Unexplained seizures

Heather Painter has an alarm system.

"My heart races and feels like it is going to jump out of my chest," Heather said. "Then I either get really hot or really cold - it just depends.

"Then the light goes dim and my hands start shaking. I get really weak and then I know I'm done."
Painter loses consciousness. And when she is unconscious, the seizures start.

"They started in February of last year," Heather said. "It was on the same day I had my wisdom teeth pulled. I was really nervous about having my teeth pulled.

"I got home and had a seizure. When I woke up, I was in an ambulance."

Fifty seizures - and countless tests later - Heather doesn't want anyone to think her life has changed. A four-year member of the Galesburg High School bowling team before graduating in the spring of 2005, the 19-year-old joined Western Illinois University's club bowling team.

Heather's first season went well, despite the unexplained seizures. She started with the varsity club and averaged 170 per game. WIU finished tied for fourth at nationals and Heather finished the season ranked No. 24 in the nation among rookie bowlers.

"I thought the season went well," Heather said. "I proved a lot to myself. I only had one bad tournament and I felt like I got better as the year went on."

While Heather's game got better, she spent some time looking for the cause of the seizures.
"I've been to Cottage and St. Mary's and to Peoria and Iowa City and the Mayo Clinic," Heather said. "My mom has talked to so many people that I don't know where else we can go."

Pulmonary, cardiovascular and neurological tests revealed no abnormalities or possible causes. The seizures did have a wide-range of effects, though.

"When it first started, I didn't want to be around people," Heather said. "I didn't want to scare anyone and I didn't want my friends to see me have a seizure.

"I kind of got past that. When I'm around new people, I don't want them to see me have a seizure. But I've learned to live with it."

Cindy Painter lost her full-time job as a result of the time off caused by her daughter's medical issues.

"I was also working at Hy-Vee and they have been very good to both Heather and I," Cindy said. "This has just been a very frustrating experience. I think Heather has undergone every test possible. She has been poked, prodded and examined. I guess medicine doesn't always have an answer, but it has been a tough situation."

Cindy said she never knows when the seizures will strike.

"I try not to let Heather know it - but I do live on the edge," Cindy said. "My cell phone is always with me. It's always in the back of my mind."