My Epilepsy Experiment. Anyone else have seizures? page 8

[solstice]

I am sorry that I never read and saw about your dad passing. Things like that add stress to my life and I need to find more ways to curb life's stresses...some are just unavoidable though.

1)Too much "holiday cheer" in the form of wine, champagne, and chocolatehere here
2)I only drink decaf but I brew it by the pot and there is still some caffeine so I figure I'm getting about a cup or two worth out of a whole pot. This is still too much for my brain I think.
3)I'm cleaning out my pantry and freezer in anticipation of moving soon. Plus I'm contemplating going full-on carnivore tell me what you find out in your research...veggies seem to be bothering me a lot during this latest flare. so I'm using up things like frozen fruits and veggies. So I think my fat intake has gotten short shrift lately. Not good.
4)I've been staying up too late on the net and getting my circadian cycle all whacked out.

I have had several nights this past week where my sleep was disturbed by having a pre-seizure aura which wakes me up with a start. I want to hear more about that...as I kept having awakenings in early Dec...but no seizing as far as I could tell. Last round left me with a big blood spot in the white of my left eye---although hubby didnt notice anything (jerky movements/noises at night? This has been happening several times a night sometimes. I know some of my awakenings could be attributed to nights I had a drink. (I have a particular kind of seizure disorder that only happens during sleep.) mine are only at night too. Then last night I had a seizure. Just a small one and I didn't lose consciousness but I still bit my tongue (which now hurts like a sonofabitch!) The day after a seizure is always a zombie day.
I hear you on the zombie day...my zombie state was NYE and had a party to attend...managed to avoid all alcohol AND food though.
OK. Plan of action

1)I hereby officially and completely quit drinking even for those rare "special occasions". Agree +1000!! I'm done too...not worth it on any level.
2)No more coffee of any kind. Going strictly rooibos or hibiscus tea from now on.What about that cacao bean drink...get rid of that too my friend! I had been upping the caffeinated tea before mine as well...ugh...love me the rooibus though.
3)Make a conscious effort to get the fat in me. (Today I went and bought labne, crema Mexicana, GF raw butter and cream, and coconut cream) I need more fat options as I cant do dairy either...
4)If you see me posting after 10 pm feel free to wag your finger at me and tell me to go to bed.I'm professional about hitting the hay---so I wont be up to wag my finger!

I feel like I've had a "slap upside the head" which may be what I needed to get back on track.I totally agree and am trying to look at this in the most positive way---as WE actually have our bodies give us signs when we are a bit out of whack and can take early action to remedy diet/lifestyle. Anything is worth it to remain seizure free. I'm with you!!

Smiles---I love having you on here for support and info~

[Drumroll]

Well I know that the research into pediatric epilepsy using ketosis has turned up an unexpected but nice side effect of greatly reducing ADHD in kids.

Given that the brain is mostly comprised of fat and that myelin, the neural sheaths, is made of fat, it makes sense that adequate fat in the diet would play a role in these disorders.

If I understand correctly, the difference between autism (and why it's a developmental disability and NOT a neurological disorder) is that autistic individuals have a perfectly functioning brain with all of the right parts and pieces. They are wired differently and thus process things in a much different way than "normies" do, but they also can retrain their brain and rewire it with some significant effort. Most people with true neurological disorders can't "retrain" their brains to get over it as much as they can undertake certain measures to mitigate or reduce symptoms.

The fascinating aspect to me, would be, can this retraining, or rather, partial adaptation to normal social functioning within the brain of an autistic individual be augmented by the brain altering effects of the ketogenic state?

Another way that autistic individuals are different than many people with neurological disorders is this: I've read that stimulants are NOT advised for most people with neurological disorders because of their effects on the brain. I've read almost the opposite for autistic individuals. As long as they are kept to reasonable doses (this is not license for any autistic person reading this to go buck wild ) stimulants seem to help them focus which allows them to function with more ease and comfort in social situations (which is almost every situation) because they can pay better attention to the myriad of social signals flying at them all the time. It's not a magic bullet, but I know I catch at least a handful of the things I would normally miss after a cup or two of tea or yerba mate because my brain is more alert and in tune to these things.

I wonder if somehow, ketosis enhances this effect in the brain. A lot of people, myself included, seem to say they feel more alert and in-tune to their surroundings when they are in ketosis, and I think this could even be combined with mild levels of stimulants to help autistic individuals better adapt to the environment around them. Just a theory based on anecdotal evidence reported by both autistic and non-autistic individuals on one nice side effect of being in ketosis.

Yay for rambling!

[Paleobird]

Solstice,

Yes, normally I live a very low stress life. No kids or job hassles. But there are some stresses you just can't duck and I have to admit that my father's passing took a toll on me. Staying indoors too much while caring for him and then getting out of good exercise habits, losing sleep at night, eating kind of randomly when I could grab a bite. And now I am going through selling a house and moving. Yeah, it all adds up.

I think my carnivorous research is going to become a whole post when I get the chance. Some interesting stuff.

Yep, instead of saying, "well, one glass (or two) on this one occasion(s)", I think it is just easier to ban alcohol from my life entirely. The thing I found was scary was how quickly my tolerance for it came back over the holidays. Just not worth it.

The Crio Bru drink is awesome and the active ingredient in that is theobromine not caffeine although the two are similar. Also I don't drink it by the pot. I really haven't been drinking it much lately though. I haven't been eating chocolate either (except for parties), I haven't been keeping it in the house and don't really miss it.

Here's to a seizure free new year.

[Paleobird]

The fascinating aspect to me, would be, can this retraining, or rather, partial adaptation to normal social functioning within the brain of an autistic individual be augmented by the brain altering effects of the ketogenic state?

Another way that autistic individuals are different than many people with neurological disorders is this: I've read that stimulants are NOT advised for most people with neurological disorders because of their effects on the brain. I've read almost the opposite for autistic individuals. As long as they are kept to reasonable doses (this is not license for any autistic person reading this to go buck wild ) stimulants seem to help them focus which allows them to function with more ease and comfort in social situations (which is almost every situation) because they can pay better attention to the myriad of social signals flying at them all the time. It's not a magic bullet, but I know I catch at least a handful of the things I would normally miss after a cup or two of tea or yerba mate because my brain is more alert and in tune to these things.

I wonder if somehow, ketosis enhances this effect in the brain. A lot of people, myself included, seem to say they feel more alert and in-tune to their surroundings when they are in ketosis, and I think this could even be combined with mild levels of stimulants to help autistic individuals better adapt to the environment around them. Just a theory based on anecdotal evidence reported by both autistic and non-autistic individuals on one nice side effect of being in ketosis.

Yay for rambling!

I think this could very well augment it greatly.

OK, I'll mail you all the mate' I have that I shouldn't be drinking so you can tell me about the buzz and I can enjoy it vicariously.

[Drumroll]

I think this could very well augment it greatly.

OK, I'll mail you all the mate' I have that I shouldn't be drinking so you can tell me about the buzz and I can enjoy it vicariously.

Heh. I promise to keep you well-informed of my fasting, ketogenic-induced, helper-alert buzzes.

If I may add a caveat here, I was just rereading this blog from Mark's fasting series he did in March/April of last year: How Fasting Improves Brain Function | Mark's Daily Apple

If fasting has all of those great effects on brain health as well, then it almost seems the ideal diet for an autistic individual would be some sort of daily IF (I personally use the Warrior Diet but a bit more strict) with a ketogenic eating plan, and a moderate dose of stimulants.

Again, I merely speculate. Come on you damn scientists! Publish those papers already! *shakes fist*

[Paleobird]

Well, I'm doing better since getting back in the ketogenic groove post holidays. This past week, I realized by looking at my pillbox that I had missed two out of the seven doses of meds. I hadn't felt a thing. Slept just fine.

I might make this into a regular thing, say taking one day a week with no pills as a sort of r&r clean out opportunity for my liver.

[solstice]

awesome news paleobird! I'm still off meds but used to be able to "feel" it when I missed (back in my SAD days though)---great that you aren't having that sensation. I am feeling great but still dealing with the IBS issues. Going to stay strictly fats/meats/liver/eggs for a few days. I had a stew on sat and although tried to eat the beef and bacon still probably got some other stuff in my gut.

[kiks]

My apologies, kiks. I must have missed this. My Dad was in his last few weeks when you posted. He passed away in November so I was a bit preoccupied.

The comment about getting things on an even keel before fiddling with the meds was directed at caz1969, not you.

You don't need a doctor's approval to do supplements if you think they will help.

That's interesting. Another case of sleep seizures like mine.

Hi Paleobird...I'm sorry about your loss. I just saw this response.

Regarding the 'fiddling with meds', I think when I asked you about that I was just wondering what you meant (not that it was directed at me)...I was wondering b/c in Oct I was contemplating starting meds and if you thought meds weren't the answer for seizures. I do get seizures, they started in my late 20s out of the blue. At the beginning they occurred about one per year...but as time went on, in the past year or two they have been monthly (and i got them in my sleep). Anyway, I did begin taking medicine for my seizures in Oct.
Does anyone have recommendations about what types of tests to request for my followup dr visit?

Btw I do appreciate the comments regarding coffee, chocolate, alcohol, etc...just to see how others with seizures handle these stimulants/depressants.

[Paleobird]

Hi Paleobird...I'm sorry about your loss. I just saw this response.

Regarding the 'fiddling with meds', I think when I asked you about that I was just wondering what you meant (not that it was directed at me)...I was wondering b/c in Oct I was contemplating starting meds and if you thought meds weren't the answer for seizures. I do get seizures, they started in my late 20s out of the blue. At the beginning they occurred about one per year...but as time went on, in the past year or two they have been monthly (and i got them in my sleep). Anyway, I did begin taking medicine for my seizures in Oct.
Does anyone have recommendations about what types of tests to request for my followup dr visit?

Btw I do appreciate the comments regarding coffee, chocolate, alcohol, etc...just to see how others with seizures handle these stimulants/depressants.

Thank you.

No, I would never recommend against taking seizure meds if they help get them under control and don't cause horrible side effects. In the long term, I worry about the buildup of chemical substances in my liver, kidneys, etc. so I would like to minimize the meds while still maintaining seizure control. This is a delicate balancing act.

Have the meds you started taking been working well? What about any side effects? Remember there are a lot of different medications out there and each person reacts differently to each one so if one is not working, try something else.

Ketosis, to me is something to work on once your situation is stable.

I wish you well.

[Cryptocode]

I'm grateful I don't have this problem, but one of our dogs does, and a number of the dogs of our friends also have it. No cats that I've heard of.

Occasionally veternary science is ahead of human medical science. Maybe it would be worth a look there.