I’ve been reacting negatively to ‘bad’ music in the past couple months, literally fleeing concerts in a panic, fingers in my ears, hunching over trying to block the sound if the treble is too high, or louder than the bass or mids. If the music isn’t ‘equal’ with all parts in line running smooth thru my body in a rhythm it’s unbearable. I have to sit in my car and listen to ‘good’ music to ’smooth’ me out. It’s a drug when it’s good. I can’t turn it off. I am literally trapped in my car, unable to turn it off. I have done laps around my neighborhood, slowly lowing the music until I reach the final conclusion that I HAVE to turn it off. In the past week I started to notice I could NOT keep my eyes open when the sound was good. My head goes back, eyes shut, I’m sure I look like I’m tripping on acid or something. It started happening while driving last night. Now my good music is controlling me. I pulled over, couldn’t stop listening, then I noticed my body tightening, my temples to between by eyebrows straight to the entire top of my brain was in a rolling turmoil not sure whether to enjoy or fight the feeling. It was like a musical orgasm..then I had a seizure. Not my normal partial complex, I was aware, but locked up turned sideways in my car. I figured out that my entire body was trying to ‘balance’ the music because my left front speaker wasn’t working. Muscles under my ear tightened trying block the sound, leaving only the right side to interpret what it was hearing. I reached in desperation for the radio, still undecided whether to enjoy this smooth rolling rush overcoming me, or stop this seizure. I was totally exhausted after and noticed I couldn’t be in a room with lights. I slept with an eye mask in silence. Normally I listen to music. I enjoy any genre of music as long as it’s perfect sound, rhythm, no drops, singer can sing, bass there to balance the treble. I’ve always said a good song has to be felt from the groin to the top of my chest, each area feeling the different parts..bass, mids, treble.. I’m weird I know. I go to 50 concerts a year because music is my drug that fixes me and I’ve found only musicians understand some of what I’m saying.

Hi scruffy,
Welcome to Neuro Talk what you are describing sounds like you are having audio and possibly photosensitive seizures just like I mentioned to Maya.
What's happening with you is that the right temporal lobe of your brain is taking control of you and causing the seizures. The reason why I say it's the right temporal lobe of your brain is because that's the area of a persons brain that controls music. How we listen to it, play instruments, sing, etc. anything related to music is controled my the right temporal lobe. The next time this happens to you take a cold wash cloth and put it on your face and the back of your neck this will stop the neurons in the brain from firing up and leading into a seizure. Here's wishing you well and May God Bless You!

Sue

Thank heavens for this board and you all.

I've been wondering for some time why I've gradually avoided music more and more, to the point where I can't stand to listen to any at any time. I've loved music all my life, had musical training, played in orchestras, sang in groups, etc. Now that has changed entirely. It didn't dawn on me that my avoidance might be related to my seizures.

First of all, thanks a lot to you who replied to this topic. I really appreciate it It's nice to hear that someone is actually taking me seriously..

Actually, this is pretty much what I've been having, only, much less intense. My attacks have changed it's nature during the time since I started the topic, but I have yet to see a neuro. I contacted a doctor almost two months ago, but I have yet to get an actual appointment... My sz are a little bit different now. I still get my laughing fits, but rather than feeling happy, I rather get the feeling of... I dunno, I suppose malicious pleasure is the correct word for it? I still enjoy the sz themselves, but it also started to come with a feeling of abstinence... If I get a sz and don't get my regular dose of them afterwards, I start to lose my grip of reality and it literally feels like I'm losing myself. I hear.. not screams, but like a sensation of screams.. like a memory, or a thought that I can't control, and it just never stops. Everything is foggy. It's like there's two worlds, mine and the one that belongs to the person who's screaming, and I'm not entirely sure which one is the real one and which one is the illusion... Needless to say, I tend to avoid getting seizures now.

I got rid of my hyperacusis almost completely, but now I'm stuck with this b***crap This change happened almost within a week after my hyperacusis started getting better, so I still think there's a connection. Of course I can't be sure, since I avoided music a lot more when I was sound sensitive...

But Scruff, I'm... kind of confused by your statement that not everyone gets what your talking about when you said that music has to be 'felt'... I know exactly what you are talking about, in fact, I thought that was the normal reaction? :S can somebody please clear this up for me?

Musicogenic is related to REFLEX or GELASTIC
Seizures / Epilepsy "Family". YES, one can hear
sound - to be more specific, they come in Hertz
(Hz) and Frequencies.

Hertz - pitch
Frequencies - depth

One can be tripped off at a specific Hertz at a specific
Frequency or specific Hz and frequencies; while remainder
being of normalcy. An Audiologist working with a Neurologist
or Epileptologist will be able to work together in this area
to determine the specific range of field.

The seizure(s) itself varies from individual to individual, plus
how one obtained it also varies from individual to individual.

========================

A little bit about myself, I have this very exact specific
nature you are amplifying in this field, being diagnosed at
a very, very young age (before 3), then taken to a major
University Hospital (they did not have Level 4 Hospitals
back in my days) - it was then determine that was the
cause and reason. However, we had to return back again
for the same test performance; to see if it repeats itself
which it did, not only that it affirmed the conclusion that
I had mitochondrial - it was not until years later of what
type of mitochondrial I have, for that had been recently
found and everything have been aligned accordingly and
specifically. While what I have is excessively rare, for
added insult, due to differing variants and mutants, they
will not know until an autopsy is performed after my death.

Many others who experiences this, half of them were
genetic and others were virtually unknown with the guess
work of "high fevers" when they were a child according to
some from their family members - so it remains unknown.

Nonetheless, we all agree with one thing; it is annoying as
heck!

What is even worse is, it is a seizure itself before a seizure
manifests - not an Aura / Simple Partial; but there are a couple
individuals who experienced these when being exposed to a
pitch or frequency - which tripped them off.

Consider it the same thing of those who are photic (light
sensitivity) where strobes, flickering of lights, etc - would
trip them off into differing types of seizures.

Sometimes such seizures would even secondary generalize
while others it just a seizure and does not secondary
generalize at all.

Are they rare? NO, but it is uncommon, but not rare. I also
must add there it impacts both males and females equally,
and there is no nationality barriers either. Therefore, it can
effect anyone, anywhere, across this planet earth. One might
have it and under the false assumption that they are going
deaf or some have been misdiagnosed as a couple were, as
"tone deaf" until they saw a Neurologist and it showed up on
the EEG and Radiology scans and other tests were run.

Is Surgery necessary? YES and NO - depending on where it is
originating from, and to answer the other question: Why am
I being sent to an E.N.T. (Ear, Nose, Throat) Surgeon or
Specialist? The Surgeon will work together with the Neurologist
or Epileptologist and/or Neurosurgeon. As implied, it all depends
on where the problem is originating from. Some can be corrected,
some cannot.

The other question of "I hear things" but I am not seizing but
when I tell people what I hear they give me funny looks or think
I am a "nut case" ... No, you are not a nut-case - did you actually
"hear things", the answer is YES, but how? For example, you heard
classic music on the radio, only it was distorted, for a short span,
then it went away ... but no one was playing the radio (as it were
in my case). One would be able to hear odd, distorted, strange
noise, or even in some cases, repetitive noises - where they can
be misdiagnosed as tinnitus when it is not for it only lasted but for
a moment - a sure sign is, the headache that typically follows after
wards as well as the sudden development of light sensitivity, as
well as vertigo (dizziness), nausea with or without vomiting, other
signs, especially if one had experienced a "hard hit" would be:
staggering gait (walk), slurred speech, disorientation, blanking out
or zoned out or spaced out, the feeling of being there but not there
but somewhere in outer space, sensitivity to light, headache, and
others not listed.

If such arises - you should speak to the Physician and to the
Neurologist / Epileptologist. Make a log of this, every time you
remember having such occurrences; if you are aware or unaware
and/or if there are any witnesses, what were you doing (your
behavior) - for this logs would help tremendously.

If you are into music, knowing the musical keys, and specific keys
such as octave Eb always trips you off, then so note it. Or if
deep Bass in G, F, and A sends you into a flurries when your buddy
plays that electric guitar and cranks the bass up ... WRITE IT DOWN!
Even if a Violin, Piccolo, Oboe - sends you up the wall and you do
not know why (it would the the pitch and frequencies).

As for "hearing in your brain", such as electrical cracking, zapping,
so forth - note it down.

You are not crazy or losing you mind at all; it really is there, they have
captured these on EEG's on my end; even though I am profoundly
deaf now (115-120 dB (decibels)... cannot even hear a Boeing Jet
Engine) - yet, I can hear these obnoxious and annoying things
once in a blue moon for my AEDS are working - for when I was
young, I was not on AEDS, so I suffered through it much.


NOTE: It is TRUE that sometimes this can be a result of a side
effect of an AED (Anti-Epileptic Drug) that one may be taking
if one is on it.