person to fall down. While atonic seizures don’t always cause loss of consciousness, they can be very dangerous, particularly if they happen while the person is walking or climbing stairs.
Status epilepticus
This is a medical emergency that happens when someone has a seizure that lasts for more than five minutes or has multiple seizures without regaining consciousness in between. Status epilepticus can be life-threatening if not treated immediately. They can also cause brain damage.[5][6]
What is the difference between a seizure and epilepsy?
A seizure is a sudden, uncontrolled electrical disturbance in the brain. Epilepsy is a condition that causes people to have recurrent seizures. Epilepsy may be caused by a variety of factors, including brain injury, genetic conditions, and infections.[7]
What are the warning signs of a seizure?
Some common warning signs of a seizure include:
- Uncontrollable jerking movements of the arms and legs
- Stiffening of the body
- Loss of consciousness
- Confusion
- Visual disturbances
- Hallucinations
- Numbness or tingling
If you experience any of these warning signs, please seek medical attention immediately.[8]
What is the biggest trigger for seizures?
Missing medications, insomnia, anxiety, drinking, and menstruating can all be triggers of menopause, but many others can exist. Flashing lights can cause seizures, and are often less common than expected. If you have a trigger, be sure to avoid it or take extra precautions. The CareClinic app is a preferred diary app that can automatically detect and inform you about correlations between different modalities helping you discover triggers easily. You can use it as an anxiety tracker, medication tracker or symptom tracker as it comes built with a multitude of Trackers and Modules (such as for Appointments, storing labs, etc).[9]
What is a seizure diary?
A seizure diary is a way of monitoring your seizures and any changes in their frequency or intensity. Many people find that keeping a diary helps them to identify patterns in their seizures which can be helpful in managing them. It can also be useful for your epilepsy team to review your diary when considering changes to your treatment.
There are a number of apps available which can help you to track your seizures. This includes logging when they occur, their duration, any triggers and how well you recover afterward.
CareClinic also allows you to share your diary with your care giver electronically, which can be helpful if you are unable to attend regular appointments. Say goodbye to forgetting to bring something to show your care team and make the most of your appointment time!
References
- “Keeping a seizure diary – Epilepsy Action”. https://www.epilepsy.org.uk/living/keeping-a-seizure-diary
- “Seizure diaries | Epilepsy Society”. https://epilepsysociety.org.uk/about-epilepsy/epileptic-seizures/seizure-diaries
- “Using Seizure Diaries | Epilepsy Foundation”. https://www.epilepsy.com/manage/tracking/seizure-diaries
- “5 reasons why you should keep an Epilepsy Seizure Diary – Neuraxpharm”. https://www.neuraxpharm.com/blog/5-reasons-why-you-should-keep-an-epilepsy-seizure-diary
- “Seizure_types”. https://www.bionity.com/en/encyclopedia/Seizure_types.html
- “Seizure”. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seizure
- “Causes of Epilepsy | Epilepsy Foundation”. https://www.epilepsy.com/causes
- “Seizure Signs to Not Ignore”. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/warning-signs-of-a-seizure
- “Seizure Triggers | Epilepsy Foundation”. https://www.epilepsy.com/what-is-epilepsy/seizure-triggers
- “Current norms and practices in using a seizure diary for managing epilepsy: A scoping review – PMC”. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9575367/
