Pseudo seizures for 2 years and getting worse

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I had a glucose tolerance test about 10 years ago, before ever having a seizure,m and it was normal. I think mine was 4 or 5 hours, and I really felt jittery, but they said my blood was normal.

Maybe it's time for another one (?).

Bu then I remember that the one constant inall this is that my seizures are always triggered by some small frustration like forgetting a password. It seems to put me into a state of overload, a feeling of "I just can't handle it", yet all the while I am reminding myself how trivial and unwarranted such a reaction is. Yet it is my body doing it, almost on its own.

It is almost as though I have become so word down by past traumas and disappointments and unfair and stressful situations that I have no resistance or immunity left. I feel just plain spent! Yet, I do read the news, and everyday I look at tragedies like earthquakes, tsunamis, crime, poverty, etc, and say to myself "You are the luckiest guy in the world", not having to endure the suffering of all these other people.

These aren't cheap words to myself; I actually really do consider my life fortunate, and realize getting screwed over a few times just goes along with the territory. But why I am unable to bounce back still eludes me.

TTYL
Steve
 
Just a quick note - I am unsure as to who I replied to - Robin or Ruth? But thank you both...in a sense the reply was to both but I don't know if the forum allows that. I just did not intend to send a subtle message that one repsonder was more valurable than the other, so only one deserved a reply. No! I appreciate all replies.

I know there should be no need to say this, but, forgive me...maybe this is my "Woody Allen" moment?

Steve
 
I think someone else mentioned this earlier -- perhaps your seizures aren't triggered by the small frustration (like forgetting your password) but that the small frustration is actually part of the seizure? Almost like an aura/warning that a seizure is on the way?
 
SJLCOPE1797 said:
But thank you both...in a sense the reply was to both but I don't know if the forum allows that. Steve
Click to expand...

Hi Steve, thank you!! The forum allows it.

I looked up pseudo- It means ficitious, pretended or sham (to deceive).

psychogenic means mental conflicts.

You can see why I do not like the term pseudo seizures. It is not a correct term. What you have is real. Your seizures are real.

Psychogenic is a correct term.

I am not trying to be politically correct. I just want the correct words that apply to you. So both psychogenic and NEAD apply to you. You can pick the one you feel comfortable with.

(((HUGS)))
 
oocb,

I had considered this possibility 2 years ago, and then again last year. I felt like something was "dumbing me down" so that my inability to accomplish routine tasks may have been a result of being dumbed down, and this caused a opanic or anxiety reaction triggering the seizure. The hrink assured me that Prozac did not do any cognitive impairment (I still am not convinced) and that it was just stress plus being middle aged - mid fifties...I thought maybe the meds themselves were causing the dumbness - brain fog - and went off all meds under a doctor apporved tapering scheule. A month after being off everything I felt much worse.

The entire incident was repeated a year later and after being off everything for one week my chest had such great pressure on it I thought it might be a heart attack, but rather than go to the ER I went to a walk in clinic and he gave me valium. I explained that I just spent several weeks getting off benzos but he said that was what I needed and I now think he was right.

TTYL
Steve
 
My partner gets the brain fog too. When he's on the proper meds (lamictal and clonazepam), the confusion and dumbed down feeling go away. His energy also increases.

He also gets a lot of little space-outs -- really short and he's still aware during them, but they tend to happen in clusters. Does that ever happen to you?
 
I have been on both Lamictal and Clonazepam, though not at the same time. I think the clonazepam wiped me out a little too much; I lacked energy. I don't recall any side effects from Lamactal, but it didn't help.

I never hade a space-out, if by that you mean the kind of seizure where you go into a stare and are completely out of it but conscious, but don't remember? What I do get is a lot of periods of complete overwhelment, like everything becomes too complex and I just can't handle it.

And this goes against my basic outlook on life and learning in general - my attitude is that stuff that is hard is only hard because you try to aacquire too much new concepts at once; if you can break it down into little chunks and absorb it at the right speed for you, it becomes learnable - the complexity gets disassembled, sort of. This is the way I try to approach learning. I love demystifying things I once got a sense of elation when I took a master combo lock apart and then understood how it worked.

I am telling you this because under normal circumstances, complexity doesn't bother me, but when this spell comes over me, even simple things become too complex and I sort of "short out", like a burned out circuit, and all my attitudes about demystifying things by breaking it down are ineffective.

Rarely can I think my way out of this condition once it starts, but instead take a benzo or more, sometimes a nap, and usually that does it. I used to walk 4 miles a day during lunch and it recharged me, but lately, I have trouble if I am in this "altered state", I have felt too overwhelmed even to walk; a few times I actually collapsed sort of, right in the parking lot, but quickly got up before I was noticed.

I can feel it waering me down, but when I am not under "the spell" I actually feel pretty good and am reasonably productive. Go figure...

Steve
 
That's so weird -- that overhwelming feeling, epsecially since it goes against everything you believe about learning and all past experiences. I suppose it could be stress-related, but together with the lethargy, and moods, it just sounds too eerily close to what some people here experience.

Space outs can come in somewhat different forms -- not all of them include loss of consciousness or memory. Sometimes it's just staring for a few seconds and it seems like you're lost in thought, but when you stop you realize that you were just staring. Sometimes you can lose consciousness, but you don't even notice and may not have confusion after. Chances are this is something other people would notice in you, rather than something you might notice. If you tend to have your experiences in front of the computer, and there's nobody in your office or cubicle, you might not know you're experiencing them.

For example, my partner is a welder, and he took pride in his welding. He started noticing that he would do (in his mind) the perfect straight weld, and look at it after and find that he had welded a perfect u in the middle of it like his hand slowly dropped at some point during the process, and then moved back up onto the line again. He had no confusion, no memory of spacing out or recovering, and it would baffle him because he swore that he had been doing a straight line the whole time. Time for him was a continuous flow throughout the incident. In retrospect it's funny he became a welder, since he's very sensitive to light :lol:
 
I am learning of the Gard diet, it is going to be a change, I think the hardest part will be finding and preparing foods that are not loaded with toxins. Me thinks that living on a farm like my mother did growing up just may be the healthiest way to live.
 
Visual triggers?

I'm with you... SO frustrating as you puzzle out the triggers. I can tell you that switching my diet has made a huge difference for me (essentially a gluten and processed sugarfree diet, no processed foods). And that is true even though my doctor did a "gluten tolerance blood test" and it came back "normal." But if it's helping to stop, then it just goes to show that not all test show what is accurate for individuals. Oh, and the change in diet has a great side effect. I've lost 8 pounds and I eat all the fruits and veges I want! Plus the basket of fresh fruits and vegetables looks fabulous on the counter. Tee hee. But I am sticking to it because I really want to help my body and brain cope with the "seizure storms." Adding Magnesium has also made a big difference (I take it in Chelated liquid form. It doesn't win any flavor award in my book, but I seem to have far fewer seizures and to be less "foggy" when I take it.) However, as I read your posts I wonder if you may share another trigger... light sensitivity. It took me awhile to put two and two together, but fluorescent lights, and on sensitive days, even computer screens can trigger episodes. In fact, fluorescents are almost guaranteed to cause one now (the more I have, the easier it seems to be for my body to have them). Who would have guessed? I certainly didn't, and I had been living under fluorescents and working at computers full-time for years, until the seizures started. There are special glasses that are supposed to help with those triggers. I just scheduled an appointment to be fitted for some. If you would like, I'll let you know if they help me.

Bottom line... the brain is an amazing organ and we are all unique and so HOW can we expect any one answer to fit everyone? Take it easy on yourself as you go through this. I'm finding that it can sure ease the process to add a little acceptance into the mix. And little by little I am puzzling through to find things that help a bit. Here's hoping you find the pieces that will support more "well spells." I'm cheering for you from the sidelines. You are not alone
 
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Reply to visual triggers

Celesteam,

Thanks for the feedback. I do not think I have a problem with light, at least not outside, as in the warmer months I sped hours outside jogging preparing for a marathon. Sometimes I spend the day woodworking in my driveway.

Computer monitors? I sometimes spend a couple hours watching video courses and have no problems there. There is a great one called "Doing the Right Thing" which is actually a video of a semester course from Harvard regarding ethics, morality, and philosphy. All free. I will post the link later in a reply to this.

Diet....still working on it. 3 months ago I bought a Blend-Tec blender and make a smoothie about 6 days a week from a total of 15 fruits, vegetables, and fish oil. I can't tell you it is all organically grown - it's not, but one or 2 ingredients are. That at least takes care of 1 meal per day.

But feel free to keep suggestions, even longshots coming, as I really don't want to become a benzo junkie just to control this.

- Later
Steve
 
The GARD diet is in the Social Group. Join it!! You can learn a lot from Molly. She is very strict with the diet.
 
matchu said:
I am learning of the Gard diet, it is going to be a change, I think the hardest part will be finding and preparing foods that are not loaded with toxins. Me thinks that living on a farm like my mother did growing up just may be the healthiest way to live.
Click to expand...

:agree:
 
My sister has suffered from what we thought was Epilepsy for the last 10 years. We just learned about a hospital here in Kansas which does video EEG's about a month ago. We'd never heard of these before. She was evaluated, and was scheduled to have this done. She has been in the hospital since the 29th, today is the 1st. She has had 6 "episodes" since she's been there. Neurologist came in this morning and gave her her official diagnosis. She has Non-Epileptic seizures. These are not "fake" seizures. They stem from the nervous system. The only way to accurately diagnose seizures is to go thru the video EEG process. I would recommend anyone have seizures, to contact a hopsital or clinic that does these.
 
Update: I am still doing GARD but on my own terms. I do a lot of listening to my body (that's a first) and what I want to eat. I eat a lot of small meals. I feel better and in the process have lost 30 pounds! Go figure. But the most important advancement for me has been that I was just diagnosed, after 18 months of some severe life change due to seizures, almost stroking out because one went on so long at the hospital... in any case, the verdict is: Central Nervous System Lupus. My blood work finally gave one doctor a clue and the symptoms are: Headaches, Fatigue, Confusion, Seizures, Joint pain, Rashes (I didn't have this last one), and a few others (Lupus.org has more info). There is a treatment for it today. I started the treatment two weeks ago and I feel human again. I can think! I have energy again. So I guess what I am saying is: If the doctors can't figure it out then don't despair. They may not have tagged it yet. And the interventions I learned on this site helped me to reduce the impact until we did. I'm really grateful for all the wisdom I learned on this site.
 
I am so glad that you have figured out your health issues. I am sure the nutritional changes have helped your doctors pinpoint the issues. Excited that you are feeling "human" again.

It is my belief that if more would be strict and make good nutritional choices that overall med doses possibly could be reduced. It is worth the effort. Glad you are seeing positive side effects from it. 30lbs is EXCELLENT!!!
 
Dear Kidbusy3,
Thanks for the info. I have also had video EEG monitoring done at a hospital and they said no epilepsy - "it's a conversion disorder". Well a year klater and boatloads of meds and a hospital stay, and 2 different CBT counsellors plus strict fiid and vitamin regimen recommended by an alt medicine guy I still get them.

Personally, I have in inner sense that running marathons is my answer, as ithas helped in te past, but not eliminated my pseudo eizures. But whatever works for anyone, then go fo what works.
 
Hi Steve. Welcome.

I am fairly new on this wonderful group. You will be amzed at the support that you receive here.

I'm sorry to hear that what you have gone through and what you are going through now.
We are always here for you.

One thing in your post hit me as a red flag. Being on so much Nirvam (XANAX) can give you many side effects, some pretty bad.
Xanax can help with seizures, but on the othewr hand they can make seizures worse.

I have been on Xanax for over 10 years, and I am going to go through a pretty rough time trying to get off of them.

At this point, I am having multiple seizures one after another, and it is do to Xanax tollerance.
The rule of thumb is that a person should only be on Xanax for a very short period: 2 weeks.

I would give you a good web site that would explain all about Xanax, BUT I am not allowed to post websites yet, which is......very frustrating.
If you do a Google on "TRAP The tranqilliser recovery and awarness place."

I wish you all the best Steve, aand welcome aboard.

Norm Beam
 
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