Can moving into a new home trigger seizures?

[Mashley]

Hi all. I'm the father of a 17 year old girl. Non verbal, non ambulatory, CP, DD, seizures, etc.
Her seizures have typically been small. Basically a loss of tone, eye roll, drool non-responsive. They last 3 to 4 seconds and occur once every 2 to 3 months on average.
We moved on October 24th. Ever since then, they have been worse. Much worse. They are occurring almost daily. Sometimes twice a day. And are lasting 15 seconds now. We have told her neuro and they increased her meds.
I was wondering if any of yall have every heard of, or had experience with seizure activity changing or increasing due to a move?
She doesn't seem distressed or unusual. She seems to be her normal self. Granted she has been a little more cranky, but we attributed that to her medication increase.
We still own our old house and I will move back there quick if it would help reduce her seizures.
Any advice is appreciated

 

[Porkette]

Hi Mashley,

Welcome to the forum! Sometimes seizures can increase if you move to a higher elevation and this happens because the
air pressure is heavier and in turn that can effect the hormones of a person and in turn that will trigger seizures for some people.
Also if your daughter is going to a different school that could be causing it because of stress and not knowing anyone.

Another thing that could be happening is that your daughter could be having what they call "seasonal seizures" and what that
means is at certain times of the yr. a person will have more seizures than other times of the yr. I have more seizures in the fall
and winter compared to the spring and summer and it's all do to the lack of serotonin this time of yr. My Epileptologist told
me about this and he told me to sit around bright light and it would help me so this could be what's going on also.
Keep track of your daughters seizures and write down on a calendar what time they happen and the type of seizure she had
by doing this you may see a pattern in the seizures. Also take note if there's a low pressure in the weather because that can
trigger seizures for some people and I was in a medical study and they also found out that sometimes a person is cell phone
sensitive and if they are using a cell phone or around others using a cell phone it can trigger seizures. This happens do to the
frequency of the cell phone and the person is sensitive to that frequency. I had an e.e.g. done and my Dr. started up their
cell phones on purpose but I didn't know it and each time they used their phones there was a big spike in the e.e.g. and that's
how they found out I was sensitive to the phone.

I wish you and your daughter the best of luck and May God Bless You and The Family,

Sue

 

[XxBlaqkxX]

There are a few reasons this might be...

-Changes in the environment such as an increase or decrease in mold(s) in the home, something in the area of your new home (different plants, trees, grasses, etc)/inside your home that is causing an allergic reaction or triggering a sensitivity, etc.

(I had an increase in seizures months ago because we were in a home with mold. After moving out, I am still having problems, but mold can do damage and when the body is trying to rid of it, it can also bring up issues. Dehydration is a trigger of mine and certain types of mold when it's at toxic levels can cause the body to become dehydrated. This was a problem for my husband and I - we couldn't seem to get hydrated at home. Twice this led to hospitalizations for me).

-Stress triggered by moving or another worry is enough to cause an increase in seizures.

-Lack of sleep. Some of us don't sleep well if we aren't in our bed at home. I know I was like this when it came to sleep overs at friends houses and stuff sometimes. If it was my first time over at someone's place, it wasn't easy to sleep as it was unfamiliar to me. Could be a similar deal if your daughter isn't sleeping deeply due to the area being unfamiliar.

There could also be some other factor that we're not considering or that we don't know of. I hope you're able to figure out what's going on!

 

[Mashley]

Thanks for the replies
I don't see anything that I *think* triggers them. But the seasonal trigger and the mold are 2 possibilities that I had not considered.

 

[Nakamova]

I would add one more possible trigger to the excellent suggestions posted above: The lighting, esp. if there are fluorescent lights, though other kinds can be triggering as well.

I hope you figure this out.