Big Box Lighting and me last night--pre seizure activity?

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MaryK

MaryK

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Late yesterday afternoon my husband drove me to Target to do light shopping. I was going pretty fast through the store and went down the aisle to get ice cream and reached down to the bottom shelf and there were really bright lights in there, then I walked down frozen food aisle and looked at the pizzas and as I was walking out of that BOOM my eyes started to bother me, I was dizzy, and new I left my phone in the car. I kept going but all the lights were making feel sick and it seemed like I would have a seizure any second, but made it through store and then outside. When I had my first seizure it was light flickering through the sun and this was the same feeling only with store lights. I have not had a seizure in years now and am scared that this quick trip to a store, could have thrown me into 'seizure mode'. It is almost fall, and this is when I would have problems years ago. Any insight would be appreciated. I know Target has recently updated their lighting to include the cold and frozen food items, I just have not been to that store physically, usually do a pickup. They are ultra bright to me anyway.
Thank you...
 
Hi MaryK,

I had this problem for many yrs. until I had surgery to reduce my seizure. What is going on is that you are photosensitive
meaning flickering lights or very bright lights can trigger seizures. What you should do is call your neuro. and ask them to
do a special e.e.g. on you where they will flash different color lights one at a time and by doing that they can tell what colors
you are sensitive and can trigger seizures. When I had this done, I found out the colors florescent green, amber, and bright white
like when the sun shines on the snow will trigger seizures for me but what surprised me is after I had surgery all of that went away.

Also do ever remember if you had more seizures at certain times of the yr.? I always have more in the fall and winter compared
to the spring and summer and my Dr. calls them "seasonal seizures" I have more seizures in the fall and winter because there's
less serotonin this time of the yr. so my Dr. has told me to sit around brighter light and that has helped me.

I wish you the best of luck and May God Bless You,

Sue
 
Thank you so much Sue. The lights were so bright and looked like led extra extra bright. It was as if I was having some sort of pre seizure. Like you said, fall has always been a problem for me. Sun through trees flickering used to really bother me. In fact, my first tonic/clonic was in the fall years and years ago.

MaryK
 
Also, I am glad you no longer have seizures. It has been years for me so I guess for some really dumb reason I thought if I stayed on meds I would never have anymore. I am retired now and think age is not in my favor. Did you have a seizure when the lights were flashing?

Thanks
MaryK
 
Hi MaryK,

I still have seizures but the flashing light doesn't trigger them. When I had surgery it reduced my seizures. Just like you I am retired
and I have temporal lobe epilepsy and my Epileptologist told me that when a woman goes through their change it can sometimes
increase or decrease the seizures. What I do is take zinc 50 mg. twice a day and that has really helped me a lot plus it helps stop
the covid virus according to my cousin who is a Dr. and had dealt with it since it first broke out.
Just like you I'm still on meds but I also take 2 Tablespoons of apple cider vinegar with mother in it when I have breakfast.
I was doing it to lose weight but then I noticed my seizures decreased and I found out the mother is a good bacteria and
good protein so that is what has reduced my seizures even more after I had surgery.

If you haven't started a journal yet. Get a calendar and write down every time you have a seizure and write down the type
of seizure you had along with what time it happened, by doing this your neuro may see a pattern in your seizures. I would
always have them the 1st and the 3rd week of the month but that no longer happens. It more so happens when there's
a low pressure in the weather or if I am sick in any way.

Wishing You only the Bests and May God Bless You,

Sue
 
Hi MaryK,

It's no problem at all as long as I'm not being a bother to you. I've had seizures for 53 yrs. and have learned
a lot but I will say they have come a long way in the medical field since I first got seizures.
Wishing you only the best and May God Bless You,

Sue
 
Thank you Bernard. I have an eye appointment in a couple of months and will ask my doctor about this type of glasses. It seems for me, as I get older many things are off, eyes, possible new seizure activity, leg cramping/spasm while I sleep.

Regards
MaryK
 
I did forget to mention that autumn has always brought with it problems. Way back when I first noticed what I thought were my eyes just not right while riding a school bus and I hung my head out the window and with the sun, the wind in my face, etc. I had also started to have migraine headaches. Now I have an eye problem caused from taking the drug Plaquenil for rheumatoid arthritis for 20 plus years. It is called retina damaged from hydroxychloroquine (plaquenil)toxicity. It was one of those scary things that can happen. Eye doctor called me at 8 o'clock in the evening and followed about 15 minutes later with a call from my rheumatologist telling me to stop the drug immediately. So I am hoping this will not in some way affect I guess on a secondhand basis (not the right to say) seizure activity.
 
Yeah for me the big stores are a problem as well. Starts with confusion then goes to tunnel vision. Its somehow the combination of looking for a product, the lights, motion of walking and the products on the shelves all combine. i've learned after having the condition for 55 years to interrupt the cycle, looking to the floor and disengaging, belly breathing, mindfulness meditations, in otherwords not allowing panic to arise. though i still have them regularly. i've thought they are the precursor to something more disabling but i've always been lucky enough to prevent that.
 
How interesting that this thread got some recent activity. I was walking with my son in a walmart the other day, and there was just something about being in that place that seemed to really affect me. Within a moment of stepping in there, I just felt like all my energy got zapped from me and then I started feeling confused. I was looking for a replacement light bulb, and I just had to leave without it. After a few minutes, I couldn't even really tell what I was looking at. I was just glad to get out of there before it got worse. I walked right home, still feeling confused and really tired. I went home and slept, but at one point I was about to run into the kitchen to shut off the kettle, I thought it was boiling over or something. My wife was like "the kettle's not even on", with a look of concern on her face. Then I slept for a bit, woke up feeling a bit of nausea, and went back to sleep. I wasn't even sure what time it was, morning or night. It really reminded me of the feeling after my last big seizure.

I'm not sure, but I don't think I had a seizure. I remember all of it, and I didn't lose consciousness. I was walking the whole time. What do you guys think? Maybe the Keppra I'm on was enough to stop it from turning into a full blown seizure. Anyway, I'll be staying away from that place from now on. I don't usually do a lot of shopping anyway other than groceries, which doesn't seem to bother me much. It must have been the florescent lighting in that walmart or something.
 
Yeah. I was initially diagnosed with petit mal after 2 grand mals back in 1971. Recently, in the past week or so i've done some reading and realize petit mal was probably a general term used and likely i have focal awareness seizures, as i don't lose consciousness.
 
Thanks for that link Bernard, I don't think I've read about all the different kinds of seizures. That site is a great resource! Now I'm really going to pay more attention to anything that I notice that seems unusual and see if I can figure out what's going on. I do have a journal going since my diagnosis, so I'll put this event in there and ask my neurologist at the next appointment I have. Unless it keeps happening of course, then I'll just contact him right away. Right now I'm only going in every 6 months.

I've just been watching out for visual auras and people around me know that I had a tonic clonic seizure recently, so they are watching for that too. But sometimes the more subtle types of seizures can be difficult to spot. When I was young, I had absence seizures, and it took a while before we were able to figure it out and I got a diagnosis.
 
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