Welcome to the Coping With Epilepsy forums - a peer support community for folks dealing (directly or indirectly) with seizure disorders. You can visit the forum page to see the list of forum nodes (categories/rooms) for topics.
Please have a look around and if you like what you see, please consider registering an account and joining the discussions. When you register an account and log in, you may enjoy additional benefits including no ads, access to members only (ie. private) forum nodes and more. Registering an account is free - you have nothing to lose!
Anyone have one? Any thoughts?
joan*
Olfactory abnormalities in temporal lobe epilepsy (T L E) usually involve either brief hallucinations prior to seizures or chronic impairments in odor discrimination and identification. We describe the case of a man (B.C.) with T L E with an unusual presentation, an ictus-related parosmia. B.C. reported distorted perception of odor quality and hedonics that could provoke nausea and gagging, typically at its most extreme in the week or so following a seizure. Measures of B.C.’s olfactory functioning were obtained at stages of the ictal cycle when parosmia symptoms were severe and when they had decreased. Unlike other parosmics, B.C.’s detection thresholds were always normal, and unlike others with T L E, he evidenced little impairment in identification or discrimination. Testing during a period of more severe parosmia suggested that B.C.’s experiences might be the result of hedonic changes. We argue this may be the effect of seizure activity on the amygdala, which is known to be involved in mediating emotive reactions to odors.
Hi Brain
Thank you very much for the information. Where I live, once in a while, the same problem happens just before a person dies. The nurses and doctors have to put on gas masks because the odor is so bad. I wonder if the person was having seizures before they died. One person, I remember had cancer. The family sent her to the hospital via the ambulance. It was not until she reached the hospital that the odor was so bad. They wondered what she died of besides her cancer. They did not want to get close enough to find out.
Is there the possibility that the odor is caused in other people with other illnesses?