Ability to stop a seizure

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Erin87

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Hey all,

My spouse has had epilepsy since he was a child. Now in adulthood, he has been able to stop his seizures...when he feels the aura stage beginning, he concentrates extremely hard and wills himself not to seizure. Thus, in the past few yrs, he only seizures at night when he is unable to wake up in time for the aura stage.
Has anyone else experienced this? Or something like this? Is this normal? He doesn't know anyone else with epilepsy to ask.
 
It sounds a bit like neurofeedback -- where you train your brain to generate the good brainwaves instead of the bad. In his own way, your husband has trained his brain. I don't think it's common to be able to do this, but glad it works for him!
 
Thanks for directing me to your thread. And yes, sometimes the more he fights off a seizure, the more the aura/tunnel vision will occur in a day so that by the end of the day he is literally exhausted by fighting off seizures. Sometimes it will only happen once in a day though. Still he prefers some exhaustion to having a full on grand mal.

If i am with him during this, i have to be quiet, and he will concentrate on something very hard. SOmetimes, his eyes will roll back, and the tremors will start, but he can pull back from it.

Can you only do this with certain types of seizures? I know for many with epilepsy, it would probably be impossible.
 
Nothing puts mine off or stops them, other than the Trileptal. Ugh.
 
Erin87 said:
Thanks for directing me to your thread. And yes, sometimes the more he fights off a seizure, the more the aura/tunnel vision will occur in a day so that by the end of the day he is literally exhausted by fighting off seizures. Sometimes it will only happen once in a day though. Still he prefers some exhaustion to having a full on grand mal.

If i am with him during this, i have to be quiet, and he will concentrate on something very hard. SOmetimes, his eyes will roll back, and the tremors will start, but he can pull back from it.

Can you only do this with certain types of seizures? I know for many with epilepsy, it would probably be impossible.
Click to expand...

I've been able to do it more and more often recently, but yesterday I was at Target looking at shampoo or something and I stood up and a seizure caught me completely by surprise, so I couldn't stop it or even get out of it.

Usually if I don't stop it, I can't get out of it, but sometimes--especially with the partials and auras--it's not as bad so I can focus on something and pull myself out. But with me, if I'm already tremoring I'm no longer in control of my mind or body.

And yes, exhaustion is way better than having a seizure, I agree with him.

Thank you for answering my question too. I felt weird that I could do that and almost nobody else could... :/
 
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Hey literophile -- are you sensitive to fluorescent lights? Places like Target and Walmart seem to be particularly hard people with seizure disorders who are photosensitive.
 
Nakamova said:
Hey literophile -- are you sensitive to fluorescent lights? Places like Target and Walmart seem to be particularly hard people with seizure disorders who are photosensitive.
Click to expand...
Actually... I don't know about fluorescent lights specifically but I am photosensitive. That would explain it... Last time I was at Wal-Mart I almost had one, too. That's no good. :(
 
You could try wearing polarized sunglasses that minimize the flicker --they seem to help some people.
 
It is discussed in the book Epilepsy: A New Approach as well as a discussion here on CWE. I can't find the thread, but there were others that were able to do exactly what you describe.
 
Here's a link to Epilepsy: A New Approach, as well as some info: [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Epilepsy-New-Approach-Adrienne-Richard/dp/B001JJBOBU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1279384836&sr=1-1"]Amazon.com: Epilepsy: A New Approach: Adrienne Richard, Joel Reiter: Books@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51KPWHRCFTL.@@AMEPARAM@@51KPWHRCFTL[/ame]

Product Description
This book is a unique collaboration between a gifted writer with epilepsy and a skilled physician who has brought new insight into the treatment of this condition. At the age of twenty-six, when Adrienne Richard was seven months pregnant, she was diagnosed with epilepsy. For years she took anticonvulsant drugs to control her seizures, but she wanted to wean herself from the powerful drugs if she could. During the first ten years without medication she had only one seizure. Her goal was to live seizure-free. Ms. Richard practiced yoga, biofeedback, and mind/body techniques in the eighties to help her reach that goal. While writing an article for a magazine based in California, she learned of Dr. Joel Reiter, who was exploring epilepsy self-care in his clinical practice and through his groundbreaking research. Epilepsy: A New Approach combines Adrienne Richard's own inspiring story of overcoming a debilitating condition with Dr. Reiter's up-to-the-minute medical knowledge of diagnosis and treatment. This self-help program offers people with epilepsy and those who love them a chance to regain control of their lives.
 
When I have auras develop, esp when I am at home, I lay down on the courch, bed, or even the floor (since I have to do this relatively quickly!) and try to focus hard on places or experiences that have been very positive for me. Great moment on a vacation for example. May sound stupid but you get better at it. If you can, turn off the TV for him, reduce or eliminate ALL noise that you can. If you happen to have some soft music on, keep that as it seems to help some folks? Since I started doing this not that long ago, it seems to help prevent progression, but honestly not sure if that is due to an adjustment to medication a few months ago, also focusing on sleep, drinking water, managing other triggers much better or the combo of everything. Hang in there and keep hope...bit by bit I think everything that you do to take action adds up and prob has a positive impact.
 
I found this thread from the one I posted! One of the points that Erin made seems to work for me... My longest ones tend to take place in group settings... Very, very rarely am I alone when I have the long partials that I get really nervous about. The last few took place when I was in classroom type environments around some other people. I had to pull myself into the bathroom away from everyone to get it under control.
 
Literophile said:
Actually... I don't know about fluorescent lights specifically but I am photosensitive. That would explain it... Last time I was at Wal-Mart I almost had one, too. That's no good. :(
Click to expand...

Walmart is a nightmare for anyone with sensory issues for sure, not sure about seizures.
 
I've kept myself from having I don't how many sz's but It can be 30 seconds or 20 minutes later I have the seizure I don't always have a warning it's not an aura I get.I use biofeedback.:twocents:
 
I talked to my doctor about this cuz I have a small stuffed turtle that I carry with me everywhere, I have found that petting it when I feel "woozy" helps me and I have been told that after my seizures I am much less agitated if given my friend to hold. I wonder if it is similar?
 
Nakamova said:
Hey literophile -- are you sensitive to fluorescent lights? Places like Target and Walmart seem to be particularly hard people with seizure disorders who are photosensitive.
Click to expand...
..............(even though my seizures are 95% controlled)
That being said....I don't know what it is about the lighting at "WalMart" but it always gives me a headache and light headedness.

I'm not photosensitive but their's just somethind about the "WalMart" lighting.
 
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