posted
So I am wondering if you can have absence seizures and still be semi-aware of it.
About a month ago I noticed I was having these random episodes of eye fluttering/rolling. It was just for few seconds so I didn't really think much about it.
Until recently I also noticed that kind when that was happening then my mind will go fuzzy, kind of like it is disconnected. And my vision will go for a bit too.
I told my Dr. about this and she suspects that maybe i am having absence seizures. And from what I am reading I think that maybe I am, but I don't know if these episodes particularly are absence seizures.
From my understanding you aren't conscious of what happened when you experience an absence seizure, yet I know these details....So can you be somewhat aware of the event?
Also today I started experiencing these vibrations in my brain. It feels like my cell phone is in my head vibrating.
Several times it was so intense that I checked to see if my phone really was vibrating, of course it wasn't.
And I have been having the sensation that different parts of my body are touching a live wire and the electricity is zapping me and running through my body. And Chest pain and weirdness, all day!!
I'm so confused and sick right now. And I can't concentrate on anything, as if I am having absence seizures.
Has anybody had this or heard of it?
Posts: 265 | From Oregon | Registered: Aug 2009
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chiquita incognita
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I've had similar things but a different expression thereof.
No eyeball rolling etc. But I have had the absence of mental awareness, like I was blending into the clouds, coupled with nerve tinglings that felt like horrible vibrations in the body and left foot dragging, fingers curling up into my palms asleep/immovable, other things.
The space-out has improved enormously with six months of therapy (in my case, I elected to do herbals solely so far, Bar 1 for Bartonella by Healthy Directions in Rohnert Park, CA for anybody who is interested). Fingers no longer curl up but do fall asleep sometimes. Foot no longer dragging.
It would be dangerous to suggest that here is a "cure" for these symptoms and I am not doing that. Instead, I am suggesting however that I did find a lot of symptomatic relief. The true relief I think has come with treatment, but here is how I was able to cool out some of the extraneous symptoms in the body:
A) Rub coconut oil all over myself, up and down, to the soles of my feet, on my face, on my back, neck, everywhere.
B) Take a tbsp of coconut oil orally every day.
What tipped me off to this was a lecture by Michael Murray, ND which I attended (had nothing to do with lyme FYI. I am just very interested in health so I attend a lot of these things).
He is one of the major researchers in the naturopathic field, said that the medium chain triglycerides (fats) from coconut oil are used to control epileptic seizures.
So I gave it a try.
When rubbing the oil on topically, the muscular vibrations were helped , a lot! Sometimes I Had to do this several times a day, but it did really help, at least me. Other times I could get away with once a day. Now I am not doing it at all except on occasions if needed.
I can't say that it stopped the space-out and will make no such wild claims. Further I didn't even try at those times. I had already gone into treatment when I started doing the topical/eating my spoonful of coconut oil every day. By then the space-out was already gone but the muscular vibrations were not.
Vibrations eased considerably, at least for me.
FYI due to the flavonoids called hypericins in St Johnswort oil (not the same as the extract) it too is a topical nervous system anti-inflammatory. Internally, ditto. But it will interfere with the absorption of mainstream medications if taken internally. Externally it bypasses the liver and shouldn't interfere, but ask your doctor just to be sure it' s okay.
You could also try a high-quality lavender oil like Hauschka's Talma Moore Lavender Oil. Lavender is high in linalool, a calming essential oil constituent.
I also found orange blossom water to be significantly calming to my nervous system. I think it also caused herx's (I am reluctant to attribute things to herx fyi and am careful not to overdo that). It made me feel off-balance and dizzy after drinking it, before the lyme treatment had begun.
After treatment for bartonella, the dizziness/wobbliness on my feet when drinking orange blossom water in chamomile tea, was gone completely.
What remains however is the calming effect of OBW, at least for me. (NOt everybody responds to the same substances, to note. It's all based on constitutional types when it comes to herbs).
I use about 1/4 tsp of orange blossom water in a cup of chamomile tea. It tastes yummy. Available at Middle Eastern specialty food markets.
Strong epsom salt baths for magnesium with either lavender oil or geranium oil have been helpful too, but more residually in my case. For me ,the first line of defense has been the coconut oil, followed by the orange blossom water and backed up by the baths.
Orange blossom water is high in flavonoids which have anti-viral and anti-bacterial impacts, are calming to the nervous system. OBW is known to have a significantly calming effect even in hysteria, according to the book Reference Guide to Essential Oils by Higley and Higley.
OBW is not the same as Neroli, the essential oil available at healthfood stores, but is also a related product. I like the taste of the OBW *much* better than the Neroli. God it's divine tasting in sour cream with honey, whew! You could die and go to heaven. It's quite tasty in chamomile tea too and smells like a sweet cloud from the angels!
FYI have you asked to have your magnesium and calcium levels checked? My LLMD said that lyme patients are low in magnesium, which has a lot to do with transmission of nerve impulses. The magnesium glycinate is less laxative than other forms of magnesium FYI. According to Paul Pitchford in his book Healing with Whole Foods, magnesium relaxes muscles where calcium contracts them. The relaxing response can be helpful in agitated nerves, and that's part of the way magnesium works. It's a calming mineral, but so is calcium. If depleted, this could be playing in to the matter even if it may or may not be the sole cause. The infection is most likely the cause.
But then again I am not a doctor, so I can only have hunches and guesses.
None of the above statements have been evaluated by the FDA. This information does not diagnose, cure or prevent any disease. This information does not substitute for a physician's personalized advice. Drugs and herbs may interact, talk with your doctor.
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You can be semi-aware during certain types of seizures. I had one while driving, and for a split second (literally, a fraction of a second), I was fully aware that I was going to crash and needed to get off onto the shoulder. And once the seizure completely kicked in, I could hear my neighbor freaking (though she sounded far away), and I could see her vaguely out of the corner of my eye, but I couldn't turn my head to look or respond verbally to her.
...of course my EEG came back negative though.
But apparently certain types of seizures are difficult to pick up, so I feel like I'm dealing with Lyme all over again from the beginning, trying to convince docs how sick I am.
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@elizza I think I saw a thread about that? Not sure if it was you that was saying that though...
So were you just like zoned out/half unconscious? Or was there muscle action or loss of control?
Yeah, from what I've heard, many seizures go undetected by EEG.
Do you have to go through all the tests and stuff to get treatment for the seizures?
I'm just trying to figure out what I should do. I am inclined to just leave it alone right now and see if it goes away once I start IV abx. But I don't know if that is really safe or not.
Argh! This is the one thing with lyme that I am totally clueless about!
Posts: 265 | From Oregon | Registered: Aug 2009
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chiquita incognita
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Hi SicknTired Here is an idea. It' s only an idea, and I really think you should do whatever you think is best, *for you*.
Chiropractic neurology is a specialty I had never heard of before until my chiropractor mentioned it to me. Licensed chiropractors, already having gone through their medical school training, go back to school to become licensed neurologists.
The differences between their work and mainstream neurology are several.
Apparently, according to my chiro-neuro doc, there are receptor sites in the joints that communicate with the brain. So as they adjust the body, they are actually targeting specific brain centers as they do it.
They have diagnostic methods that are extremely fine-tuned and really impressive in "catching" Things. My chiro-neuro was able to diagnose things that had other specialists stumped, and also a few things even I myself had not noticed. And he was right, too.
They have cognitive exercises to restore brain function, have you do movement things to restore brain center functions and also to diagnose how the brain is sending messages to various parts of hte body, etc.
It's all as good as the doctor, needless to say. That holds true in every medical profession. My chiro-neuro has outstanding recognition, being medaled for critical thinking skills and drafted on an honorary basis to the AMerican Chiro-Neuro Board. So he is exceptional and my rave review comes from being extremely impressed by his diagnostic skills. For which, as said, he has been recognized and even medaled.
I can't promise that everybody else will have as impressive and sharply detailed a doc as I have, but will say that I believe in the method.
It won't cure lyme, but of note, it was my chiro-neuro who also diagnosed it in my case and booted me out his door. Where other docs missed my diagnosis, for THIRTY YEARS!!!!
He booted me out his door, saying "I want you to have the best, not just someone who has treated a lyme case or two. No I won't treat you (I entreated him). Now GO!"
I can't thank him enough. He indeed did send me to the best of the best. This is a really good man.
I wonder if some of their exercises and adjustments to restore brain function could help you. It would not replace actual lyme treatment which would be the key thing (if your symptoms are caused by lyme, we are making that assumption but can't diagnose that as laypeople!) As adjunct to core treatment, I wonder if they could help you. With a good doctor, maybe even a lot?
this is the web page for the American Chiro-Neuro board. If you are interested, you could contact them and ask for a doctor locally in your area.
My own chiro-neuro accepted insurance FYI. After all, he is a licensed neurologist, not just a chiropractor.
What in interesting combination and what a fine-tuned approach! That's all I can say.
Again I think you should do whatever seems best, *for you*.
I will wish you the best with this, and visualize a speedy and deep recovery to you!
Also one more thing. I hate to sound this simplistic, but believe me I am talking based on my own personal experience and also being widely read.
Don't under-estimate the power of food allergies. In extreme allergic cases, clinical nutritionist Elizabeth Lipski has written that even schizophrenia can result from Leaky Gut Syndrome. I also know an RN who knew a *hospitalized* schizophrenic who recovered with gluten avoidance alone, no change in medications, etc.
My own neurological symptoms as posted above were enormously improved in ONE WEEK after getting off gluten. Not everybody is gluten intolerant so to eat gluten is not the poison pill. NOt at all. It' s only if you happen to be intolerant to it that it *can* create some mighty fine havoc. And how.
If you are not already familiar with it---and I know many people on this forum very much are, so I hope I am not offending your intelligence in any way----I would strongly recommend you read Elizabeth Lipksi, CCN MS's book Leaky Gut Syndrome. Then you can decide for yourself whether or not it may apply in your case.
Candida infections can also cause blackouts and spaceouts and neuro symptoms FYI.
So can Lyme
So can Leaky Gut
So can heavy metal toxicity
HOw do we know which is at issue here? How do we know if other causes may be at stake?
We can't. We are lay people, not doctors.
I would suggest being checked for all the above.
FYI Leaky Gut Syndrome is an alternative medical concept, requires an alternative medical lab for diagnosis, and mainstream docs wont' even have heard of it. Let alone have any diagnostic code for it, or lab tests available, etc.
To find a naturopathic doctor, if this interests you to research leaky gut et al further, you can look here: www.naturopathic.org
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PS Pesticide and other chemical poisoning can also cause neurological symptoms.
This is not a replacement by any means for lyme or other indicated therapy.
However to protect the liver from excess environmental poisoning is really important in any immuno-compromised situation, especially where neurological symptoms are involved.
Read more about ways to cut back chemical exposure here:
FYI in the book by pioneer William Crook, MD titled "The Yeast Connection", one of the case histories describes space-out and routine blacking out even while driving her car. This was yeast-connected in her case. See Dr Crook's Yeast Questionnaire in the book here, but keep in mind that symptoms may be far more exacerbated than are listed on the questionnaire. For example, environmental illness can cause MS, fainting with chemical exposure, space out and more. I speak from first-hand experience, having recovered myself more than 20 years ago:
I hope all this information helps you and does not confuse you. To cover the bases is key. A thorough work-up is important to determine if it is lyme alone, or other things, or a combination of things that could be causing or contributing to your situation.
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Sorry for so many and such long posts. I accidentally pressed the button before tagging on the question:
Have you had your blood sugar checked?
Where hypoglycemia is concerned, my NP said that they have to test for it at the moment the symptoms are occuring (Can cause faintness, mood changes, and neurological symptoms, nausea, etc).
To have your own blood glucose monitor is key so as to test at the moment of occurrence. Or borrow one from a friend for a week or two. Then report back to your doctor.
Again there are different schools of thought here. According to my giant 1000 page reference manual, Alternative Medicine, A Definitive Guide with a forward by Deepok Chopra MD....mainstream medicine regards hypoglycemia as a symptom coming strictly as a partner to diabetes. Alternative medicine recognizes it as a symptom which can occur by itself, separately from diabetes, according to the doctors writing in the book.
Testing is key.
Hopefully it is only one thing you will need to treat. But if a combination of things is going on, to address them is key and further, the power of simple dietary changes can be enormous where neurological symptoms occur, and reducing chemical exposure. I can testify to that reality in the most vivid terms, from first-hand experience.
My best to you with this journey and may you be well, very soon! I'm sure the rest of us wish you the same.
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@chiquita Hmmm...I have never heard of the chiro-neuro combination. I will have to look into that and she what I can find!
As far as food allergies, I had some really good testing done and i am lightly sensitive to gluten and am almost completely gluten free. I cheat every once in a while but not often enough for that to cause my symptoms, I don't believe.
I've never been tested for heavy metals so maybe I should look into that. I just kind of assumed that that poisoning came from metal fillings, which I've had none of, ever.
Thank you for your comment and imparting your wisdom upon me!!
Posts: 265 | From Oregon | Registered: Aug 2009
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Oh yeah, a couple years ago I was having some problems with my blood sugar. I had numbers as hight as more than 400 and some as low as almost 50.
It was so strange. My dr. at the time suspected that I was developing diabetes (she is a diabetic specialist and has a diabetic clinic) so I had to keep attack of the my glucose levels, 4 or 5 times a day.
Then I had the horrible glucose lab work done. Essentially it all came back fine. So I haven't really worried about it too much. But I am aware of the feeling of too high or too low of glucose. And sometimes it could feel like that combined with a few other symptoms.
Unfortunately, I didn't bring my glucose monitor with me to OR....maybe I'll have my mom send it to me and try to keep a track of my readings.
Posts: 265 | From Oregon | Registered: Aug 2009
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Hi Sickntired Okay! Now we *could* be on to something???
If this proves to be the case, that your blood sugar is "off"...which does not mean that lyme or other causes are not simultaneously involved...
Let me heartily recommend that you go to the healthfood store and consult the hypoglycemia and diabetes pages in Linda Rector Page, ND's book called Healthy Healing. It is the reference book in most healthfood stores, and they often will allow you to photocopy the appropriate pages.
I actually recommend that anybody intersted in alternative health, personally own their own copy at home. It is *the* handiest reference source to consult for naturopathic protocols, with pages devoted to specific ailments and the things you can do to address them.
It's a quick-glance one-page format and is very comprehensive, easy to read, but very very good.
About food allergy testing:
HA!!!!
I tested "not allergic" to wheat and boy, was that ever a farce! To repeat, major neuro symptoms disappeared (after 9 years of unexplained, seemingly incurable malaise) after only ONE WEEK of gluten avoidance!
A naturopathic doctor who I used to work with (I am a herbalist) agreed with me, saying that the food allergy tests are "not sensitive" and that to do experimental elimination is key. Eliminate the suspected allergens, then reintroduce them to the diet to test for relapse. She said that this is the "most accurate test" there is for food allergies.
FYI those with leaky gut or gluten intolerance, don't do as well when they occasionally indulge, as those who stay on a strict diet. It's very important, to stress:
According to Dr Joseph Mercola and Dr Mark Hyman, the gut lining and its secretions represents the first 80% of your body's immune defenses!
If food allergies have compromised your gut lining and its integrity, guess what happens? Neurological symptoms are extremely common, and severe ones too.
I would recommend an experimental *strict* elimination of gluten and casein (milk proteins) to start with. Gluten and casein are similar proteins, so people who aer intolerant to gluten tend to be intolerant to milk too. Except goat milk, which resembles human milk in its chemical structure, so it tends to be less irritating.
I would suggest you try this for a full month! Then reintroduce to test for relapse.
Okay, let's say two weeks to make it easier for you.
The only gluten-free pasta that I like is the Tinkyada product (in healthfood stores). It has good texture, not mealy like the others. Gluten free breads are horrible, sorry to say. Rice cakes might be better here for a happier eating experience. A lot of cookies and cakes can be very good though. Trader Joes gluten-free gingersnaps are just wonderful! And very inexpensive too. Check out your healthfood store's gluten-free section. Pamela's gluten-free products are mostly very good (mixes, cookies et al).
So there are lots of alternatives available to make gluten-free eating a fun and indulgent experience, believe it or not.
I also bake for myself using rice flour and an extra egg or two to fluff up the texture and hold the dough together, prevent it from crumbling in your hand once baked. Things turn out really well this way, except breads. Somehow the rice flour doesn't lend itself well to blending with yeast, and I am not interested in doing blends of several starches (which convert to sugars in the body) in a bread mix. However these alternatives do exist. They might set off your blood sugar though, beware.
(Cookies and cakes won't though. Hee hee, that's a joke).
FYI countries like Peru which use stevia, have the lowest hypoglycemia and diabetes rates compared to any other countries (according to Linda Rector Page ND in her book mentioned above).
It's an acquired taste and I frankly don't like it. But some people do.
Agave nectar as alternative is a false misrepresentation of the facts . In fact, it contains more fructose than high fructose corn syrup, points out Dr Joseph MErcola, and this is probably responsible for the diabetes epidemic he thinks. I agree with him.
In his book Healing with Whole Foods, Paul Pitchford writes that hypoglycemics can tolerate molasses but diabetics cannot.
Fiber and exercise balance blood sugar, writes Linda Rector Page in her book above. This does not replace any necessary medication, but diabetics also show reduced need for medication given a high-fiber diet and exercise, she writes.
To reduce sugar craves:
Fish oil supplements boost the brain's production of the hormone leptin which signals the body "okay, I Have eaten enough now". People who eat non-stop may be lacking in this hormone and that's why they over-eat. People who consume ample fish oil or omega 3s show less proneness to midnight snacking and also reduced sugar craves. It surely worked like a charm for me myself, FYI. I recommend the Nordic Naturals brand, it is routinely batch tested to reflect 0 parts per billion of contaminants and is very high quality.
I hope this helps.
PS I love sugar too, I may have herbal background and strong holistic health interests, but after all I am human too!
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AAAK!!! THis is REALLY IMPORTANT!!!
Dr Joseph Mercola blew the truth out in an article:
Aspartame is correlated with a high brain tumor rate.
Avoid this FDA-approved "food" like the poison plague that it is! Be very careful, my friend.
Once again fish oil supplements surely helped me with sugar craves. WHen I am on them, the craves are about 1%. If off them, the craves drive me insane.
L-Glutamine is known to help too but alas, it's a nervous system excitant and I don't know if that is indicated, or contra-indicated in your case. I would suggest to stay away from it until further info is available via your doc.
Even if you don't have dental fillings (good for you!) contamination is still possible, even likely.
HEavy metals such as mercury are produced by geological processes. Mercury is in our waters, soil not only because of industrial pollutants---a major offender----but also because of nature itself. The latter cannot be avoided.
The thing to do is to get a high-quality water filter (not a Brita, this will mostly take out chlorine but not the long, long list of water contaminants and heavy metals we *all* are subjected to in our tap water). A really high quality filter will remove as much as 99.9% of many contaminants, plus heavy metals, bacteria, and other microbes.
I think the multipure is very high quality and the water tastes really good. See their performance data sheet on their website, the list of things removed at very high percentages is truly impressive.
Sorry to have gone on and on. I re-read your message and saw that you already were mostly avoiding gluten. My brain skipped a beat, I apologize for the length. Didn't mean to be pushy either, just missed it that's all. Duh.
THat said, to stress as above, *strict* avoidance of food allergens is key *if* leaky gut syndrome is involved. I don't know that it is, FYI but how do we know that it isn't? Only by testing. the ND I worked with said that the leaky gut tests are very accurate and "sensitive".
Or, just see how you improve with food allergy avoidance, *Strictly* however.
See the article I linked about leaky gut syndrome, it discusses many more causes than food allergies alone.
Best wishes with this and I hope this helps! :-)
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So yeah. I was strictly gluten free for couple months and I didn't see any improvement. The lab my dr tests food allergies through is actually very sensitive.
A regular dr. won't use that test through that lab because it is hyper sensitive. He didn't believe that my nephew could possibly be allergic to everything the test indicated he was.
And I did go completely off milk for a while. And I did feel better. However, I discovered that I can handle raw milk just fine. No problems. So that is really cool. I still only have milk products maybe 2 x a week though.
Maybe I will look more into my glucose levels...
Thanks for the info!
Posts: 265 | From Oregon | Registered: Aug 2009
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How *interesting* to read about the raw milk! that's fascinating and it really makes sense. THank you!
The fun thing about reading here is that I learn so much from other people.
So if you don't respond to food allergy avoidance, it doesn't mean that leaky gut is not present FYI because many things can cause it. Certain medications, NSAIDs (aspirin et al) and chemicals in the environment, stress, etc. It might be wise to test for it if you are having neuro symptoms, especially if these combine with any digestive or joint issues. Even with neuro symptoms solo, I would suggest asking to be tested. As before, you need a naturopath to do this because it's not even known in mainstream circles, let alone is there a test or billing code for it in mainstream labs. I hope the day will come when it' s mainstream, as it should be. It lies at the heart of so many serious things. Boy.
I will wish you the very best with this and hope things settle down soon! Sincerely, CI
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So yeah. I was strictly gluten free for couple months and I didn't see any improvement. The lab my dr tests food allergies through is actually very sensitive.
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