What first triggered your epilepsy, if known? (i.e. first seizure)

[NicoleLake]

I have no idea what so ever, I certainly bashed my head plenty of times after developing epilepsy, but not before as far as I know. I was very young when i had my first seizure.

[droolmonster]

I was eating cereal and watching Conan O'brien when I had my first seizure. I think that it happened at that time was just chance. Unless Conan was just so unfunny I had to have a seizure. But I think Conan's funny. Although I stopped eating the type of cereal I was eating, and stopped watching Conan.

[Zoofemme]

Well...I ticked the wrong button in the vote, lol. At any rate, probably on of the several TBI's I've had, more than likely the concussion I had when I was hit by a car at the age of 7 since a fair numbe of odd behaviors started not long after that. Thanks to the 70's mentality that said children were just "attention seeking" , I went untreated for 20+ yrs so the sezs changed over time and got worse so now here I am.

[peachy]

Being 42 when they started and no known possible causes-no injuries or infections-I believe it was YAZ medication. Seizures began with a myriad of other side effects from the medication called yaz or yasmin. Most of my seizures revolve around hormone fluctuations. So! I voted for other and the hormone one.

[unknown]

born with it my first known was when i was 5

[hootie]

I'm not sure what caused my son's e but I know that about 30% of people with autism end up with e at some point. Many have it start around 10 years old (hormones??).

His TCM doc talks about "wind" causing it.

I think potatoes aggrivate it and food allergies might have something to do with it.

[russell1041]

I was walking to my car after work, and I hadn't felt very good all day... but I had just started this new job at a university, so couldn't miss... anyway, was on my way to my car and I passed out in the parking lot pretty much breaking my fall with my head, and I had a grand mal seizure... though a young man and his girlfriend were sitting in their car and they saw me... his grandmother had epilepsy, so he knew just what to do and they call 9-11. I now have a pacemaker because my heart rate/blood pressure likes to drop and I pass out.

[Bergoomay]

I had my first issue at 37 right after completing fertility treatments. Has anyone ever encountered this? Now my episodes tend to be centered around my menustral cycle. Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

[stilldancing_98]

Oh, I just got mine from the chicken pox, but probably had it earlier. I had my 1st grand-mal at age 10. I am now 45 and have experienced many different kind of siezures. My son started having them at about 3 months.

[ericksonmj]

Had a Brain Injury in 2003 in Iraq that forced me to retire from the USMC, was having night seizures for the last few years, along with other problems, and wife and some friends finally convinced me to see a Dr after a co-worker told them he thought that I was having absence seizures at work often. Have been on Keppra for a few months now and doing better I guess.

[C0urt]

I skipped replying the first time because I thought mine sound silly.

I have had 7-8 concussions over the course of my life. motorcycles-bicycles-prowrestler. but there are no swelling, scars, or leisions.
When it all started.
When I went to the hospital that weekend, i was breaking up with my girlfriend, taking a job in guam, might have had lyme disease, and in consultation for a vasectomy. it was a little stressful. I dropped into a 113 degree fever. liver failed. was clinically dead twice. spent a month in a coma.

seems like that might have had something to do with it.

they looked again, found a scar on brain,
i am also missing about 7 years of memory.

[travel bug]

Mine are caused by a brain tumor, but my seizure threshold is definitely affected by hormones; all big seizures have occurred around "that time". Because the tumor is near my motor cortex, the actual trigger is usually sharp, jerky motions with my arm: pulling open a stuck refrigerator door, sweeping at an odd angle under a table, practicing my sweet tae-kwon-do moves, quickly catching a closing door that was about to close in someone's face...things like that. At first neuros told me that the tumor was near the area that controls my leg and that arm motions wouldn't have any effect, but after one of my MRI's my neurosurgeon and his resident asked if I had any symptoms associated with my arm, when I told him (yet again) about the seizures, they nodded knowingly as if that's what they had expected to hear. I wanted to say," HELLO! that's what I've been saying", but I didn't. At least someone had finally got it and, not only did I feel vindicated, I learned to trust my feelings on things.

[jordanvp]

I have no clue. One December or so when I was twelve years old, my hand started twitching. I thought it was like when your eye twitches. It lasted about a month. January I had a full on generalized seizure. Two days later a simple partial one. I've been having them ever since.

[Hand of Blood]

well one day about 6 years ago i was with my mates we had a big sleep over type thing ... was normal day bout 8ish in the morning and i was playing the sims and it happened funny how ya day changes like that for no reason.

[ColmanMac]

It was thought because, at work I had to spend so much time in front of computer screens with my eyes, literally, dancing from one set of numbers to the other whilst trading.
But then the Consultant figured; if I was having Szs in fron of a computer screen, why wasn't I having them in fron of TV?
Hence they still don't know, think originally it might have been an infection when younger but as I've become unstable over the years leading to the brain injury, it's a case of control rather than solution at the moment.

[stilldancing_98]

come on over to my place court, Ill take care of ya.

[ColmanMac]

There's no answer to that, Stilldancin' (At least not one that would keep us on site!)

Col.

[Shelley]

It was thought because, at work I had to spend so much time in front of computer screens with my eyes, literally, dancing from one set of numbers to the other whilst trading.
But then the Consultant figured; if I was having Szs in fron of a computer screen, why wasn't I having them in fron of TV?
Hence they still don't know, think originally it might have been an infection when younger but as I've become unstable over the years leading to the brain injury, it's a case of control rather than solution at the moment.

Col, there are two possible reasons as to why the computer affects you more than tv.
1) You sit much closer to the computer.
2) You don't have commercials on the computer, so you sit in front of your trigger for longer chunks of time. ( In the states, we have tv ads approximately every 15 minutes), while on the computer, you don't usually get up that often.

While the refresh rate for a tv is 60Hz (http://hometheater.about.com/od/tele...evsrefresh.htm), a computer screen can be adjusted to 75 Hz. Ask your IT department for help.

[ColmanMac]

Hi Shelley; Hope your'e well, my friend. Thanx for the msg & your'e right in what you say. My Consultant also has the "add-on" in that the principal trigger may, at times, be the fact that at any one time I'm looking at 3-4 monitors @ work - 1 FX market; 1 FTSE movers; 1 DAX movers & 1 Private Equity update dealings. Added to this can be an e-mail screen, & 2 news channels (CNN & Bloomberg).

The perils of being an FX Strategy Analyst! (Well someone has to tell the Traders where they can dabble with the Bank's money!).

Take Care & good to hear from you.
Col.

[Tim]

Idiopathic - though I suspect that my alcohol use opened the door for the first breakthrough event at age 38. Grateful that the meds have normalized my funky brain waves.