Question:
before i was diagnosed with a brain tumour from my seizures, i led a very
active life. i worked out all the time... both weights and cardio. now after
the diagnosis, it seems that anything involving physical stress, can trigger
a seizure. is it the meds? dilantin, clobazam? i was alright living
unknowlingly with the tumour beforehand.
does anyone else get seizures triggered from physical stress?
Answer:
you forgot to say where the seizures you have are thought to originate
(the tumour location, and so? the seizure focus?). Because you're using
Dilantin and Clobazam (I use Tegretol and Clobazam, and once used Dilantin),
does that mean that yours might be Temporal Lobe-based too? and so they're
Complex Partial Seizures?
Some seizure types might be more sensitive to certain triggers or
environments than other types of szrs. might be or with the other types, any
effects might not be as noticeable.
(Since mine are in Right Temporal Lobe, I used to get an Aura that
included a Lemon Taste or Odour -- and as we got closer to full control, a
very strong Odour (e.g. Lemon Floor Cleaners) could itself produce an Aura,
even if I wasn't 'normally' near to getting a seizure for other reasons.
*If you're working out more (now) than you were (for example) while the
tumour was being treated, your metabolism might be clearing out the Dilantin
and Clobazam levels in your blood faster than it would with us 'Couch
Potatoes'... While they were setting the original levels of Clobazam and
Dilantin, were they doing semi-frequent bloodwork to test levels? As far as
I know, 'bloodwork' is the only way they can check, for some of the pills,
how fast your body is purging the dose *or if you're being Over-medicated.
So if you hadn't been as active early on, the pill level might have been
O.K. but now that you're more Active, the levels might have decreased from
an ideal setting for the 'new you'. Just some thoughts I wondered about.
G.R.
I get complex partial seizures and although I take tegretol and topamax, I
still get the odd minor episode. I do a reasonable amount of walking and my
husband has noticed that they are far more likely to occur as I struggle up
a steep hill or walk along a ledge. He would definately agree with the
physical stress theory but I hadn't noticed it myself. We now make sure
that if we are anywhere dangerous I go first so that he can notice if I stop
walking, as he used to turn round and I just wasn't there - he was scared
that he'd lose me off a cliff someday!!
In short, I agree that physical stress can be a trigger.
