hiya, hoping for some advice

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mistrall

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hi guys and galls, im not shure if this the apropriate forum but i was hoping you may be able to give some advice on my current situation. (not looking for any kind of diagnosis).

well 1st off let me introduce my self, i am a gentleman of 29 from the uk.

i have been having what i call episodes, or events over the past months and i am starting to get concerned hence comming on the internet to have a look around. and so, i find my self here.

please bear with me and my babble i hope it makes sence as i am quite confused right now as i just had 2 of these hapenings.

and if you feel that you reconise any of this please dont hesitate to let me know.

my story.

The past 10 months has been hard for me, a verry stressfull time.

and within this time i have been having hapenings as i call them.
it has been afecting my moods and cognatave functioning.
i would like to note that this all started at the time were i gave up drinking beer (although that may not be relivent)

I can be sitting in my chair on the pc (like 10 mins ago) and sudenly i get this feeling, its abit like im going to be sick but not as intence, a tingle goes through me and i get light headed almost pasing out.
this then gois into a feer in a sence. i start to pace and just walk up and down, waiting for it to pass.
during this i am awere of the world but i am not realy in it if that makes sence.

it seems to climax and then my teeth chatter, im rly tired and my legs are realy wobly. my right eye seems week to me (mabe thats just over sensativity to my suroundings)
my memory is rly bad after these and like this morning when i woke up i couldnt make sence of the world it was like i couldnt acess my thoughts properly. it was verry freightening.

i just had anouther one while wrighting this.

so to continue,

and anouther one.


anyway the only times i have felt like this is for the breaf moment when i am near fruite machines with fast flashing lights, when i go in the car and through trees were the sun comes in and once when i incresed the refresh rate on my monitor.

but now they just seem to happen.
i thought that i was just having pannic atacks all these years but i dont sweat im not hyperventalating and it just goes on its own acord.

im planning to go for an eeg if that is the one that checks for these kinda things but i have no idea were to start with the nhs in the uk.

an example of one the outher day, i was driving with a freind to the aquarium center were i planned to buy some tropical fish.
on route i had the starts of a panic atack as i thought, we arived and i paced around the fish not rly knowing what was going on.
the owner came over to me and my freind and started to talk about the fish.
noithing he was saying was making any sence, it just "didnt compute"
i ended up buying some fish and when i got home my freind asked why i bought the unhelthy fish that the owner told us not to buy. i had no idea.

i have only blacked out once, and it wass like i the world did a complete 360 with me in it.

so i guess thats it as i sit here on and off the pc because it seems to make me go like this now.

as i say, im not looking for any diagnosis, but mabe some thoughts if you have similar expiriences. as i realy need to get to the bottom of this as it feels like every time it hapens i loose a part of my self.

much love x
 
Mistrall,

Welcome to the forum. I'm so glad you found us. :)

I'm so sorry you are going through all that. It can be confusing and scary. What you are describing could be a lot of things, including cardiac, neurological, metabolic, etc. It takes a good neurologist in partnership with your family doctor to sort through it all and figure out the right diagnosis and treatment.

I'm not from the UK, but there are lots of people in here who are and can give you advice on how to get in to see a neurologist. Your family doctor can also run a lot of tests to rule out some of the physical causes, like electrolye balances being off or a serious lack of B or D vitamins, mini-strokes, etc.

One thought. It sounds like you may have had some type of altered consciousness in the fish store? Do you remember all your time in there, or are there time gaps? If there are time gaps, maybe there may be some safety issues with you driving? Just something to think about.

I'm hoping it will all get figured out and you'll feel better soon.
 
heya, thanks for the reply.

yea i have stopped driving for the momoent, an altered state of conciousness is defo up there.

i have had a few blood tests, vit b, vit d, liver function, thyroid function. and all have come up normal.

just dont know were to go with this. its realy scarey and it is kinda "chicken or the egg" at the moment.

im abit sleepy now but not too bad - i can function.

just hope i can get to the bottom of this, sorry to post if im in the wrong place but as you proberly know its hard to get anything done without doing it your self. x
 
Hi Mistrall, welcome!

Like Endless, I recommend that you see a doc to get help with a diagnosis. In the meantime, try and keep a record of when and where the episodes occur. Note how often they occur, how long they go on, and what happens during them. This will allow you and your doctor to see if they are any patterns to the symptoms, and if they are increasing or changing in any way.

You mentioned that flashing lights and monitors have been a trigger for you. Photosensitivity can definitely be a trigger for both migraines and seizure disorders. Many folks with photosensitivity are bothered by patterns and fluorescent lighting as well, so it's possible that those are playing a role in some of your recent episodes. One thing you can try is wearing sunglasses to limit your exposure. There are fancy ones found here: http://irlen.com/index.php But you could also start with basic ones to see if they make a difference.

You mentioned that the symptoms started when you gave up beer. It could be a coincidence of course, but it's worth noting. Were there other changes that occurred then? Did you change your diet in other ways, or take up sports, or start a new job? Sometimes it can be something subtle that adds stress to your system or throws you out of balance. What kind of beer did you drink? (I know that seems a weird question, but if you were a heavy Guinness drinker, then stopping may have removed a big source of B vitamins from your diet! And B vitamins can be very important for brain health.).

Try and get an appointment with your doctor soon. Be prepared to provide as much information as possible, and also write down any questions you have. Don't hesitate to keep asking questions until you feel comfortable with what your are told. It can be good to have a friend or family member come along just to keep track of what's said.

I hope you get some relief soon. Keep us posted!

Best,
Nakamova
 
Mistrall,

Please do get to a neurologist. It's what you need to get this sorted out. And you are right. If you don't help yourself no one will. As far as doing things to get well you've got to keep on going, no matter what.

I just feel so sad for your situation. I was really scared before I was diagnosed. I felt like I was either crazy or dying. Turns out neither - It was just seizures. (I can't believe I used the word "just" but it was a relief compared to some of the alternatives)

Hang in there.
 
hey again, thakyou for your suport in this matter. i realy want to get to the bottom of this.

i did change my diet, i started loosing alot of weight and was not eating verry much for a long time so i disided to eat the "three meals a day" which seems to have made ist worse although its hard to say and im trying not to speculate.

its funny how you mentioned sunglasses, i used to were them all the time but stoped a while back because i thought it might help with the winter.

i am wering thme now hehe. also i wore them yestersay and had a close to simptom free day, i also didnt watch tv or go on the computer. but i shall evaluate it further over the comming days i think.(feeling verry cool with the shades hehe)

im still not shure how to get to see a neurologst, if i go to my doctor they dont realy do much and look at me like im nuts. i shall keep on pluging them though.
as for work, i havent been able to do anything since this started. its hard to socialize because im either feeling so tired and worn out that i just want to sit in bed and lay there or im so confused that i just stumble around the house.

amaizing to think that i was once the "guy of the party" hehe or so im told.

do any of you know how long it takes to to get to see a neurologist in the uk? i mean if it gets realy bad i dont want to jump into a&e but it has been close a few times.
 
If eating makes things worse for you, have you considered a food sensitivity, allergy, or other nutritional issue like hypo or hyper glycemia? Something that you are eating, not eating, or the times you are eating may be making you have seizures. Or at least making them worse.

There are a ton of people in here who are on special diets that help their seizures. Like the gARD diet, low glycemic index diet, modified atkins diet, etc. If you do a search on any of these in here a ton of threads pop up. You may want to start here:
http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/forums/f39/
 
Interesting about the diet stuff -- I would definitely look into some of the issues Endless has mentioned.

Unfortunately, I'm US-based, and can't help with how to see a neurologist in the UK. Maybe some of our UK members will chime in. And you might want to visit the UK epilepsy site and search or post there.
Here's the UK site: http://www.epilepsy.org.uk/
Here's their forum: https://www.forum4e.com/
 
Hey there, I'm Louise, and I also live in the UK. I first went to my GP after having had two tonic clonic seizures, but had been having problems like missing time, muscle twitches etc for a long time. I went to the gp in the December, finally got a neurologist appointment in February, MRI in march (had to wait nearly 3 months for the results) and an EEG in the April.

It can take time, and trust me, I know what the docs can be like for dragging their feet. You should go to your doc and try to explain as concisely as you can what's been happening, how long its been going on for, how long the episodes last and anything you think could be a trigger. An EEG can help diagnose partial seizures if that's what they are. Don't give up until you at least get offered some tests.

Good luck!
 
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Hi Mistrall

Welcome. I'm highly photosensitive, and you've described the symptoms I get if I sit at my work computer too long, or my home computer with a white background. I've made a few changes which I'll suggest, and which might help. I note you've already made some changes yourself, and have seen an improvement.

Firstly, despite blue being my favourite colour, it's also my trigger colour. So, in my case:

- change the default background scheme from Windows blue to olive (yuck! but it worked)
- slow the mouse pointer speed
- turn the monitor brightness down
- wear amber-toned sunglasses, not blue, while at the computer (I can't do this at work, so have more problems there)
- cover any blue flashing lights on the computer (and there were plenty!)
- check that any fluorescent lights near you are in the "warm" range, not "white", and especially not the "cool white" range (I had these overhead at work, and they created a strobe affect right at my desk)
- no animations permitted; I've had to ask work colleagues to remove those pretty flashing effects from Word documents, for OHSW purposes (just what is their purpose, anyway?!). You can set up your web browser to ban animations.

Is your fish tank tropical? That could be a trigger. But don't give all your fish away just yet *grin*

Good luck with the NHS. First stop is - per the excellent advice above - write everything that's been happening to you, and present it to your GP. Ask if this could be epilepsy (they may not think of it themselves) and if you can be referred to a neurologist. I find some doctors need to be steered a little...

Good luck, and please keep us informed.

Chel

ETA: you mentioned the fruit machines. I went to Las Vegas in Oct last year (two weeks after my diagnosis), purely as a means of getting to the Grand Canyon. As soon as dusk hit, and all the flashing lights were turned on (or dominated the landscape) my feet started to tingle, my lips started to tingle, and I went back inside the hotel. At least the non-pokie area had very few flashing lights, so was 'safe' for epileptics. Sorry mate, but fruit machines might be "something you used to do".
 
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hey, thanks for the tips guys. im going to get an apointment with my doctor tommorow and push them.

the more i think about these simptoms the more it does seem like posible epilepsy but i wont make the desision ill leve that to the neurologist.

i also remember somthing that i just shrugged off befor, leading up to these episodes i tend to get half moon shaped lights pulsating when i close my eyes, they move from the center outwards in a concave manner from the center.
all the time i have been pretty much symptom free i havent had these but the outher night i had them and when i woke up i literly couldnt make sence of the world.

bit worried atm as these things semm to be ocoring more and more during the day and i feel confused alot of the time because of them.

yep chel the fish tank is tropical, it has 2 strip lights in it 1 blue and 1 yelowy.

anyway thanks for the help and i shall keep you posted on what hapens x
 
Ok good luck! Remember that it may take a few appointments with the GP before they'll give you a referral. All depends on whether you have a good doc.
 
It could be epilepsy for sure. But if it happens a lot while you're on the computer (is it wireless?) or driving (any cell phone masts or radio towers nearby?), you might also want to look into Electrical Hypersensitivity or Electrosensitivity. This is an emerging illness in light of the wireless boom, and something else I'm dealing with in addition to these seizures. As crazy as it sounds, I can 'feel' when we're getting close to a tower...I feel it in my head and in my jaw, and my anxiety increases...even before I see it.
 
hi elizz, its not just when im near the computer. i went to a werehouse yesterday to buy some wood and as soon as i walked in i started to feel somthing comming on, i ended up having to walk right out of there and let my freind get what he needed. aparently the lights were flikering to him but i couldnt see it.

ive turned the fishtank lights off (poor fish) and it has improved slightly when im at home.

its just strange and scarey, its like i zone out when these things climax and then i have a realy crap memory for abit and almost like im in some kinda dream world for a while. then sudenly at some point later on i come back to normality.

i have docs today, hope they can help. x
 
after speeking to my doctor, she has made an urgent apointment to see a neurologist.

im not shure on the waiting list, i realy hope its not too long x
 
That's great mistrall, keep us posted. And remember to right down your symptom history and any questions. Bring someone with you if that's possible.
 
mistrall said:
after speeking to my doctor, she has made an urgent apointment to see a neurologist.
Click to expand...

That's great news! Let your GP know when the neuro appointment is, and ask if that is "urgent enough". All specialists have cancellations and appointments set aside for emergencies; if your GP wants you seen sooner, she can push for you to be slotted in to one of those.

Watch that your fish don't die - can you move them to another room, or cover them so you don't see the lights? Or give them to someone else for a while? I know how much some people spend on their tropical fish; I'm sure those lights are there for a reason.
 
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