Life's 5 Ws.. List one of today's Curve Balls..

[Francis]

So I was thinking how life is always throwing us one of it's curve balls..

Take this thread opportunity to list each days's curve ball in the form of a 5 W in the form of a 5 W if you wish or any other format..

• Who? Who was involved?
• What? What happened (what's the story)?
• Where? Where did it take place?
• When? When did it take place?
• Why? Why did it happen?
• How? How did it happen?

 

[hart]

What Francis you a former reporter or something?

 

[Francis]

Not today but Thursday I get to find out if my life will change dramatically after having recently had an MRI in a new machine.

Why ? Because I could very well be asked to give up this new job I just got with excellent pay that I love and lose everything I own as I could never afford to live as I do. Sound dramatic.. It's a reality I have faced for years now..

At 48 I really don't see myself trying to go back to university and have 5 years of work left in my life to try and pay off student loans even if I could.

What ? It has been 28 years since they started trying to find out why I have blackouts. Every so many years apart ( 11 years, 8 years and 5 years ) I have had them without notice but they only come and go in those periods of time. The last one caused my car accident and could have killed me ( August 2009 ).. Each one has caused me to lose my job and start all over again with each medical test showing nothing found.

If this test showed something positive, such as epilepsy or brain tumor, or even nothing at all I am still not better off.. Life has been very difficult and tough doctors tell you to live life as a normal person, no one can explain how it fells to fell this way..

If something had been found when I was 20 years old, 28 years ago, I could have made much different life choices and seeked government assistance. But as nothing was ever found back then I was not helped and told to go work at any cost and eventually made my way into this line of work I love.

However it could well be something I might have to give up and with two kids and no wife, how will I make ends meet..

 

[Francis]

What Francis you a former reporter or something?

Not quite...

That would make the other post much simpler..

 

[itsmeJonB]

So I was up to bat, and the pitcher threw a curve ball

 

[Francis]

so i was up to bat, and the pitcher threw a curve ball

:d:24::24:

 

[hart]

Okay, so let's take it from the top. You don't know yet so worrying is fruitless at this point. Francis, I developed epilepsy when I was 23, etiology unknown. Started only when I was in REM, so I'd basically wake up with a hell of a headache, and one time I was staying overnight at my mom's and had a seizure and she called the paramedics.

Thru the years the seizures changed and I started having them during the day. The good thing was I would always get plenty of warning, I would start feeling funny and my vision would start tripping, I always had time to get somewhere and be safe. One time I was in a store and I walked to the pharmacy and had it there.

I had EEGs throughout the years, then about 3 years ago I ran out of my epilepsy med AND DIDN"T HAVE A SEIZURE. I told my doc so he said let's run another test, which they did and I didn't show any abnormal brain activity. Suddenly after after all these years my epilepsy left as suddenly as it arrived.

So nothing is set in stone Francis. You might be having seizures due to a multitude of reasons some which can be controlled either thru surgery or medication.

If you ever want to talk about this, feel free to e-mail me.

It's a scary as hell diagnosis, but one can live surprisingly well with it. Keep ur chin up hon :thumbup

 

[Francis]

Okay, so let's take it from the top. You don't know yet so worrying is fruitless at this point. Francis, I developed epilepsy when I was 23, etiology unknown. Started only when I was in REM, so I'd basically wake up with a hell of a headache, and one time I was staying overnight at my mom's and had a seizure and she called the paramedics.

Thru the years the seizures changed and I started having them during the day. The good thing was I would always get plenty of warning, I would start feeling funny and my vision would start tripping, I always had time to get somewhere and be safe. One time I was in a store and I walked to the pharmacy and had it there.

I had EEGs throughout the years, then about 3 years ago I ran out of my epilepsy med AND DIDN"T HAVE A SEIZURE. I told my doc so he said let's run another test, which they did and I didn't show any abnormal brain activity. Suddenly after after all these years my epilepsy left as suddenly as it arrived.

So nothing is set in stone Francis. You might be having seizures due to a multitude of reasons some which can be controlled either thru surgery or medication.

If you ever want to talk about this, feel free to e-mail me.

It's a scary as hell diagnosis, but one can live surprisingly well with it. Keep ur chin up hon :thumbup

I'm not worried about being told I have a condition.. That would be a blessing to finally know..

I'm worried that after 28 years of taking antiseizure medications they either fucked up or still have no freaking clue what is causing the problem and might ask me to stop doing my work that I love.

I have been tested like a lab rat for all those years... EEG, blood work and X-Rays with nothing showing while they pumped me with meds of all types like you would not belive in all those 28 years. Those meds can now cause the seizures, which as I stated only appear from time to time ( years apart ) and are not constant.. It's not like I have them on a regular basis but to the authorities they don't give a shit and have already warned me my Drivers license is in jeopardy for LIFE..

Drivers license is a Priveldge but working is a must for men.. Strange isn't it and one need it in my line of work at 48..

I can't live on no money while one department says I have nothing and another says I MIGHT so they have the right to take away my prividlege at the whim of a doctor I have only seen once ( twice Thursday )..

 

[hart]

I'm not worried about being told I have a condition.. That would be a blessing to finally know..

I'm worried that after 28 years of taking antiseizure medications they either fucked up or still have no freaking clue what is causing the problem and might ask me to stop doing my work that I love.

I have been tested like a lab rat for all those years... EEG, blood work and X-Rays with nothing showing while they pumped me with meds of all types like you would not belive in all those 28 years. Those meds can now cause the seizures, which as I stated only appear from time to time ( years apart ) and are not constant.. It's not like I have them on a regular basis but to the authorities they don't give a shit and have already warned me my Drivers license is in jeopardy for LIFE..

Drivers license is a Priveldge but working is a must for men.. Strange isn't it and one need it in my line of work at 48..

I can't live on no money while one department says I have nothing and another says I MIGHT so they have the right to take away my prividlege at the whim of a doctor I have only seen once ( twice Thursday )..

Yeah that sucks. Luckily, I had my driver's license before I got diagnosed with epilepsy so they never found out. But as I said, I always had plenty of warning, so I always got myself out of harms way, be it driving or whatever.

Drivers license is a must for a lot of people. In my town and my work I could take a bus, the few times I have to go somewhere for the office I could have someone else drive me (I have the office credit card), but it would suck.

I am crossing my fingers they find out what's causing your seizures and you get better control. If they can isolate where it is, radical though it may be I know of people who had brain surgery to stop them and as the brain is amazing, the part of the brain that was removed, other parts of the brain re-wired and they have little or no residuals.

Our body can be amazing.

 

[BlackCherry]

I'm not a doc and forgive me if this seems to be nebby, but these blackouts...are you passing out and losing consciousness or are you conscious and just do not recollect a certain span of time? From the context I'm guessing it's the former as opposed to the latter, but I thought I would ask.

I'm not sure what you do for a living. It's so difficult to find something you love to do in the first place and then to have an obstacle stand in the way of being able to do it! I empathize with you on that one. You're being proactive about your health, which is the most important thing but the brain has a lot of undiscovered country. Curious that the intervals of time in between your episodes, despite still being years apart are decreasing. Per chance have you experienced a particularly stressful event just prior to your episodes? I ask because I have a friend with a similar problem, but they seemed to be triggered by really intense, stressful events. He also had a few indicators that it was going to happen a few moments before it did. They ended up coming up with the fact that he'd had a series of very targeted mini strokes.

I know you said you've felt like a lab rat but have you tried the Uni route? They may be able to get you into a study that's trying something completely different than the conventional that hasn't been able to give you any answers. I'm also curious if they tried doing a sleep study...sorry, I know lots of questions that really aren't my business.

OK, that didn't really answer your original question and you're probably tired of people trying to tell you what you could do but I felt compelled to answer because your frustration was so palpable. I hope this scan finds an answer for you and you can get whatever is causing this to be under control! Good luck!!

 

[Francis]

I'm not a doc and forgive me if this seems to be nebby, but these blackouts...are you passing out and losing consciousness or are you conscious and just do not recollect a certain span of time? From the context I'm guessing it's the former as opposed to the latter, but I thought I would ask.

I'm not sure what you do for a living. It's so difficult to find something you love to do in the first place and then to have an obstacle stand in the way of being able to do it! I empathize with you on that one. You're being proactive about your health, which is the most important thing but the brain has a lot of undiscovered country. Curious that the intervals of time in between your episodes, despite still being years apart are decreasing. Per chance have you experienced a particularly stressful event just prior to your episodes? I ask because I have a friend with a similar problem, but they seemed to be triggered by really intense, stressful events. He also had a few indicators that it was going to happen a few moments before it did. They ended up coming up with the fact that he'd had a series of very targeted mini strokes.

I know you said you've felt like a lab rat but have you tried the Uni route? They may be able to get you into a study that's trying something completely different than the conventional that hasn't been able to give you any answers. I'm also curious if they tried doing a sleep study...sorry, I know lots of questions that really aren't my business.

OK, that didn't really answer your original question and you're probably tired of people trying to tell you what you could do but I felt compelled to answer because your frustration was so palpable. I hope this scan finds an answer for you and you can get whatever is causing this to be under control! Good luck!!

I don't mind answering questions and sometimes in questions are answers..

The issue I have is people judging the problem without knowledge.. One cannot understand what it's like without having been thru a similar issue I guess and many ahve been judgemental of me. They think I will drop dead in front of them they are so ignorant it is scary... And what if I did..

Answers..
I have no warning of it coming on and when I wake up I know exactly where I am and come quickly to realize what happened. This always amazed the paramedics who attend the scene when called. The few who have seen me say I drop straight down, no warning while I was talking to them, then it looks like a seizure to them. Of course anything relation to the brain ( passout, blackout or failure ) is a seizure.

I have been to many clinics, universities and done the sleep tests. In fact my first test was a sleep test.

I had a few years when I had quite a few of them ( blackouts ) together but we were able to put 2 and 2 together and find it was medication induced. The two medications they gave me where not compatible and causing the issues :mad.. Which brings me to a point I made, how do we know the problem is not medication induced further.. I have been allergic at some point to each medication I was given ( gone totally red rash wise from head to toe ). Could it be my allergies are causing thye problem but each doctor I talk to says I am not a medical person and don't know what I am talking about.. It is very frustrating..

One of the things they thought as well was strokes and we have checked my heart.. Many times with each doctor I have seen. If it was up to my heart I will live till 199 years old accoding to tests so no go thyere as that was all fine everytime.. We also checked breating and blood pressure in case of sudden drops.. All are perfect most of the time.. Unless I get a new doctor and need to ask for something else checked and then my blood pressure goes way up for a different reason.. :willy_nilly:

 

[Francis]

Yeah that sucks. Luckily, I had my driver's license before I got diagnosed with epilepsy so they never found out. But as I said, I always had plenty of warning, so I always got myself out of harms way, be it driving or whatever.

Drivers license is a must for a lot of people. In my town and my work I could take a bus, the few times I have to go somewhere for the office I could have someone else drive me (I have the office credit card), but it would suck.

I am crossing my fingers they find out what's causing your seizures and you get better control. If they can isolate where it is, radical though it may be I know of people who had brain surgery to stop them and as the brain is amazing, the part of the brain that was removed, other parts of the brain re-wired and they have little or no residuals.

Our body can be amazing.

I had mine way before the problem, but as doctors are aware of the issue and if it becomes a problem when you drive they take it away from you..

Even if it's medication interaction induced by them, by mistake.. They seem to not care they ruin peoples lives, not to say the least they are putting my kids lives in danger just so they can pump me with new drugs all the time.. mad

 

[cam elle toe]

I'm sorry if I sound like a broken record, but have you tried a Naturopath?

 

[Francis]

I'm sorry if I sound like a broken record, but have you tried a Naturopath?

Tried that route and got sicker.. In 28 years of a problem, usually there is little people have not suggested that is that big, you have not tried.. But thanks and keep trying..

 

[cam elle toe]

Tried that route and got sicker.. In 28 years of a problem, usually there is little people have not suggested that is that big, you have not tried.. But thanks and keep trying..

I'm sorry to hear that. When you say you got sicker, do you mean the blackouts increased in frequency?

 

[Guyzerr]

Francis I read your post(s) and for some reason I can't get this out of my head.....

Link: http://helpguide.org/life/narcolepsy_symptom_causes_treatments.htm

I've seen medical related shows on it and some of those poor folks drop like flies. When they wake up it's like nothing ever happened.

I hope for your sake they can pin something down with an MRI. I want through that two weeks ago and was told by every doctor I spoke to about it that they pick up 99% of what ever they are looking for. I wish you luck.

Here's a tip about the MRI.... make absolutely sure you are 100% comfortable before they start because if you're not it makes for a very unpleasant experience. I had three done and on one of them the support(s) were not adjusted right. That 1/2 hr. sucked.

 

[Francis]

Francis I read your post(s) and for some reason I can't get this out of my head.....

Link: http://helpguide.org/life/narcolepsy_symptom_causes_treatments.htm

I've seen medical related shows on it and some of those poor folks drop like flies. When they wake up it's like nothing ever happened.

I hope for your sake they can pin something down with an MRI. I want through that two weeks ago and was told by every doctor I spoke to about it that they pick up 99% of what ever they are looking for. I wish you luck.

Here's a tip about the MRI.... make absolutely sure you are 100% comfortable before they start because if you're not it makes for a very unpleasant experience. I had three done and on one of them the support(s) were not adjusted right. That 1/2 hr. sucked.

Hi Guy, funny you mention Narcolpesy.. A Very good friend and boss of mine has it.. We compared our conditions and symptons and unfortunately it was not the same.. It would have been resolved 15 yers ago had it been that and I wish it was.. Thanks for the thought and link..

 

[Francis]

I really want this resolved and can deal with any "Conclusive" result.. It's the doctors "Professional Assumption" I no longer have faith in.. Each has his own and none has been right to date.. Personally most of you have had better guesses then the egg heads that have diplomats and pump me full of shit..

The sad part is they try to bullshit me and tell me they know how it fells... I am fed up of the lies.. I rather an honest doctor who tells me he doesn't know then one who tries to bullshit me and say his "professional opinion" is I should take X pill and Z pill that do fuck all to stop it and mess up my sleep, stomach and health..

If you want my honest opinion of what it is, my gut feeling, here is what I think.. I am no medical doctor, but having lived this, this is what I believe..

The blackouts in my opinion were originally caused by Stress and my bodies allergic reactions to foreign contaminents. They ( doctors ) have now have made me dependant on the medications that have been pumped into my system for 28 years and now create the very issue they are to resolve as my immune system attacks them with time. As the immune system learns to fight them they become inaffective and cause the very issue they are suppose to suppress. There is such a disorder known as Non-Epileptic seizure but not one damn neurologist will discuss it because it removes the patien from them to Psychiatrists who can really help. The issue is this is worse then having Epelepsy if you understand the problem..

Let me tell you I have done a lot of research on this the last few months.. .. Probably more thenh most egg hads that don't listen and discard what I ask them..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-epileptic_seizure

http://www.epilepsysupportcentre.com/?q=about-epilepsy/what-epilepsy/non-epileptic-seizures

 

[Francis]

Francis I read your post(s) and for some reason I can't get this out of my head.....

Link: http://helpguide.org/life/narcolepsy_symptom_causes_treatments.htm

I've seen medical related shows on it and some of those poor folks drop like flies. When they wake up it's like nothing ever happened.

I hope for your sake they can pin something down with an MRI. I want through that two weeks ago and was told by every doctor I spoke to about it that they pick up 99% of what ever they are looking for. I wish you luck.

Here's a tip about the MRI.... make absolutely sure you are 100% comfortable before they start because if you're not it makes for a very unpleasant experience. I had three done and on one of them the support(s) were not adjusted right. That 1/2 hr. sucked.

By the way, I was as relaxed as if i had taken Valium when I was in the MRI scanner No issues there..

 

[Guyzerr]

By the way, I was as relaxed as if i had taken Valium when I was in the MRI scanner No issues there..

Sorry buddy. I misunderstood your post. I thought you were having the MRI this week.