say hi to my brain
I just recovered from a simple partial seizure. I would like to clarify some things if only as a record for myself.
This is not a panic attack
I just got asked again if my seizures might just be panic attacks and how could I tell the difference. I am starting to hate that question. I feel like sometimes people don't believe me. Yes, there are many striking similarities. But there is a big difference.
Most of us have had panic attacks. We know how scary those are. But they are of an extreme nature and do not have that dreamy, alternate reality sensation of a seizure. Panic attacks make you feel like you are dying. Seizures make you feel like your brain has traveled to another dimension.
Let's compare:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panic_attack
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simple_partial_seizure
Voila.
But I often remember, thank you
What irritates me is the most people in the medical field researching epilepsy say with conviction, "People who have complex partial seizures do not remember what happened."
I feel freakish, then, because I usually do. So I set the record straight. Sometimes I remember all of it. Sometimes I don't remember what happened, only how I felt and maybe things I did or thought I did. Sometimes I only remember bits and pieces, not enough to get a whole idea. And, sometimes, I don't remember anything.
There we go.
This is not a panic attack
I just got asked again if my seizures might just be panic attacks and how could I tell the difference. I am starting to hate that question. I feel like sometimes people don't believe me. Yes, there are many striking similarities. But there is a big difference.
Most of us have had panic attacks. We know how scary those are. But they are of an extreme nature and do not have that dreamy, alternate reality sensation of a seizure. Panic attacks make you feel like you are dying. Seizures make you feel like your brain has traveled to another dimension.
Let's compare:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panic_attack
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simple_partial_seizure
Voila.
But I often remember, thank you
What irritates me is the most people in the medical field researching epilepsy say with conviction, "People who have complex partial seizures do not remember what happened."
I feel freakish, then, because I usually do. So I set the record straight. Sometimes I remember all of it. Sometimes I don't remember what happened, only how I felt and maybe things I did or thought I did. Sometimes I only remember bits and pieces, not enough to get a whole idea. And, sometimes, I don't remember anything.
There we go.