Epilepsy Community

sezioiors set off by all kinds of triggers from what my nrologiest has told me. it colud be possiable. has ur son seen a neroligest? i been having them almost 2 years now myself , still serching for anwers. i know stress is one big trigers and light senstivte and noise setive is few others. with my expeiances though durning my epiosdes i have noreaclection of them i can say before them i get really sick to every stumulant around me before hand. missing time i have my familly tells me about. i come out my seziors no recution of what happened or where i am at so i depend on others around me fill in missing pieces.. maybe its more then just alligers just trigering it . has your son had eeg? or cat scan? or mri? they can give you lot anwsers to some your questions. i do think that some toxis in air cold be a side effct but probly the nosie factor of remodilng that starts it rest just unforunate side effect. god bless ur boy. i hope u find your anwser.

Good Morning Rochelle,

Welcome to EPLAND. I can relate. Or rather my Sister can.

Story: My Sis was dxed at age 16. But, at that time DRs believed it to be Post traumatic stress related. After trying 1 med she preferred szs. Bear w/ me. Later, when she had a stroke, at age 36?, she was told her EP was caused by borderline diabetic symptoms. After she recovered, she moved from TX to Washington State. Her seizures intensified. She was told ALLERGIES were the cause for increase. They couldn't say if it was trees, pollen, or seasonal.She moved back to TX. Episodes decreased. SOOOO, 1 more time, they moved back to Washington. Now, in the past few yrs she has been treated by a naturalist. He claims hormonal changes are NOW the cause. .

The point of this story is ANYTHING is possible w/ EP. (more then 2 szs qualifies him as EP) Researchers & DRS do agree that toooo little is known about the brain & the numerous causes of EP. Only thing they DO agree on, IT HAS TO BE TREATED. It needs to be controlled!

Your son needs to start an EP journal. If he hasn't already. Record what ya remember of past history. Record the future. Include questions for the DR in the journal. It will make the visit easier & ya won't get the bum rush. A journal will prove to be a valuable tool for DR & your son.

If you or your son have MORE questions, we will be here.

God Bless

Love Candi & family

Rochelle, there is still less than 50% known causes of seizures. So when a doctor automatically assumes that there is no connection between your son's allergies and seizures, ask them what they are using in order to prove that the seizures your son is experiencing are not being triggered by allergies. And if none of those doctors can prove it, ask them something like "okay, what would we need to do in order to prove that my son is not having his seizures triggered by allergies?"

Do you know whether or not if your son is still getting the same amount of sleep over the past year from when you all started that major remodeling project on your house? If he has been getting a lesser amount of sleep, then that could very well be the reason why he has been having seizures, because for some people, sleep deprivation can be a direct result to someone having seizures. One of the myths that people still believe is that stress triggers seizures. The fact on this is that stress does not directly trigger people to have seizures, but instead, stress can result in to sleep deprivation, and sleep deprivation, again, can be a direct trigger for people to have seizures.

Hi Bruce,

Agree to disagree? Do you know when the stress factor became a myth???? My Parke-Davis manual for Epilepsy was published in 1992.

Quote: There are certain situations that, for some ppl, can increase the likelihood of a seizure. If you know what these situations are, you can avoid them & reduce the chance of seizures. (yeh, we know all that) Stress can be one of these factors. Everybody has stress, but too much stress & changes in the body it causes can help bring on a seizure. A single stressful moment causes the release of the hormone adrenaline. This hormone can increase blood circulation & breathing rate.

If you can't avoid stress, then they suggest you learn stress-reduction techniques to prevent seizures.

Yes, you have to be sure to get enough rest, too. Too little sleep or irregular sleep, as you said, can cause more frequent seizures. Again, relaxation techniques are recommended.

God Bless

Love Candi & family

Bruce, that's just it - there is so much we don't know about the brain and how it works. So why are the doctors so sure that allergies aren't a factor? To answer your question about the amount of sleep my son is getting - it could have been a factor with the first seizure, but not so much with the other 4. For the most part he is good about getting 7-8 hours of sleep. As far as the whole stress issue, I think stress has a negative affect on our bodies and could possible be a trigger to one degree or another. I just want to figure out what my sons triggers are and deal with them.

Thanks for your thoughts.

I know this is an old post, but I'm glad I found it. My son has seizures . he is 6 yrs. old now but started having them when he was 4. We moved from Houston to West TX and soon after he had his first seizure in his sleep. There is an extensive amount of pollutants and toxing and allergens in this town. The funny thing is that he only has them in his sleep and only in June/July and in December. I've been keeping a journal since he started having them. He's had a numerous amount of tests with no answer as to why he has them. We might never known. He's had a pattern of these seizures for the past 2 1/2 yrs. I've always believed that he is allergic to some toxin or something in the air around that time when he has them. He also had allergies and his sinuses seem to swell alot. Of course, drs think I'm crazy and shoot down my theory. Although, we saw a different dr. (his regular dr was out) this last seizure and he told me there's no actual evidence (scientific research, whatever) that sinus or allergies may cause seizures but he believes there is a possiblity it may be true b/c the sinuses can put pressure on the brain and that may be the brains rxn to seize. I'm glad to know that there's other who believe this theory b/c I was starting to believe I was wrong. Thanks ya'll.

I think that although there isnt any proof yet that there is a connection between allergies, and seizures, that it could be a possibility. My seizures are directly related to a brain injury. I also have celiac disease (wheat allergy), and my neuro said while the brain injury caused the seizures, that he believes the celiac makes it worse. That everyone has a seizure thresh hold, and the lower the thresh hold, the more variants for triggers.

Yes all sorts of allergies cause seizures. I currently have problems with gluten in foods that cause my seizures. Allergies like this may take several years for the body to become allergic and take over the seizures. Light causes several people to trip off seizures, even getting to exited. Many things can cause seizures that cause an erratic brain function. But the basic reason of the seizures is injury or improper development of the brain.

Good question!! I personally have suspected that for some time now. Keep pushing this with your doctor. Always remember that the cause of seizures and the triggers of seizures are 2 DIFFERENT things. If you don't keep what is called a "seizure diary", now is the time to do so. This would really be helpful for your case, as allergies and seizures seem odd bedfellows. Write down dates, times, what happens, weather, activity, diet, etc. No matter how irrelevant the details, write them down. ALWAYS show this to each and every doctor you see. If he/she isn't interested, I suggest getting a new doc. Not showing interest in a epileptic diary is a major flag. Try finding a epilepsy specialist. I don't mean a regular neuro. These specialists are better with the mystery of seizures and they are more understanding. You have a good instinct. Push a little common sense with these docs. Unfortunately, too many docs have forgotten this fact when practicing medicine. Don't get dismayed either. All epileptics have had to "fight the fight" when it comes to getting docs to listen. Keep pushing the issues and symptoms, they can't ignore you forever!! Good Luck!!!

Do you take some kind of medicine to control your seizure or just stay away from the allergen. My daughter, 11 yo, had 3 sz everyday in a row last week, we did EEG 2x, ct scan and MRI already. The result of the MRI show there is a sinusitis but the neurologist didn't think it was the trigger or cause. and he gave a depacote 500mg twice a day and she has been taking it for a week. I suspect she got sz from the chocolate since she is allergic to it since she was a little kid. The neurologist told us that the medicine has to be taken for at least 2 years, which I don't think it is necessary if we can manage the trigger or caused. Does anyone have any opinion or suggestion about this? who should I see to talk about my concern?

Hello rini,

I don't think Jerry & the others are w/ us anymore. Here is a link to another site that has more info. Since seizures are caused by misfirings in the brain that can be triggered by quite a number of various sources, I would say it would be best to remain on the meds for at least a period of 2 YRS Seizure-Free.

http://www.growingstrong.org/epilepsy/epiinfo.html

Your daughter is,also, at an age where she could be experiencing hormone changes, too. This, too, can trigger seizures. Resources should have info on 'Catamenial Seizures'.

You are your daughter's best advocate. Please start a Journal, if you haven't already. Continue to educate yourself &&& Her about Epilepsy & all it's aspects. There are books available for all ages that may interest you on epilepsyfoundation.org or Amazon.com. You can chek w/ your local Research Librarian for availability of these books at the Library.

Please start a new 'Discussion' & keep us posted.

Love Candi

allergies absolutely do cause seizures in me
cats, dust and alfalfa hay are the worst for me.
also, not getting enough sleep will trigger them

I find that if I don't eat on time (regularly) then that will cause a seizure...not a fall down, full blown one, but one that makes me confused and unable to communicate and stare into space etc. Just the other day I could have sworn a building wasn't where it always had been before! My kids thought I was crazy! I ate right after that episode and then took a nap.

Is your son still having seizures? My daughter is 6 years old and has recently had her fifth episode. She started at 15 months (1), 3 years (1), 4 years (2), and now 6 years. EEG is normal. Doctors tell us they are Febrile Seizures, but her last two occurred during her sleep and we aren't 100% sure that she had a fever. She has no recollection (thank god) but we are very concerned about her. My husband and I are starting to wonder if there is an allergy connection. Her episodes ALWAYS occur in March. Any advice or words of wisdom would be much appreciated.

Thanks!!