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Psychogenic Nonepileptic seizures (PNES)

10 years ago 0 +0 / -0 21

Thank you Davit for welcoming me and your comments and ideas!

Thank you Ashley! Yes, I have been diagnosed with P.T.S.D., complex anxiety, chronic depression and now Psychogenic Nonepileptic Seizures.

Unfortunately, where I live, in a regional area, there very limited services.

Kind regards

10 years ago 0 +0 / -0 11214

Welcome Kama,

What you are describing does sound like PTSD but other disorders can accompany PTSD. For example, not being able to leave your house could indicate agoraphobia. I am unable to diagnose you so I cannot say definitively. It is very important to get a diagnosis from a doctor in order to determine appropriate treatment. Have you had a concrete diagnosis?

Ashley, Health Educator

Here to help :)

10 years ago 0 +0 / -0 6252

Kama

I have a theory here and I want both you and the moderators to know that although it is based on known facts it is still only a theory.

It hinges on your ability to access memory. And the test for that is to see if you can see three dimensionally. A lot more can not than can. Start with an empty table with just a box on it. Sitting looking at it from one side, can you visualize the other sides. If there is writing on it can you visualize it? If you hide something behind the box can you visualize it and the far side of the box? Is it in colour? Finally can you read mirror images, in other words can you turn things in your mind so you can read them. If you can do this then you have a higher than average ability to access choices from memory. The younger you are the less you have in memory so with less clutter and fewer compartments and this three dimensional ability you could access more associated memories than an older person. Very old people with less in there life have brains more like the young so are similarly susceptible. But it still hinges on ability to access memory. The other factor is trauma. It is fine to have this exceptional ability to access memory but what type of memory is important. Being able to access pleasant memories complete with colour, movement and smell would be okay unless there is traumatic memory attached to the pleasant one. Or worse more than one or more than one instance. Add to this the brains ability to block the conscious so with this strong ability to access memory and having it go subconscious but still active I can see there being nothing else to do but faint. In mild cases people just stare blankly or twitch as voluntary actions shut down. They will be walking along and stop like they forgot where they are going. This is fairly common.

This is just a theory but it could be why the experts say CBT can cure this. My ability to access memory and fewer traumatic things in my life may be why I stopped short of fainting and only got time loss.

Anyway not belittling your pain I find this interesting and it fits in with other anxiety and panic theories.

Davit.

10 years ago 0 +0 / -0 6252

Kama

Welcome

It would appear you have more than an anxiety disorder. Because with panic attacks a person may hyperventilate or stop breathing, they may get tunnel vision and weak legs and need to lean on something but they don't actually faint. I've had all this and more. But the only seizure I had was from Ativan.

I know one person who had syncope and I saw her go down once. Right in the middle of making coffee. She just dropped. We didn't know at the time she was bipolar but since treating the Bipolar with lithium the syncope has stopped and she has her drivers licence back. She has an anxiety disorder on top of this and at present is doing CBT and trying to get off the benzo's.

My only experience with extreme vivid remembrances complete with smell that are from my past was due to Vitamin B12. It is known to do this.

The only other things that I think could cause fainting are a restriction of two tiny arteries that pass by the ears and feed the brain. Normally they only cause frontal headaches. The other thing is sepsis. When infection reduces the amount of oxygen in the blood but you would need a very low O2sat. and you would become very weak before fainting.

There are others here more familiar with PTSD and whether it can cause fainting. All my PTSD did to me was cause me loss of some memory. Disturbing enough.

Depending on the degree of PTSD CBT can reduce or eliminate the cause for it.

I assume you have eliminated all physical cause for this if it is non epileptic.

I'm curious about these thoughts that you were confined. Are they yours in actuality or just imagined but real?

For me claustrophobic panic attacks were the longest lasting, up to three hours and had the most physical body changes.

Temp change, twitching and feeling like if I sit still I'll faint. But I never did. They were horrible. I say were because it is all gone. One other thing, do you have any warning before fainting?

The other thing with my panic attack was time loss. The clock would say three hours but I could only remember a few minutes spread across that period.

We are here to support and that is what we do best, feel free to post as often as you like.

Davit

10 years ago 0 +0 / -0 21

Hi there! I am very new here. I was just going through the first session of the program, when I came across "Myths". It says that fainting does not happen during a panic attack. I have been fainting since I was 6 yrs old. A few months ago, I was hospitalised for 6 days as I was having seizures and continued to do so in hospital. I lost count of how many times it happened.

It would start with me fainting, then I would have what looks like an epileptic fit. During this period, sometimes, I would also have flashbacks of traumatic events, (mostly from childhood). It was like re-living the event. All the senses were at work. I could see, hear, smell, feel and taste everything as if I was right back there! These would last up to 50 minutes.

Often when I came too the nurses and Dr's would be upset, as during the seizures I would be crying out. I thought my hands and feet were tied and sometimes I thought I was locked in a cupboard. I would say "I promise to be good" and "I promise I won't tell" and "Please let me go".

I would come out of the seizures/flashbacks and I could recall every single minute detail, as if I was just there.

So, it says fainting doesn't happen, but it does for me!!! From a minor collapse from loss of consciousness (which could occur from hyperventilating) to extreme seizures and flashbacks.

Does anyone know about these Psychogenic Non Epileptic seizures (PNES)? or have any experience with them?

I have been told they are related to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

I am very keen to learn more as it terrifies me, that I will have a seizure while out. Perhaps, this is why I find it so difficult to leave the house, even more so since the seizures happened. I rarely leave the house and it seems to be getting worse.

Any comments or help would be much appreciated. I do not know anyone else who has experienced these.

kindest regards,

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Psychogenic Nonepileptic seizures (PNES)