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For those who have or know about pseudoseizures

Fri, 11/05/2010 - 19:00
I have had physiological (ie. not psychogenic) seizures for 6 months, but a 12-year old neighbor of mine who, ah, sees me as role-model (don't ask me why - lol) has suddenly developed psychogenic seizures. It's so obvious it's really sad, and a pediatric neurologist said as much as well. I haven't had any in front of her, however it doesn't take much to see what seizures look like on the internet these days. Under the guidance of the neurologist, her parents and I are working with her on this, and right now the parents are using the "well anyone who has seizures can't do that" approach (play video games, stay up late, swim, eat junk food, you name it). Their next approach is to give her an "AED" (placebo). Anyway, her situation with pseudoseizures has led to questions I have that I would like the folks here who also have pseudoseizures (or know about them) to answer: 1. Do pseudoseizures have a stereotypical pattern of aura, seizure activity, seizure after-effects, etc.? Or, are the seizure-related behaviours for a given seizure type more variable than for physiological seizures? 2. Do pseudoseizures even have aura, and seizure after effects like headache, electrical sensations, etc.? 3. Are AEDs helpful for pseudoseizures? Can one "convince" themselves (consciously or subconsciously) that a particular AED is working, and therefore the seizures seem to come under at least partial control? Or, is the psychological reason for having the seizures too strong for any AED to work? 4. Since very often EEGs, MRIs, etc. can be normal even in those with physiological seizures, how does a neurologist determine that someone is in fact having pseudoseizures (assuming no obvious issues like pre-diagnosed mental disorder, mental or physical trauma, severe stress, etc,)? Thank you in advance for your help!

Comments

Re: For those who have or know about pseudoseizures

Submitted by thebettles on Sat, 2010-11-06 - 16:00

Hello Deborah,

Your responses seem a bit uneven.  Do you really believe this post has anything to do with "my" epilepsy vs. "yours"? Is that why this post was made, so that MJ could feel better about herself and tell the world about this neighbor of hers who doesn't have "real" epilepsy like she does? In her post in fact, she is asking for answers to many many important questions in order to get to to the very root essence of what is going on with her neighbor.

I think what stirred your pot was MJ writing that her feeling it is PNES was "obvious and really sad". She may be correct or she may be way off and therefore it sure would be useful to honestly answer all her questions and help guide her and her neighbor correctly, since you have lots of knowledge on PNES.

I think what might be obvious is that that phrase struck a cord deep within you, resounding all the anger and hostility of a life of not accepting being not accepted.

But saying something like that would be to make flippant judgements about another without really having any idea who they are except reading between the lines of a response to a post...

Love to all,

Marty

Hello Deborah,

Your responses seem a bit uneven.  Do you really believe this post has anything to do with "my" epilepsy vs. "yours"? Is that why this post was made, so that MJ could feel better about herself and tell the world about this neighbor of hers who doesn't have "real" epilepsy like she does? In her post in fact, she is asking for answers to many many important questions in order to get to to the very root essence of what is going on with her neighbor.

I think what stirred your pot was MJ writing that her feeling it is PNES was "obvious and really sad". She may be correct or she may be way off and therefore it sure would be useful to honestly answer all her questions and help guide her and her neighbor correctly, since you have lots of knowledge on PNES.

I think what might be obvious is that that phrase struck a cord deep within you, resounding all the anger and hostility of a life of not accepting being not accepted.

But saying something like that would be to make flippant judgements about another without really having any idea who they are except reading between the lines of a response to a post...

Love to all,

Marty

Re: For those who have or know about pseudoseizures

Submitted by 3Hours2Live on Sat, 2010-11-06 - 19:41
Hi Marty, Besides the ad infinitum of having to accept the acceptance of future and past acceptances in every direction and dimension and aspect (which stalls Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in a muddled dirty/clean muck of rejection when "facts" vaporize at sunrise), I'm tempted by the very root of all "essences" of knowledge of "things" that don't exist. Some of these "things" that don't exist are like the essences of shadows. The notion of a "shadow" is usually a very useful simplification that exploits the "innocent" consequences of using the fictional construct of "the shadow", but while the usage becomes so commonplace that it becomes to be regarded as a "true belief" of a well established "fact", disaster lurks. When this "fact" of the "truth of the shadow's existence" is used to nail down the verification that the fastest speed possible is the speed of light, the "shadow" is liable to jump up, and take off at a speed much faster than the speed of light. The "shadow" has this great ability because it doesn't have to deal with the reality of being in existence (i.e., shadows don't exist). The sets of the true-believers in organic disorders and the true-believers in non-organic disorders, have many members that belong to both sets, and many members jump from one to the other whenever the need arises. Some members of these two sets even write books about "The Shadow Syndromes" from the other set, and some will even try to catch their own member-set's shadow syndromes. All organic disorders cast "shadows". All non-organic disorders are of the "shadows". True-believers of these "shadows" strongly regard that their statistically categorized shadows are in existence as well established "facts", even to the extreme point that they believe that the "shadow" of their "shadows" can become "Shadow Syndromes". As the true-believers jump from one set to the other set, they often stumble. One major stumble is "PNES". Trying to duck falling prey to the one aspect of the "shadows of the shadows", PNES is sometimes relabeled PNEAs. To avoid the problems of too much loaded-baggage of contradictory knowledge from the other set, some jumpers will claim non-knowledge of the knowledge they are claiming to be utilizing while they are in mid-air making the indecisive, but otherwise economical (for themselves), jump. Will all the shadows go to a big convention, and stick their PNEAs into their DSM-V, so no light can enter their present DSM-IV hole??? Tadzio

Re: For those who have or know about pseudoseizures

Submitted by zealot on Sat, 2010-11-06 - 19:59

Tadzio,

This is blogworthy.  Please go to the TypePad Dashboard and use the Reblog feature.  Click the control and enter the url of your comment to which I am replying, add a few words (or not), and publish.

I think you can reblog anything you feel like.  I think the TypePad lawyers have the copyright stuff worked out, but I haven't read all of the fine print yet.

I just did it or the first time today.  It autogenerates a nice little post with the link to the comment embedded and copies in the name and text of the forum and that tricolor logo thingie.

I'm gonna do some more of that.  The more often we publish, the higher the search rankings.  So post here, publish there and vicee voicie.

Baruch Hashem.  Hoshia na.

Devorah Zealot Soodak http://psychout.typepad.com/ the zealot needs help! Please read my blog. Thanks.

the new post from the zeelot

the new reblog from the zeelot

Tadzio,

This is blogworthy.  Please go to the TypePad Dashboard and use the Reblog feature.  Click the control and enter the url of your comment to which I am replying, add a few words (or not), and publish.

I think you can reblog anything you feel like.  I think the TypePad lawyers have the copyright stuff worked out, but I haven't read all of the fine print yet.

I just did it or the first time today.  It autogenerates a nice little post with the link to the comment embedded and copies in the name and text of the forum and that tricolor logo thingie.

I'm gonna do some more of that.  The more often we publish, the higher the search rankings.  So post here, publish there and vicee voicie.

Baruch Hashem.  Hoshia na.

Devorah Zealot Soodak http://psychout.typepad.com/ the zealot needs help! Please read my blog. Thanks.

the new post from the zeelot

the new reblog from the zeelot

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