Epilepsy Triggers

[RobinN]

HowdyDave, that's an interesting observation. I have not read anywhere where the immune system was characterized as a likely trigger.

Bernard, have you been reading lately how this can be a HUGE trigger... or a cause of seizures?

 

[hawke86]

I didn't know it could be a trigger. Very interesting Robin.

 

[BuckeyeFan]

I think the overstimulation, might have been coupled with being tired. For some reason now, with the keppra, I am up at 6 every morning, ready to clean EVERYTHING. This happened at about 1115 last night.

anyway......it sucked ass.

Man - sorry about the sz. It sounded awful. These damned things come in so many forms. Your right ... they do suck ass.

I need to find out what keppra you take. I have an awful time waking up in the morning.

Hope things are doing better today.

 

[Meetz1064]

Hmmm

Let's seeeee..........

No meds for more than 3 days
Stress
Screwed up sleep patterns


YUP, that'll do it!



lactose & gluten products are definitely irritants.......so are the Jumbotron lights, like you find in a football stadium, but so far, they haven't caused a seizure........

 

[Crazy Monkey]

I have recently discovered a new trigger for myself, since my department at work has been moved into a large open plan office, I am now sharing with about 16 people whereas before I was used to only sharing with my boss, the trigger appears to be noise, it honestly sounds like I am working in a kindergarten or a pet shop, whether it is stress from the noise causing my seizures or the noise itself I am not sure, but I have definitely become very sensitive to noise over the last few weeks, there is even one girl in the office that moo's like a cow all day (I think she belongs on a farm)

 

[Wally]

Noise used to bother me pretty badly too. Totally destroyed my concentration. It still does when I get too tired or stressed. When I first started Keppra, I couldn't even read a book or have a conversation with the TV on. What about some noise cancelling headphones? They reduce alot of the irritating noise but you would still hear a phone ring or someone trying to talk to you. Maybe an iPod with sounds of nature, like running water etc.

 

[Crazy Monkey]

Thanks for your help and advice, anything is worth a try (I need to shut the moo'ing out) my concentration used to be very sharp, but this week it has been shattered, I have had a lot of partials today which I believe is due to the squawking happening around me. I work in a purchasing office for a large manufacturing company, we have a lot of different style earplugs on site for use in the factory, I have tried wearing these but they do not help in eliminating the noise, there is simply just to much noise, I have my Ipod with me everyday at work (I listen to it when walking in the morning), I wonder if I would be allowed to listen to it?? or whether it could be classed as a health and safety issue? I will have to check it out, Have you managed to find your own way to cope with it? this one is a new challenge for me to overcome.

 

[Wally]

Here are the noise canx headphones I mentioned earlier. This is the first link that I found with a quick google search. There are many manufacturers of these now and they aren't so pricey. http://www.bose.com/controller?event=VIEW_PRODUCT_PAGE_EVENT&product=headphones_anc_subcategory

We have a great deck in the back yard with a nice quiet spot and a pond with a waterfall. That is the place we both go to decompress, read, draw, whatever. 15 minutes out there with my iPod, sketchbook and a cold IPA and I'm smiling again!

Seems like you should be able to come up with a simple solution that won't adversely affect your ability to do the job or be unsafe. Maybe you should discuss this problem with your supervisor. After all, if this situation is causing you to have seizures at work, that will definately affect your job performance!

 

[Crazy Monkey]

I have been speaking to my superviser and she is doing the best she can to remedy the situation, but the problem is nobody else on site knows that I am epileptic so she is going about it discretely. I tend to sketch during my lunchtimes at work this tends to relax me and calm me down, weirdly enough I also have a pond in my back garden with a waterfall where I chill out (when the weather allows me to do so) with a beer or glass of wine, its funny that we appear to be very similar with our relaxation techniques.

You are right about it affecting my work, yesterday by 11am I already had between 20-30 absence seizures, which is unusual for me during the day, they normally just occur first thing in the morning and when I am tired in the evening, this was making me feel groggy and not fully alert. I will be sure to look at the headphone link you sent me (as I work in purchasing, I am sure I can sneak a pair onto a purchase order )

Thanks again for your help and I am glad to know that it is not just me that appears to be noise sensitive, I wasn't even sure that noise could be a trigger.

 

[RobinN]

Not sure when I wrote this list down, but I just came across this list of lesser known triggers and I thought I would share it with you. Sorry... I can't remember where I copied it down from. If you find issue with any one of them, let's discuss it.

TRIGGERS


Acidity causing hypoxia
Electrical Fields
IV Antibiotics
Clostridium Difficile
Focal Scar on Spleen / Liver meridians
Nightshade Allergy
Wheat and Dairy Intolerance
Hypoglycemia
Illeocecal Valve Spasm
Gut Disbiosis
Constipation
Detergent Allergy
Pin Worm Infestation
Ascaric Infestation
Candidasis
Massive Heavy Metal Poisoning
Mercury $ Cadmium
Granuloma in Upper tooth
Stressed Family Dynamics

It recommended that you keep a journal which charts the following:

Managing................../.................Done..................../ ...................Method of intervention.


Consider:
Diet
Draining Acids
Lowering Ammonia

 

[hawke86]

Lack of sleep is one of the causes for my seizures. I'm always tired.

 

[Dutch mom]

Campaign to ban synthetic sweetener aspartame gaining global ground

http://www.transworldnews.com/NewsStory.aspx?id=57967&cat=10

[...]Four different types of seizures are noted on the FDA list of 92 symptoms of aspartame poisoning. A drug commonly prescribed to treat seizures, Dilantin, manufactured by Pfizer, has been reformulated and has caused a tremendous amount of publicity because epileptics taking this drug are experiencing more seizures, loss of equilibrium, vision problems, glaucoma and even sexual dysfunction, all of which are well-known symptoms that aspartame victims suffer.
[...]
Ketocal, a supplement drink, is a common component of the ketogenic diet, a high-fat/low carbohydrate dietary regimen primarily prescribed to epileptic children. Ketocal contains aspartame www.shsna.com/ca_english/pages/ketocal.htm [...]

Article by Betty Martini, D.Hum, Founder Mission Possible International

 

[alivenwell]

Thanks for all of that info. I just drank a diet soda with aspartame in it. That'll be my last one!

And, with regards to sleep deprivation, I went to a lecture a week ago. I heard some interesting issues about sleep. Lack of sleep coincides with obesity. There are 2 hormones that are around which adjust metabolism (lectin and some other one that started with 'g'). Caffeine can mess up an entire sleep cycle. We should not have caffeine 12 hours prior to going to bed and we should have at least 8 hours of sleep. There was a study done on dogs. Some were sleep deprived and some were allowed a full sleep cycle. The ones who were sleep deprived died at an earlier age. I am going to adjust to a full sleep cycle to give my dog a full life.

I would imagine DogtorJ may have a posting on this issue.

 

[haird18]

Unusual triggers!

As a child my mom had said one of my triggers was pain in my stomach or upset stomach. Then another one I have experience is unusual pain and tingling down one side of body and weird feelings in my lips too!
David

 

[RobinN]

Would you consider this to be a trigger David, or an aura?

To me a trigger is something that occurs to cause your seizures to happen.

 

[haird18]

The triggers

Robin my triggers are the stomach pains usualy!

 

[RobinN]

From my knowledge, they can either be seizures beginning in the stomach or an physical cause which would need to be corrected if possible. A seizure or migraine beginning in the stomach would also be due to a physical cause.

Obviously some physical causes can't be corrected. Others can be.

I am not speaking to your situation specifically, but in general.

 

[haird18]

Triggers!

Robin,
Since all the 12 E.M.U. s at Dallas my doctor has always said it was a trigger for me. Since it affects me so differently than others with epilepsy, with the abnormal brain since birth!
David

 

[RobinN]

okay, everyone's experience is different

 

[crybabie]

• Temprature extremes; overheating is easy here in Vegas, so I had to give up my puttering in the yard. Also cold. If I begin to shiver it will bring on sz.
  
  Overexertion; such as heavy house work, spring cleaning.
  
  Deep emotional distress; my father just died and I had 2 during the services

One interesting note, I have a auras of inpending sz activity. There are times when I am able to stifel the upcome sz. Then release it at a better time.

that's me too. sleep deprive, and emotional stress. I have had those to accept along with certain video games, and t.v... music calms me some but 2 a certain extent. i am 42