Noise sensitivity and seizures
 

My 16 year old son had his first and only (so far) seizure last month. It was a grand mal seizure but CT scan and EEG both came back normal. He has a cochlear implant, so an MRI is not an option. Since the seizure, he has had noise sensitivity issues nearly everyday. Just prior to his seizure, he remembers hearing a loud noise, almost like a buzzing sound. Since the seizure, he does not complain of the buzzing sound, just that sounds are too loud all of a sudden. I have also noticed that he is more anxious and more easily agitated since his seizure, and he is also having difficulty sleeping at night. I'm trying to understand what is going on with him, but the doctors do not seem concerned. The noise sensitivity concerns me because he has never had that before and I'm trying to determine if that is directly related to the seizure.

Hi brandonsmom,

Welcome to the forum! What you are describing sounds like your son might be having audio seizures which in turn can lead to any type of seizure.
An audio seizure is when certain sounds can trigger seizures for a person because the person is noise sensitive. Also with your son being 16 yrs. old his hormones are still changing and that can sometimes cause seizures for a person. There have been many times when I've had an e.e.g. , CT scan and other tests done and they came back normal and this is because the brain damage was to deep in my brain to pick up with the tests. The Dr. never found it until they did brain surgery on me. My advice to you is to have your son go to an Epilepsy Center which are usually at university hospitals and have him see an Epileptologist. This is a Dr. who specializes in Epilepsy. Keep you son away from a lot of food with carbs. and starch in them because it can trigger seizures and start giving him vitamin B12 once a day this helps calms the nerves down. Also keep a journal and write down what time your son has any seizures along with a description by doing this the Dr. may see a pattern in the seizures. I wish you and your son only the best of luck and May God Bless You Both!

Sue

If the noise sensitivity or emotions are just before every seizure and there's nothing there to cause it such as a loud noise, or something to **** him off or depress him. That could be his aura's, the sign that a seizure is about to happen. for a temporal lobe seizure a moderately common aura is mode swings. My doc was never able to see what caused my seizures in a CT scan or a MRI either. They finally saw that I have a ton of scarring on the temporal lobes that cause my seizures when I had my first major brain surgery. I had the right temporal lobectomy. That GREATLY reduced the amount of seizures I was having. I was having over 100 per month, and then after the lobectomy I was having 8 to 12 per month.
Sincerely
Shawn

My daughter whom is 16 also recently had her first grand mal seizure last week after receiving an external upgrade on her Cochlear Implant. She switched from the 3G to the Freedom and had the seizure 2 days later. She also complains of noise issues, dizzness, and blurry vision. Not sure if this is related to the implant or this is something new for her.

so sorry to hear all of these stories. although my seizures stem from my occipital lobe, i also have problems with audio. my problems are with insistent, repetitive beats, especially with bass. i know that there is a test for it, but i am so sorry that i do not know the name. get better! :hug:

I don't have any implants, however I'm diagnosed with non-epileptic hyperactive seizures. I have had lots of problems which audio sensitivity levels that are intermittent from high to low. Sometimes for no reason I seem to be highly sensitive while other times I'm not. When I'm very sensitive I have trouble being in public places ex. a shopping mall where there are many loud voices all mixed together. Like Sara I too also can have problems with repetitive music beats and deep bass. I've even had problems with really loud trucks driving by with diesel engines.

Does anyone else seem to have fluctuating sensitivities? Besides implants do you take medication for this?

Noise-triggered seizures
 

Thanks for your post. Yes, I have noise-triggered seizures too. Only from a specific combination of traffic noise. It is a buzzing sound like an airplane engine noise. It lasts for 3 to 10 seconds. I'm aware and can talk etc. I do get irritated when it gets too noisy on the street. They are mostly controlled by Lamictal and Vimpat. I used to get a one or two a month since I was 18 (and didn't know they were seizures until I had two grand mals), but now I have about 4 a year. All in the winter months. I learned I have gluten intolerance and going gluten free has helped.

How is he doing now? All the best.

I am 46 years old and have been having noise triggered seizures for five years. The doctors told me they were Psuedo seizures stemming from a total breakdown and also told me I have PTSD. (of course they told me it was Psychological after the seizures did show up on any scans and tests. I finally was sent to Audiologist who determined that I had way above avg. hearing.

I had TMJ Surgery 8 months before the seizures started but the doctors assured me that would not cause what was happening to me. I have a intolerance to high and low frequencies and multiple sounds and voices.

A few months before the seizure started I woke out of my sleep by an extreme and constant low frequency sound that was hurting my head. I put pillows over my head to relieve the pain but it didn't help. I was in tears from the pain in my head and ears.

My husband (as musician) also heard the sound but was not affected like I was. He told me he had never heard a frequency that low before. After about 15 minutes of this the sound stopped but my pain continued for a good while longer. I have always felt that sound that night did something to me that started this disabling life that I now live.

I cannot work, shop, attend concerts and other events especially if they are indoor. I have more problems inside small rooms or rooms with block walls but also have problems outside. Children screaming, whistles, and the bass thumping from teenagers cars drops me to the ground the fastest. The only thing I have been offered to help was the Audiologists solution of acid drops in my ears to deafen my hearing which I will not do.

It is comforting to know that I am not alone. I have felt like a freak all these years with a Psychological diagnosis that I KNEW was Physical. No one understands the destitute I feel as a result of not being understood. I am a single parent who cannot even get a date because I am disabled under a title of a mental disorder. God help us all in finding the cause and hopefully a cure for this phantom illness that doctors cannot detect.

Hi Sadie,

Welcome to the forum! Many times seizure activity will not show up on test because the brain damage is in to deep in the brain for the tests to show. From what you have described it's not a psuedo seizure it's seizures caused by audio and this is called "audio seizures". If I may ask do certain colors bother you causing possible seizures? If this is also happening you may be photosensitive which means certain colors are triggering seizure or you are having audio seizures do to certain sounds.

What you need to do is go to any Epilepsy Center and see an Epileptologist (Dr. specializing in epilepsy) an Epileptologist is further ahead in understanding and giving treatment to people with epilepsy.

If you haven't started to do it yet you need to keep track of your seizures. Get a calendar and write down what time you have any seizure and write down a description of the seizure. Also take note if you are hearing certain sounds, bright light, flashing light, under stress, or lack of sleep. Stress and lack of sleep are the 2 main things that can trigger seizures.

I'm 49 yrs. old and I know that when I went through my change and the hormones changing triggered more seizures for me also. This could also be what's causing some of the problem.

Start cutting back on the carbs and starch foods and eat foods high in fat this will build keytones in you system and stop the seizures. It's known as the ketogenic diet and it's been out since 1927 to help stop/reduce seizures.
Also start taking vitamin B12 1000 mcg. once a day this will help calm the nerves down and as wierd as it seems start eating peanut or nuts of any kind just be sure they are low in salt. Nuts help build up progesterone in a woman which in turn helps calm the nerves down. It's worked great for me. I wish you only the best of luck and May God Bless You!

Sue

Nice to meet you!!
 

informative forum
 

Presently I am unable to sleep due to the noise from the fridge's motor. Ticking clocks, rave music /repetitive, heavy bass as well as people talking loudly (esp in confined area such as elevator) or with a high pitch affect me negatively. The sound of the road whilst driving annoys me. I find listening to classical music helps. I have had epilepsy since I was 12. I have had less seizures as an adult. I was also advised by an ENT(ear, nose and throat specialist) to have a septoplasty/ surgery to correct my deviated septum as this causes severe sinusitis which in turn causes uncomfortable pressure build -up in my ears.
I have bought several pairs of blue tinted polarised glasses without fully knowing why I found this colour to be so calming. I always switch the fluorescent lights off in my office, and allow natural light in through the windows. I try not to look at pc monitor for too long - for this nauseates me due to subtle flicker. I grin and bear arduous meetings held in venues with such lighting.Shopping malls are a veritable nightmare in terms of sound and lighting. This is exacerbated by poor dietary habits causing my blood sugar levels to plummet. Also have hypotension.
I have motion sickness - I cannot look at google earth without feeling dizzy.
I believe that understanding is as crucial as sharing experience/advice.

Hi Ash,

Welcome to the forum! It sounds like you may be photosensitive to some light just like I am. A study was done and they found blue lights and the scent of lavender to help some people reduce their sz. A few yrs. ago I had a special e.e.g. done where the tech was flashing different color lights one at a time and when they flashed florescent green, amber, and bright white each time it triggered a sz for me. Later on I had brain surgery to help reduce my sz. and since that time I know longer have problems with looking at certain color lights or strobe lights. I wish you the best of luck and May God Bless You!
Sue

Great to meet you!!
 

Loud noises and seizures
 

I thought I would share my experience and what seems so far to be helpful for me.

After a motorcycle accident (first time out on the road....but I was covered head to toe in gear...ripped up my left arm (6 surgeries) and a slight mark on my helmet), I noticed that there were times when a quick sound or a fast movement on the TV caused very short duration convulsions for me. The video seemed to lessen over time as well as audio causing issues.

A year later after being prescribed Zoloft (200mgs/day) I suffered my first Grand Mal. I did not notice any major outside sources (audio/video) prior to the seizure....just woke up to having my back broken in 3 places.

The seizure was finally attributed to Serotonin Syndrome and my Zoloft was changed to Lexapro at 10mgs/day with success.

About 7 months later, while at a drum and bugle corps competition I had another Grand Mal.

Since that time I've noticed that as the day goes on and sound starts to build, I become more sensitive.

I decided to experiment with .5mgs of Xanax and all of my symptoms disappeared. 1mg of Xanax prior to attending a concert or movie, and I have no myoclonic activity at all and have been seizure free for two years.

I know that my case is my own....and am certainly aware we are all different.

I just figure if I could calm my CNS down just a tad that perhaps the volume might not be as much of an issue.

Just my two cents from my experience.

Bob

Greetings!!
 

Some one help me
 

My wife is so ill it boggles the mind.
she had epilepsy when she was young, slow wave spikes.
she was recovered with the kito diet.

then one day few years after, she was skipping in the garden, and she felt suddenly dizzy a sudden and very painfull headace and then a head tremor started, (i was going out with her at the time) we all expected it to just dissapeer, it didnt, instead the tremor spread through her whole body, she would randomly lash out hitting pillers, throwing stuff at walls, etc. because of this she was kept in hospital in a bed for many days, she asked to get up and walk and they point blank refused to let her, when she was finally aloud to go for a walk she found that had forgotten to walk, her walk had become strange, all of the docters in britain could not work it out, they described her as like a puppet on string. thankfully the walking issue was fixed with therapy, but by this point the symptons were much worse than just tremors.

she now runs out of energy very quickly, her memory is worrying, she has seizures whenever a mower, strimmer, motobike goes past.
she has seizures when she sees particular kinds of lights, whenever she has a seizure like these it will effect her energy and general ability to cope that day,..sometimes that week!!!

she was diagnosed with "functional movement disorder"
are docters here are useless they refuse to scan her or give her an eeg, they say basicly its all in her head and are sending her on "awareness courses" to try and fix the symptoms, and this is making her feel useless freak of nature and worthless, she has felt suicidal many times, and i am at a loss of what to do.

please someone help me

Great to meet you!!
 

Hi jimi,

I'm sorry to hear what's happened to your wife. My advice to you is to get her to see an Epileptoloigist and get her on vitamin B12 1000 mcg. once a day.
It sounds like your wife is having audio and photosensitive sz. which means certain sounds and certain colors of light are triggering her sz. In regards to her memory sz. meds. can cause short term memory loss and also if a person has many sz. over the yrs. it can shrink and harden a persons hippocampus which is the short term memory area of the brain and it turn this causes memory loss.
When your wife has thrown things this tells me it's the frontal lobe of her brain which controls a persons temper. Is there any chance that your wife could be getting MS because that would explain the problems with her walking and epilepsy can happen when a person gets MS.
My advice to you is to get your wife to see a neuron surgeon and look into having surgery to stop or reduce her sz. this will make her life much better. I've had surgery done twice to reduce the sz. and it has done wonders for me. I would also ask the Dr. to do a SPECT scan PET scan and wada test. Depending on your wifes age if she's old enough to be going through menopause this could be what has started her sz. up again. I wish you and your wife the best of luck and May God Bless the both of You!
Sue

Have you looked up these symptoms
 

Google "Exploding head Syndrome" my sister recently diagnosed with this. Came as a real surprise to us all but explains so much, in particular her reluctance to sleep at night and strangely, the giggling!!