So since the brain has memory and learns how to do it then one could make themselves have a seizure because your brain knows how to do it?? I am a little confused right now....
Yes, It is called Kindling, and does show in "true organic" seizures.
Of course doctors try to find out why...that is what eegs, mri's and other tests are for. If a doctor was to put you on meds and not do any testing as to why you are having seizures then they can really be putting you in harms way. What if you are having seizures due to a tumor in your brain? If they didn't know why and just put you on meds then that would not help at all...so one of the first things they do is try to find out is why.
As bernard said, Most people are put on meds before any testing is done. I am one of those people. You also responded by saying that you have idiopathic seizures. Meaning they dont know what causes them. does that mean that you being on medication is harmful because they didnt do enough testing? MRI and CT scans just rule out brain damage, and tumours etc that are physical.And if a tumor is found then meds can help that person lead a more normal life, should the toumor be found inoperable. EEGs are for the most part, inconclusive for most people. Even if they show up on an EEG doesnt mean that they know what is causing them.
I tried my hardest but I just cant seem to give myself one. DAMN!!!
I actually found that post quite offensive, because if you knew your trigger you could definitly make yourself have one. I know that sometimes just talking about it, I'll start to myoclonic. Ask Chris515, we talk about it lots in person and then all of a sudden, twitching shows up. Coincidence, not really as I dotn twitch often. If I burned some rubber, I would have a tonic. I guess that means I can have when any time I feel like it. Don't wanna go to work? burn my eraser at my desk, have a tonic and get to lye in a hospital bed and sleep. Not my cup of tea, but I could do it.
Most people with E have ideopathic seizures. I am one of the many that the doctors can't find out why. Sometimes we just have to accept that there is something wrong with us and that it is unexplained. Neurologists and people like ourselves do not know enough about the brain to be able to find a definite cause 100% of the time. It really blows in that respect, but if nobody knows then we have to deal with it the best we can.
Again, you contridict yourself by saying your seizures are idiopathic, so should you not be on meds, incase there really is a hidden cause that the docs havent tried yet? You also say that Neuros and people do not know enough about teh brain. So shouldnt using neurofeedback be a test that could actually help you? nothing is safe when it comes to treating seizures. Even most diets will put a strain on the body until it gets used to it. You say that you have no known cause for your seizures, yet you say that psychogenic seizures are real and they cant be helped. So how are we to know the difference? Everyones seizures are different. So just cuz soemone seizes with their eyes closed or doesnt chew their tounge, does that mean they are faking it? what if meds actually do help this person and seeing a therapist does nothing.
Seizures that are Epileptic would not be triggered by someone's sarcasm. It does sound quite odd for someone to think so hard on a seizure that it almost happens is causes one. Epilepsy and seizures connected to it have a tendency to happen due to abnormal electrical discharge of neurons either in one part (partial) of the brain or all over (generalized).
I beg to differ. Stress and panic and high emotion are triggers for some people. So if thinking about a seizures stresses you out, or panics you, then yes, that can trigger a seizure. Sarcasm can frustrate alot of people.
In rare cases there are people that can provoke their own seizure but its usually kids, or people with very rare
reflexive seizures. Those are a little different than unprovked epileptic seizures that are spontanious.
As far as this site is concerned, I think that reflex seizures are a little bit more common than widely believed. I also dont think anybody would willingly (aside from rita marcola) bring on a seizure, let alone a kid who is probably terrified on those episodes. How are they "a little" different than an unprovoked seizure? technically all seizures are provoked by a trigger, whether willing or not.
The brain has memory!!!! Thats why nerofeedback works so well! I thought that we come to this fourm to support each other. We should try to be nice to each other. Peace to all!
We could all agree to disagree, but then we'd neer get to see another side of the debate aside from our own. I actually like that Rach has a differnt view. I can see her reasoning and compare it to my own.
True organic seizures are not cause by thinking about them. This is classic of psychogenic seizures. People with psychogenic seizures are not faking them. They really do think that they are real. Also, it is possible to have both real seizures and psychogenic ones. If someone has a psychogenic seizure it doesn't automatically mean that the person is crazy or needs to be admitted to a psych ward. All they need is some counseling.
Can you please define "true organic seizures?" because if someone has idiopathic seizures, then they dont know for sure if they are truly organic beacuse they havent found a cause. and does this mean that everyone who has found a cause does not have true organic seizures?
Some people with psychogenic seizures don't even need that. Some quit having them after they find out that they are not organic. I wish mine were that way so all it would take is some counseling.
I think that this Placebo effect may work for some, but not all. So if some people with psychogenic seizures dont respond to counseling, does that mean that they now have idiopathic seizures? even though by your definition, they can't have a seizure by thinking about one, even though they do?
Anyways, I have a question for you though...If talking about seizures causes you to have one then why are you on a support group website talking about them? Wouldn't that cause you to have more?
I come to a support site, because the people on here know and understand what I am going through. Not exactly but they can offer more first hand experiance with drugs and embarrasing situations. I can also step away from my computer and breathe for a bit, or go off and do something else if I get worked up. Occasionally I do have a seizure while on the site. You may havenoticed. Meetz usually tells me to go to bed.
Also, when you go to a neurologist, the main this you talk about is your E. So why would you go? I think that if talking about them made me have one then I wouldn't be here and wouldnt be going to a neuro. I just wouldn't talk about it. Kinda curious there.
I go because I would rather endure a million more seizures from talking about my E with my neuro in hopes that I can find a cure or find the cause and fix it. It means that much to me.
Also, suggesting that my mood can make you have one sounds a little silly. I would appreciate an explanation of that because I don't see how this is possible. Always seeking new info.
Again, some people have stress as a trigger. This means good stress *excitement* bad stress *grief* or phsyical stress *working out* Stress is an emotion. Stress is a response to your mood. SO therefore your mood can cause more seizures. Have you never had a super grumpy week and then had a seizure? Or having a really good time only for it to be ruined by a seizure. I know I have.
Yes the brain has memory...no argument there. BUT during a seizure I have no recollection of what happened. If my brain had a memory of how to have a seizure then I would have a memory of the seizure.
A seizure originates in one part of the brain, you will have memory of it. such as a simple partial or a complex partial. A generalized seizure also takes over the area responsible for memory and for conciuosness, so You dont remember it. You know that you go to bed each night to sleep, but do you actually remember what goes on around you when you are asleep?
I think that neurofeedback has more of the "placebo effect" on seizures. If it was PROVEN effective for epilepsy, then there would be much more literature on it. There aren't too many scholarly journals that suggest that it is effective. In order for it to be proven effective there needs to be more research on it.
In order for more research and literature to be done, that means more people need to be willing to try it. You cant research what no body will try.
That article is about ADHD. A totally different condition. Neurofeedback has also been shown to work in people with mood disorders...I never said that neurofeedback is not effective at all for anything. Sorry if I gave you that impression.
I think that RebeccaN is proof that neurofeedback works for E. But liek any seizure control method, it wont work for everyone. Just like Neurofeedback will not work for every person with ADD or mood disorders.
That took me a while to respond, but I waited so long I kept having other things to do while at work. lol