Seizures are usually results of brain damage or injury, which affect a person’s feelings and activities through sudden flows of electrical movements in the brain. While some seizures have very minimal effects, others can immobilize and render you fully exhausted or unconscious, making you remembering nothing just before and after an attack.
Though not a disease, seizures manifest many other diseases; these neurological disorders oftentimes cause serious physical harm too. Determining whether a patient will suffer from seizures or not requires different tests, like EEG or electroencephalogram and neurological exam. Regardless of the result, if the brain injury, which causes your seizures, is a result of someone’s acts of carelessness or negligence, then that someone is required to help correct the injury he or she has caused.
New Jersey is one state where some of the nation’s top lawyers help people whose brain injuries are caused by someone else’s negligent acts, get the compensation that they deserve from the liable party. Due to the complexity of the law, the assistance of a personal injury lawyer, whose professional dedication and resolve in fighting for your best interest, becomes a necessity.
Seizures can recur, especially if you are suffering from a brain injury or any brain abnormality; if the seizure occurs at the time when the brain gets infected or upon getting injured during an accident, then the chances of developing epilepsy is increased.
There are different types of seizures and each requires a treatment a little different from one another. These types are divided into two main groups: primary generalized seizures and partial seizures.
Primary generalized seizures are those that simultaneously involve both sides of the brain; these start with an extensive electrical discharge. Under this type are:
- Absence seizure is a brief episode of staring that lasts from 10 – 20 seconds; its ends as swiftly as it begins. Children, even normal ones, aged between 4 and 14 can experience absence seizure; those who experience it have higher rates of social, educational and behavioral problems, though. Its complex form involves signs, like rubbing the fingers together, slight tasting movement of the mouth, blinking of the eyes and muscle relaxation or contraction.
- Atypical absence seizures usually last for about 5 to 30 seconds; it begins and ends slowly. An attack involves staring, lips slightly jerking or eyes blinking. This normally start before the age of six and continues into adulthood.
- Myoclonic seizures involve short, shock-like jerking of the muscle or group of muscles and last for about a second or two. There may be just one or, sometimes, multiple jerks. These begin during childhood; attacks can happen anytime, though. Even non-epileptics may experience myoclonus – usually when you are just about to fall asleep or during hiccups. People of any age can experience a myoclonic seizure.
- Atonic seizure, also known as drop seizure or drop attack, lasts for about 15 seconds. The muscles suddenly lose strength, causing the person, who stays conscious, to drop whatever he or she is holding before falling to the ground him /herself. Atonic seizure usually starts during childhood.
- Tonic seizures usually occur during sleep and last about 20 seconds. If awake during an attack, a person will fall to the ground. Anyone can experience these seizures.
- Clonic seizure involves rhythmic jerking of the arms and legs; it may affect both sides of the body. Though a rare kind of seizure, even babies can experience it. It may disappear on its own or may require prolonged medical treatment.
- Tonic-clonic seizures last for about 1 to 3 minutes; medical help should be given to people whose seizure lasts for more than 5 minutes. If the seizure extends to more than half an hour, though, or if a person experiences 3 seizures without normal periods of interval, he or she ought to be given emergency treatment. Long or successive attack, called convulsive status epilepticus or the grand mal, is a dangerous condition. This is usually what we have in mind whenever the word seizure is mentioned. It can affect children and adults alike.
- Partial seizures start with an electrical release in one area of the brain only. Often, no particular cause can be pin-pointed for this type of seizures though these can occur due to tumor, stroke, brain infection, head injury or genetic factors.
- Simple partial seizure lasts for about 2 minutes. It affects people in different ways, depending on the part of the brain that is affected first. During an attack the person stays alert, remembering everything that happens. Anybody can experience this type of seizure which may be controlled through medication.
- Complex partial seizures last for about 30 seconds to 2 minutes. An attack can render a person tired or confused for hours. Since it affects areas of the brain, the person losses awareness of everything, though his or her eyes may remain open; it can also wipe out from one’s mind memories of what took place before and after the attack. Anyone can have this seizure, but most especially those with brain infection, tumor, and head injury.
If your seizures are due to a brain injury that was caused by someone else and, make sure that you ask the assistance of any of the state’s highly-qualified seizure lawyers, whose help may win for you the claims that you seek for damages which include lost wages, out-of-pocket expenses and medical bills.