Do any of these sensations sound familiar to you?
Suddenly you’re sweating, flushed, become pale or have goosebumps.
Your stomach feels queasy, like you’re going to puke.
There’s a foreboding or fear that something awful is about to happen.
You feel like a mess emotionally.
Welcome to the world of ictals and postictals.
A world you’re probably familiar with.
A seizure often has four distinct phases: Prodromal Symptoms, Auras, Ictal and Postictal Stages.
A moment of unresponsiveness — the inability to recall what just happened…convulsions or jerking movements…sudden stiffness of the body.
These are classic symptoms of an epilepsy seizure — triggered by abnormal electrical impulses in the brain.
And while these symptoms may indicate epilepsy, other brain abnormalities or injuries could also lead to seizures.
Having a seizure doesn’t automatically mean you have epilepsy. And without testing, the diagnosis – or misdiagnosis – can be pretty scary.
There are loads of conditions that have symptoms similar to epilepsy.
Here are the most common…
One of the good thing about auras, is that if you’re aware of them, they’re effective (if unpleasant) warning signals of an oncoming seizure.
I didn’t learn to identify mine (mouth filling up with saliva and disgusting metallic taste) until I was well into my 20’s.