View Full Version : Deja Vu....scared about seizures.
Hi, I've been suffering from anxiety and OCD for as long as I can remember. I've been feeling this deja vu thing several times a day recently. In March, I had to travel pretty far. I was already anxious enough because I don't travel often. I hadn't had a good diet and stuff, and I was pretty jet lagged. While I was there, I had this scary hour-long deja vu feeling. I then had a panic attack. After this weird thing, I looked up symptoms (I know, Dr. Google is bad!). Apparently this is linked to some sort of epilepsy. That made me more anxious to think about haha. Ever since then, I've been getting that feeling on and off, mainly when I'm doing something or going somewhere new. I randomly remembered a dream I had years ago where I was walking out of a hospital. Of course, my irrational brain decided that this dream must mean that some time in the future I'm gonna be at that hospital and I will die. Since that dream, I've always connected it to whatever health anxiety I am having at that moment. I've also been having my usual physical anxiety symptoms like heart palpitations and weak legs etc. Sometimes when I exercise, I get weird brain zaps, but usually when I am dehydrated. I hope it's not epilepsy, because this seems like an anxiety symptom considering I've had GAD pretty much my entire life.
One of the strongest tools used in diagnosing epilepsy is the description of how long a particular event lasted. It's exceptionally rare to hear of any type of seizure activity that lasts longer than 5 minutes. It's even rarer still to hear of seizure activity that lasts longer than 5 minutes and consciousness is retained.
Symptoms that last one hour are simply not epileptic seizures. If you're concerned, speak to your doctor.
sheslostcontrol
21-06-17, 18:48
Hey. :)
I totally feel what you're going through right now - the worry of having a seizure/epilepsy. But don't worry, I believe that even with partial seizures, you actually lose connection with reality as in you are unresponsive, can't control your body etc. Also it's common to be very tired after a seizure and not to remember the seizure itself, of course.
When I'm in a longer state of panic, I also get a deja-vu feeling - only the thing I have a deja-vu about actually happened and I know that. The occasional derealization I get during this panic attack/very alert state only makes things worse.
In 2009, I survived a whole summer on and off like this, though the health fears weren't as strong as I was just a kid and didn't visit Dr. Google as often (not having a smartphone on hand helped too, I guess).
So believe me - it gets better. :) It will. Don't google too much. :)
Hey. :)
I totally feel what you're going through right now - the worry of having a seizure/epilepsy. But don't worry, I believe that even with partial seizures, you actually lose connection with reality as in you are unresponsive, can't control your body etc. Also it's common to be very tired after a seizure and not to remember the seizure itself, of course.
When I'm in a longer state of panic, I also get a deja-vu feeling - only the thing I have a deja-vu about actually happened and I know that. The occasional derealization I get during this panic attack/very alert state only makes things worse.
In 2009, I survived a whole summer on and off like this, though the health fears weren't as strong as I was just a kid and didn't visit Dr. Google as often (not having a smartphone on hand helped too, I guess).
So believe me - it gets better. :) It will. Don't google too much. :)
Thanks. Glad someone else had similar experiences. It's just weird with my deja vu, I know I haven't experienced something before.
sheslostcontrol
21-06-17, 19:25
Thanks. Glad someone else had similar experiences. It's just weird with my deja vu, I know I haven't experienced something before.
Yeah, so I went googling again (shame on me) and now I'm starting to feel like what I am going through actually has something to do with seizures, especially since I'm not very talkative at the moment... life's tough.
Anyway, this can be anxiety related, really, it most likely is. There can be non-epileptic seizures, though, but I wouldn't worry about that too much. You can always talk to your doctor if you're concerned.
Everything will be okay in the end. :)
My wife suffered a grand mal seizure at the beginning of her illness as well as several catatonia episodes which are a type of non epileptic seizure and I was witness to all of them. Nothing being described here comes anywhere near that! There's no mistaking it at all!
Positive thoughts
sheslostcontrol
21-06-17, 19:37
My wife suffered a grand mal seizure at the beginning of her illness as well as several catatonia episodes which are a type of non epileptic seizure and I was witness to all of them. Nothing being described here comes anywhere near that! There's no mistaking it at all!
Positive thoughts
Thank you for your kind and reassuring words. :) They're always very helpful.
Thanks for all the input guys.
I am starting to think that it is just me overthinking. I've had DP/DR and panic attacks on and off my whole life, and I think maybe this feeling is an extension of those things. My brain races and goes nuts trying to find similarities like "what if this is deja vu" and stuff, so it feels like deja vu. I do notice I get legit deja vu in new and stressful places though. Really odd.
Working hard on letting this worry go though, and no more Dr. Google for me. Dr. Google is what got me into this anxious rut that I've been in for the past year or so. :yesyes:
I get deja vu often but it makes me scared because I fell like the deja guess signaling that I actually have the ailment I fear.
sheslostcontrol
22-06-17, 06:47
Thanks for all the input guys.
I am starting to think that it is just me overthinking. I've had DP/DR and panic attacks on and off my whole life, and I think maybe this feeling is an extension of those things. My brain races and goes nuts trying to find similarities like "what if this is deja vu" and stuff, so it feels like deja vu. I do notice I get legit deja vu in new and stressful places though. Really odd.
Working hard on letting this worry go though, and no more Dr. Google for me. Dr. Google is what got me into this anxious rut that I've been in for the past year or so. :yesyes:
Good luck to you with that. :)
And I'm the same, I used to feel derealized occasionally while being anxious, but it used to be manageable before I somehow associated the state with seizures/epilepsy. So no, it's not seizures, it's just wishful thinking. :D
Alright now these deja vu things are weird. I'm only getting them briefly, but I'm getting them like 10 times a day.
Alright now these deja vu things are weird. I'm only getting them briefly, but I'm getting them like 10 times a day.
Because you're hyper-focused on it.
Positive thoughts
Because you're hyper-focused on it.
Positive thoughts
Yep, that's how my anxiety always is. Sometimes I need a reminder though. Thanks :)
Just a little update.
I had a really bad anxiety attack at a place I went to on Saturday. It was pretty freaky. I felt like I had heard and done everything that I did there, and I felt super hyper aware of all my senses. Also, I had this tunnel vision thing and felt like I was almost floating around.
The GOOD thing though is I was afraid I was gonna have a breakdown and cause a scene in front of everyone. However, I think I'm more in control than that, as I kept it inside my brain and nobody even noticed.
This attack lasted a couple hours, and I felt super worn out afterwards.
I think the sheer length of it rules out any sort of epilepsy, especially considering I wasn't nauseous or anything.
I think I'm just having a hard time with depersonalization or derealization or something of that matter. It's been a long time, but I vaguely remember having these types of panics when I was young, but that was well over a decade ago.
I'm doing a bit better now. I'm using my mental toolkit of sorts, and I am not as hyper focused on deja vu as I have been only getting those thoughts a couple times a day now.
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