Could this be PSE?

[symptomatic]

Hi,
probably not the best place to ask this question, but anyway...
I'm 15 (16 in a month), and recently have been having odd experiences with strobe lights. Whenever I'm in very intense strobe lighting and smoke I seem to zone out and completely lose consciousness for about 3 seconds (but carry on walking and moving, wtf?). This will happen maybe about two or three times in an hour of being in strobe lighting and I won't have the slightest feeling of passing out or a sense of danger.

I have never really been in this kind of lighting before and therefore cannot say if this has just started. However, 6 months ago I was in strobes and nothing happened, but note the area was very bright and well lit and therefore the strobes weren't that intense. I had a ct scan recently which showed no abnormalities...

No one in my family has any sort of epilepsy.

Is this something ill grow out of in a year or is it epilepsy developing? And most of all, should I avoid this lighting?

 

[Endless]

Hi, Symptomatic,

Welcome to the Coping with Epilepsy Forum!

It is possible that the strobe lights are causing seizures. Some people are photosensitive. IF it is a seizure, and you were walking and moving, that would be a complex partial seizure. That's a seizure that affects just part of your brain and you also lose consciousness. It seems strange but people can keep walking, talking during that type of seizure.

Question: How do you know you lost consciousness? Did someone try to talk to you and you didn't respond? Three seconds is really short. Complex partials usually last longer. Delicate question: had you been taking drugs of any kind, or drinking? They can also cause the symptoms you describe.

It's comforting to have a negative CT. The test that's typically done for epilepsy is an eeg. That measures brainwaves. Unfortunately eeg's test negative about 1/3 of the time for people who have partial seizures, so it's not the most dependable test in the world.

And yes, if it were me I'd avoid strobe lights, if you think that's what's causing the problem. It's possible for one strobe to cause a problem and not another based on the frequency of the flash, the brightness (which you mentioned), and other factors.

Talk about all your symptoms to your doctor. That's the first step in figuring out what's going on.

 

[symptomatic]

Thanks for answering!

When I lose consciousness and then wake up, it will feel as if a few seconds have passed and I wasn't there. The longest one I had was about 6 seconds (i think, as I dont really know...) where I walked about 5 metres. No one has ever noticed. I had little to drink. And yes, it is definitely the strobe light causing the problem, although I guess the intensity of the flash is amplified a lot by a dark area and smoke/haze.
Would treatment stop the seizures and other complications if it is PSE?

 

[N Sperlo]

Hey Symptomatic.

Endless asked what I would have plus some.
Any possibility of a contact high?
I have never experienced PSE, but I have experienced many times of seizures and the one main thing is, beyond a simple partial seizure, most of us would not recall enough to realize anything happened.
If you were to have an EEG done, it is very likely a strobe light would be used to induce the same response, so if you believe you are having seizures, that would be the way to go.

 

[symptomatic]

Absolutely no possibility of a contact high, so I guess I'll just have a check at the doctors.
Thanks!

 

[symptomatic]

Also, if they are seizures, is it possible I can experience a different type of seizure?

 

[N Sperlo]

When it comes to seizures, anything is possible.

If you were having a simple partial, I would expect a more descriptive experience, but that may not be the case. Something such as odd feelings, smells, etc.
If it were a complex partial, I'd expect you to not to remember anything about it. Probably not even notice a difference or recall quickly enough that it happened. Once again, that is not sure fire way to know it is not a complex partial.

Honestly I don't think you are having seizures, but I'm no doctor. I've had experiences with my epilepsy that my doctors hadn't observed before, so I'm proof that I may be wrong.

Are you getting enough sleep? Do you have ADHD? Are you taking any medications?
I've driven to work before and not remembered the drive.
I lost a beer earlier today. Really. I don't know where I put it. :roflmao: My wife is gonna be mad when she finds it!
Do things like that ever happen to you and is it similar? Maybe it doesn't have to do with the lights.

By nature, I'm skeptical about things, so don't take it personal.

 

[symptomatic]

I've just realized that just over a month ago, while concentrating very hard on my laptop screen for a long time I experienced a weird feeling. This is also happened twice during a hangover. This feeling fits the definition of a simple partial seizure... But I don't have these anymore..