Help! Fear of seizures/fainting :(

[anxy]

Sorry for all of the posts lately but I just found this site and am releasing I guess all of the questions I have been hiding inside for the last year of this awful experience.

Anyway, I have panic disorder with agoraphobia and OCD and most of it is based on this constant fear that I am going to either faint or have a seizure. I made the mistake of Googling earlier and found some articles about stress seizures and now I'm terrified and can't even leave my bed right now and am having weird head pains in addition to my other constant symptoms (dizziness, derealization, muscle aches, whooshing tinnitus).

I have had blood tests, MRI, heart monitors, and all came back clear except for hypothyroidism. What are my fainting/seizure chances and what should I do? In therapy but it isn't kicking these stupid fears. 

[ipayton785]

Hello! I too have these same fears of having seizures and fainting! I have had them for a while now. I have disorientation / confusion / and derealization which caused to me have this fear. All these symptoms are common symptoms of anxiety. How old are you? And do you have the disorientation as well?

[anxy]

I'm 26 and have had these fear for almost a year. I definitely have all of the symptoms you mentioned, plus all of my hand and leg muscles feel so weak right now (like I can still use them, but they feel heavy and shaky, hard to explain) and I can't shake the feeling that something bad will happen to me. It's like being in a nightmare.

Sorry to hear you're going through this too!

[ipayton785]

If you don't have any history of seizures as a kid then you probably won't have a seizure because you develop epilepsy as a young child or early teen. They're are adult onset epilepsy of course but they are caused by head trauma or some sort of infection to the nervous system which you would easily know something was wrong.  So if you haven't had anything that would cause brain damage. I know how your fear is. You always feel like your in a dream or nightmare and your confused and disoriented. It's terrifying. It's like an aura and that's what scares you so much. If you ever want to talk about message  me on here. I know how it feels.

[anxy]

Yeah but it's like I feel I can handle the dizziness and whatever, but what scares me is what it's all leading to and I can't ever shake the thought that that's fainting or a seizure, which causes me to just hide from the world and lay in my bed as much as I can to "prevent" it.

How old are you and how long have you been going through this? Are you still able to work or go to school?

I appreciate your support! Feel free to message me whenever too!

[ipayton785]

I am 19 and I've had the fear on and off for a couple years. Over these years I have had this I have never lost consciousness and convulsed or even fainted for that matter. The only real cure of the fear is accepting it's all in your head I guess. I haven't quite got they're yet either.  I remember what created it all was one of my friends in 8th grade told me had a video game seizure the night before and was rushed to the hospital. Also remember that I have been a hypochondriac ever since i was very young. I remember when he told me what it was like before one instantly created the fear of it. He told me that he couldn't walk or speak. And that his tongue felt swollen. He also said he didn't know where he was. I began obsessing over it and started believing that I would start having seizures. I've never in my life lost consciousness which makes me kind of believe that's why I'm so scared of it. Losing control of what your body is doing. I have decided that once I get a steady job here soon I am going to visit a neurologist to get rid of all my fears once and for all.

[sixpack]

suddenly having a seizure or just having a seizure in general is a common fear around here.  Believe me your stress isn't going to cause you to have a fever.  If it did, I'd be on a very heavy load of anti-seizure meds.  As Ipayton said most seizure disorders start by the time you hit your teens.  There is adult onset epilpesy but it is more uncommon.  The usual cause of seizures as adults at worst brain tumor or severe head trauma.  Some people (like my bro in law) will have a 1 time seizure event due to dehydration, viral illness, ill-used medications, or high temperatures.

I'm not a doctor but my daughter has a severe seizure disorder, so I know a couple of things about seizures.  What you are describing is VERY typical of anxiety disorder. 

[Stardust2]

i was epileptic as a kid. Mine started when i had head trauma from a helmet to helmet collision in football practice. I dont think you have anything to worry about. Im 27 and havent had one in 14 years. If you have any questions feel free to PM me.

[sixpack]

  Believe me your stress isn't going to cause you to have a fever. 

 

meant to say seizure--not fever.

[HopefulGirl]

I have this same fear! It's been so awful, especially trying to get through college with it I am so relieved to find others that have the same fear - in my entire almost yearlong (it's fairly new, but very constant) fear of this, I have NEVER been able to find anyone who shares the same fear. It has taken over my life, and I'm so scared of it. I recently was able to convince myself that it wouldn't happen to me for no reason, but just as soon as I was enjoying life angostura, I heard this terrible story from a coworker about how her sister had a brain tumor, but I won't get into that to spare us health anxiety sufferers from a panic attack! Since that story, I have been absolutely terrified that I have a brain tumor growing inside me and not even knowing it and that I'll have a seizure from it as the first sign. I'm afraid this will happen while I'm driving, or in a public place where no one will help me, or in my sleep and I won't even know. I also get so nervous that people around me will have them, especially my fiance who I live with. When he moves at night, I get so freaked out and I'm constantly asking him if he's okay. I have been fighting this fear for too long now and I can't find a cure. I'm so destroyed by it, and therapy only helped the first bout. I don't want to resort to needing the reassurance of an MRI to put me at ease, but I feel like that's the only hope for now. SO scared, all the time Glad to know I'm not alone though.

[sixpack]

I have this same fear! It's been so awful, especially trying to get through college with it I am so relieved to find others that have the same fear - in my entire almost yearlong (it's fairly new, but very constant) fear of this, I have NEVER been able to find anyone who shares the same fear. It has taken over my life, and I'm so scared of it. I recently was able to convince myself that it wouldn't happen to me for no reason, but just as soon as I was enjoying life angostura, I heard this terrible story from a coworker about how her sister had a brain tumor, but I won't get into that to spare us health anxiety sufferers from a panic attack! Since that story, I have been absolutely terrified that I have a brain tumor growing inside me and not even knowing it and that I'll have a seizure from it as the first sign. I'm afraid this will happen while I'm driving, or in a public place where no one will help me, or in my sleep and I won't even know. I also get so nervous that people around me will have them, especially my fiance who I live with. When he moves at night, I get so freaked out and I'm constantly asking him if he's okay. I have been fighting this fear for too long now and I can't find a cure. I'm so destroyed by it, and therapy only helped the first bout. I don't want to resort to needing the reassurance of an MRI to put me at ease, but I feel like that's the only hope for now. SO scared, all the time Glad to know I'm not alone though.

fearing you are growing a brain tumor does not mean you have one.  All it does is worry you needlessly.  Sure tumors often present with seizures.  But again MOST people that never ever happens--meaning every have a brain tumor.

sure you could run off to get a "reassurance MRI" however this will only give (possibly) momentary relief because with anxiety disorders the prob is the faulty thinking.  All the of this thinking will go a couple of ways 1. you will find momentary relief but the disorder didn't go away so it will just latch onto another issue not "covered" by the MRI. or 2. your thinking will immediately find fault with the MRI--that it was done too early or the machine was not up to date enough--, find fault with the radiologist reading the test, decide that the doc read a different person's report.

many people feel as you that you have no way to get through these things. Finding that "therapy wont' help this time" etc is part of the thinking disorder that you have.  Our thinking puts up all kinds of roadblocks to prevent us from sloggin through the garbage we'd rather not--just a stressful life can trigger much of this crap.   Anxiety disorders are not easily overcome, but you don't have to live in this cyclical fear.  Many leaps of faith.... 

AND

Here are some suggestions--and I've posted this a few times on what you can do to help you in your recovery

1. Therapy---meds if you and your doctor feel it is appropriate---everybody is different on this issue.
2. self-help books--lots of good stuff out there these days ---Claire Weekes has good books out there that explain how it all works.  I read The Roadless Traveled by M. Scott Peck many years ago.  He speaks to people in a variety of ways.  He has a few other books too.   
3.  Exercise---even if you don't want to.  At first you are likely to feel miserable and panicky feelings are likely to bubble up OR rush at you.  It is BEASTY (your anxious overthinking) causing this.  But do it anyway.
4.  Eat a healthy diet.  This helps on all kinds areas of your life.
5.  Forums often have helpful advice.
6.  Hobbies--anything that completely immerses you in it and keeps you occupied.  This helps because eventually you'll get snippets of time when you feel good.  These are teaching moments because then you know it is obsessions/anxiety mucking with you.  After a while those snippets turn to hours then days etc.
7.  Don't pity yourself.  You can have a happy life.   As we experience life, we change.  Having any form of anxiety will impact your life just like all life experiences do.  But that isn't necessarily a bad thing.  Even once you are on the road to recovery, you will have a 'new' normal but that doesn't mean you aren't happy and fulfilled.