Is stress a major factor in the tendency to having frquent seizures?

[Sonia Cardona]

Can stress play a major role in the life of an epileptic?

[Juanita B]

Sonia,

 

I heard and read that stress is a major factor as well as not getting enough sleep.  In regards to myself, I never had a problem with stress and sleep.  The seizures always occurred when I felt good and got good hours of sleep.  They occurred when I least expected them.  Although I would sleep only 4 hours per night for nights in a row, I was fine but everybody is different.  Not being able to sleep was due to insominia from side effects of Lamictal and times I was under stress.  Maybe the stress and not enough sleep caught up with me and resulted in a seizure. 

 

I still get little sleep and stress but have not any seizures for 10 years due to the right combination of medication.  I really don't know what to say.   I'm assuming it depends on the person but might be wrong due to all the research indicating stress and lack of sleep playing a major role in seizures.  As I mentioned, maybe it depends on the person.

 

Juanita

[Sister Zina Onoro]

I agree 100%. Everybody is different. That's why we need to pay attention to our bodies and find out what it needs. No Dr. can do that for us...
Sr. Zina

[Sister Zina Onoro]

My friends....careful with those generic drugs!!!!!
they are not as strong as the nongeneric... Also everytime you are given one you will not necessarily get the same one you were given the last time. Each company makes thiers a litte different but close. in our case "Close" is not good enough. I don't mess with the generic and my Dr. agrees and won't give them to me.

Sister Zina

[Kevin Knight]

I still play at home.  I think of my Bass guitar as my child almost.  I named it/her Kathy, since I'm Kevin.  I used to wish a group of epileptic musicians could get together and make a record that would sell and bring icoming support to the Association.  Then the group could play at certain Epilepsy events and be the performers at Epilepsy Adovcate meetings, EFofA events, and other epileptic fundraisers.  Its just that the musicians are scattered so far apart.

Brian Keith Wilborn said:

Hello Kevin,

Good to hear that you seem to have some balance to your trigger points.  I'm wondering I'm a musician.    Although you gave up playing in clubs do you still play at home.  I find sometimes just playing the keyboard for an hour relaxing and studying certain topics that I find interesting relaxing as well.

 

Keith

 

[Brian Keith Wilborn]

Hello Kevin,

Don't give up on that thought of creating a band who share some of the same struggles that we share.  I have never played in a band most of music is at home in the studio.  My wife and I are now working on a project that was suppose to be finished 8 years ago.  The project is going to be a cross between Jazz/Gospel.  What style music do you write?

 

Keith

Kevin Knight said:

I still play at home.  I think of my Bass guitar as my child almost.  I named it/her Kathy, since I'm Kevin.  I used to wish a group of epileptic musicians could get together and make a record that would sell and bring icoming support to the Association.  Then the group could play at certain Epilepsy events and be the performers at Epilepsy Adovcate meetings, EFofA events, and other epileptic fundraisers.  Its just that the musicians are scattered so far apart.

Brian Keith Wilborn said:

Hello Kevin,

Good to hear that you seem to have some balance to your trigger points.  I'm wondering I'm a musician.    Although you gave up playing in clubs do you still play at home.  I find sometimes just playing the keyboard for an hour relaxing and studying certain topics that I find interesting relaxing as well.

 

Keith

 

[bryan farley]

kevin,

I am relaxed just thinking about the idea of musicians getting together

Kevin Knight said:

I still play at home.  I think of my Bass guitar as my child almost.  I named it/her Kathy, since I'm Kevin.  I used to wish a group of epileptic musicians could get together and make a record that would sell and bring icoming support to the Association.  Then the group could play at certain Epilepsy events and be the performers at Epilepsy Adovcate meetings, EFofA events, and other epileptic fundraisers.  Its just that the musicians are scattered so far apart.

Brian Keith Wilborn said:

Hello Kevin,

Good to hear that you seem to have some balance to your trigger points.  I'm wondering I'm a musician.    Although you gave up playing in clubs do you still play at home.  I find sometimes just playing the keyboard for an hour relaxing and studying certain topics that I find interesting relaxing as well.

 

Keith

 

[angelsiren]

I was having absences yesterday and realised at some point i had also bitten the tip of my tongue. luckily i found that even after biting my tongue hard during Grand mal seizures that tongues tend to heal surprisingly quickly. always looks worse than it feels !

Raymond MaGee said:

Well, I was under a lot of stress yesterday.  I usually don't believe that stress can be much of a factor,,,,, but.  I don't remember when or how it happened, but I did notice on my way home from work that I had bitten my tongue.  Just a small bite, but the only time that happened before was during a seizure.  This is something that I haven't experienced in quite some time and hope it doesn't lead to anything else.  Like I said, I don't remember going through anything and did not expreience any of the tell tale signs of having an episode, so I remain to the thought that maybe I was eating something and bit my tongue then.  My last EEG showed all was normal, but you never know.

 

Later,

Ray

[Don Miller]

Hi Sonia,

Stress is the major one for me, also fatigue, caffeine (no chocolate kind of bums me out), heat is a major trigger, mostly they happen for no reason at all.

[Lrjg]

Before having the TL surgery I would say that stress didn't cause my seizures.  Now, when I say I don't even know if what happens is related to seizures, it is always at very stressful times.  I instantly get a dizzy feeling.  It then gets where I can not finish sentences or remember what I was saying.  It is just a frustrating feeling where I feel like I am in a race to end what I was trying to say.  I have said for a long time that the cause is stress, not seizures, but I do wonder if it is related.

[Sister Zina Onoro]

Why yes.... as epileptics we tend to have a lower thresh hold for stress. I am a teacher and I just had to change some of my duties because of the stress..... boy what a difference! I feel much better now. my triggers have lessened because I have been taken out of some the areas where they were occuring.. I was also stress over the chance that a trigger might go off. Now that is over...I still hve a little stress but I can handle it......
We have stress in our workplace at home, and in our relationshipos with others. I some areas I believe the stress is more intense than in others and it effects us differently. does that help.....?
Sr. Zina Onoro
epileptic

[Amy]

My daughter was diagnosed with epilepsy a little over 2 months ago. Then, last week, I had a 20 minute seizure (my first) during which my daughter found me and had to watch me get loaded into an ambulance bleeding, etc. She had 7 seizures in the few days following my seizure, which was a great increase over her previous rate of having seizures. I believe that the stress of witnessing my seizure probably made her have more.

[Karina Bertrand]

yes, atleast for me, stress and sleep deprivation are my big triggers

 

releiving stress and consistant sleep habits are good for your health in general and according to my doctor prevent seizure and jerks :)