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Temporal lobe seizures and electromagnetic fields

Tue, 08/28/2007 - 14:39
Does anyone know if electromagnetic fields might cause temporal lobe activity/seizures in susceptible people? For instance, could the electromagnetic field in a car, or near a computer, TV or in a hospital where a lot of equipment is in use cause a temporal lobe reaction? I've been reading lately about how scientists have been stimulating the temporal lobes with electrodes and magnets to cause hallucinations, dreams, out of body experiences, religious experiences, etc. and I was wondering if the EMFs in the everyday atmosphere might trigger seizures in people who for some reason are sensitive to them. I have had 2 abnormal EEGs, and been diagnosed with temporal lobe seizures. I've never seen a description of temporal lobe seizures that exactly fits what happens to me. I think I'm falling asleep, or I have dreams while I'm aware of what's going on around me. These aren't random; they almost always happen in a car, near a computer, TV, when I'm sleep deprived or very bored. My neuro said I'm not falling asleep, and he can't explain the dreams. All he said was that I have a seizure disorder and I have to accept it. Keppra has controlled most of this, but there are some times that it's not controlled. I can canoe in class III-IV rapids and never have a problem. I don't have episodes while walking down the street or hanging out with people or doing things around the house. But before medication, just put me in a car, near a computer, in front of a TV or sometimes on the phone and I'd slip into a lucid dream, drop off for a few seconds or lose time on a frequent basis. Fluorescent lights could make me feel like I was going blind or crazy by the end of the day. Does anyone else have this very predictable, non-convulsive type of TLE? I keep trying to make sense of this, and I can't. That's why I keep coming back with these questions--hoping someone else will say "oh yeah, that's exactly what happens to me!" Deb

Comments

Re: Hi there Deb. I think you

Submitted by michaelH on Sat, 2007-09-22 - 05:19
Hmmm....funny you should mention that. When I had my last one I was standing on the road next to a high voltage power station. I never thought about that. I just chalked it up to being sleep deprived.

Re: Temporal lobe seizures and electromagnetic fields

Submitted by Mactheknife on Sat, 2007-09-22 - 05:46
Deb, Ever had a fit in a canoe? Jo is "Biker Jo" - has he ever had a fit on a bike? The reason I ask is I've never had a fit on a bicycle. These activities (and the ones you mention when you don't have a seizure) are all active. But the other activities (passenger in a car, walking, computer, TV, phone) - they are all largely passive activities. The obvious exception is the computer. But IMHO using a PC is largely passive and receptive - i.e. reading. Great post!

Re: Re: Temporal lobe seizures and electromagnetic fields

Submitted by catsamu on Mon, 2007-09-24 - 11:35
I've never had a problem in my canoe (or on a bike for that matter). It definitely *is* when my mind is passive that I have the most trouble, especially when sleep deprived. The most active I ever was when having what I now know was a seizure was when I worked for a big computer company as a security guard and used to "wake up" in different places and not know how I got there. I found myself trying to put my key into a wall plug because it was close to the locked door I was supposed to be opening. So, passive mind (boredom), sleep deprivation, and these electromagnetic locations--could all or some of these be the triggers? Could they be a stronger trigger in combination with each other? Deb

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