Hey I’ve had 8 seizures. I usually work with kids and due to what they believe is now epilepsy I can’t. If anyone needs more proof I will screenshot and upload everything! .
My cash app is $torrettoo and it’s a picture of sunflowers.
If you’re a fan of hip-hop, or maybe just a hater of rapper Lil Wayne, chances are you heard all about him being hospitalized a week or so back after suffering a seizure or two. And, in classic hip-hop-hype fashion, rumorville went crazy with stories ranging from Wayne was in the ICU, on his death bed and ready to meet his maker, to he was doing just fine in his hospital bed watching the Syracuse game. Up until this past Friday only one thing was for sure, Wayne was in the hospital for a bit and he didn’t die.
The speculation as to what caused Wayne to have the seizures that eventually landed him in the hospital were a whole other source of gossip. Was it weed? The molly? Nah, had to be the sizzurp he was drinking. No, no, he’s just “working too hard”, that’s gotta be it. But, on Los Angeles radio station Power 106, the rapper did his part to address rumors, attributing the seizures to his epilepsy:
“Like, this isn’t my first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh seizure. I’ve had a bunch of seizures, y’all just never hear about them. But this time it got real bad ‘cause I had three of them in a row and on the third one, my heart rate went down to like 30 percent*. Basically, I could’ve died, so that is why it was so serious. But the reason being for the seizures is just plain stress, no rest, overworking myself.”
Ah, if it were all only that simple, Lil Weezy. But, we know that’s why y’all are here, so lets jump in and make some sense of this mess!
THE BASICS: We think it may be helpful to understand what exactly a seizure is before we dive too deep. So, try thinking of the brain as your personal computer, or laptop. In your computer are a bunch of wires with electricity flowing through them. And, believe it or not, in your brain you have electricity flowing as well (literally), but in your brain the “wires” are known as neurons.
Now, you may have noticed that every once in a while when you try to do too much on your computer (for example when you have too many programs opened at once, plus you’re trying to download some file at the same time), your computer will “spaz out”. Sometimes the screen will freeze up for a minute, other times your mouse won’t work for a few seconds, and sometimes it’ll just shut down and reboot! It all depends on where the “hiccup” took place in your computer, and if it can figure out the problem.
Well, our brains are very similar to the computer in a lot of ways. There is a constant flow of electricity firing through the neurons in our brains, even when you’re not “using it” (i.e while sleeping)… which is more often the case for some people than others. Just like your computer, your mind gets revved up when you’re using your brain to do more complex activities, for example when you’re stressed out and have a ton of thoughts racing through your mind, or when you simply get excited and are feeling great. All those feelings cause all sorts of different parts of your brain to fire off electrical signals, but how well our brains handle those huge waves of electrical signals varies from person to person.
Ever notice how some people get excited and instantaneously start to cry? Some people get lightheaded when they’re upset and need to sit down. Others may get headaches if they’re watching a movie with too many explosion scenes. And, some people have seizures if they watch a movie with too many flashing lights. In most cases it all has to do with how the person’s brain processes the information and signals it is taking in, and whether their brain is able to not be overwhelmed by it all. The brains “ability to not be overwhelmed” is what brings us to the main point of this discussion: Seizure Threshold.
SEIZURE THRESHOLD:For the most part, our brains are wired the same way. But, much like our computer analogy, we know that despite looking the same, computers differ in what they can do. The brain is similar in this respect. Our brains are constantly processing information and that information “travels” from place to place in our brain, in the form electricity. The more excitement, information or emotions racing through your brain, the more electricity it calls for.
Taking a look at our diagram below, you’ll see the gray area labeled “brain activity”, this just represents the “work” you brain is doing. The blue line represents the level of “brain work” most people would have to reach before they tipped their brain past its breaking point (i.e. their “seizure threshold”) and suffered a seizure. The redline is the threshold of a person who is already prone to having seizures. If you already have epilepsy (like Weezy does), the level of “brain work” that it takes to reach your breaking point is already pretty low. Now, if you take a look at the purple line, you’ll see that the threshold drops even lower for people using/abusing certain substances (which we’ll talk about next), making it “easier” for them to have seizures.
BREAK ON THROUGH: Each and every one of us has a seizure threshold, but there are two things to keep in mind about them:
1. We do not all have the same threshold levels.
2. Our threshold levels can be moved (up or down).
There are medications that people can take to help raise their seizure threshold (i.e. make it “harder” for them to have a seizure), and we can only assume Wayne is being treated with one of those meds.
But, we can also assume that he is a fan of the stereotypical “hip-hop party lifestyle” being portrayed in most of his videos and rhymes. So, lets take a look at things that may actually be lowering this dudes seizure threshold:
A) Molly: This is the more pure form of its sister drug, ecstasy (in nerd-speak, the name is 3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methamphetamine [MDMA]). It’s hard to do actual scientific studies using “illegal” drugs in the United States, but based on animal studies, and the data collected from people that show up in the hospital after a bad trip on molly, the science shows that using molly can not only cause otherwise “normal” brains to have a seizure, it can actually permanently lower your sezure threshold, making you more likely to have seizures in the future, even when you’re not using the drug.
CONCLUSION: Poppin’ mollies raises the risk that you might be poppin’ and lockin’ (and not in the b-boy sense) forever.
B)Sizzurp: This little home-brew calls for one part promethazine/codeine syrup, some purple-drank(orMountain Dew, if ya want to get fancy), and your favorite flavor of Jolly Rancher, for that smooth after taste. And, as we’re pretty sure you’ve gathered, the purple drank and the Jolly-Rancher aren’t the main offenders in this mix. Promethazine is an anti-histamine drug and is most often prescribed for its sedative properties (aka tranquilizer like effects). Problem with it? You guessed it; this stuff mos-def lowers the sezure threshold. As for the other ingredient, codeine, this is mainly prescribed for its strong sedative and pain reliever effects. If you’re looking to slow down your breathing and heart rate, as well as drop your blood pressure to dangerously low levels, go’head, drink up because that’s exactly what too much of this stuff will do.
CONCLUSION: Tired of waiting for your next epileptic seizure to happen? Try sippin’ on some seizure-urp.
C)Stress / Lack of Sleep: There is absolutely no doubt that lack of proper rest and high levels of stress can lower a persons seizure threshold. And, if you’ve paid any attention to Wayne’s career, there is no doubt that the dude is constantly on the move. But, unlike the substances we’ve mentioned above, it’s hard to not get stressed out. That being said, staying well rested and staying away from things that may lower your seizure threshold are probably two good bets to staying out of the seizure zone.
CONCLUSION: Get your rest on.
D) Alcohol: From the best we can tell, drinking alcohol in small amounts (1-2 drinks per day) usually does not lower a person’s seizure threshold. Even those with epilepsy should be allowed to drink alcohol in limited amounts. There are exceptions though, of course, like those with a history of alcohol abuse, or a history of alcohol-related seizures. The other thing to keep in mind here is that the most serious risk of seizures in connection with alcohol use is when a chronic boozer hasn’t had a drink in days and finds themselves in withdrawal, that is “the hangover” period. This can last up to 7-9 days after the last drink.
CONCLUSION: Be easy with the get-loose-juice.
E) Marijuana: According to several research studies over the past fifty years in both humans and animals, marijuana may have ANTIconvulsant properties, which means that they may actually prevent seizures. Yup. In fact, there have been accounts from the 15th century (back in the day-day-day) of marijuana being used to treat Epilepsy. A study by Columbia University actually showed that marijuana had a protective effect against first time seizures in men.
CONCLUSION: Puff, puff, pass… if you’ve been properly diagnosed by a medical professional, are being managed by a licensed physician and you live in a state where the use of medicinal marijuana is legal, of course.
Injury-Duty Insight: Yes, we’re sure there are a ton of drugs, both prescribed and not so prescribed that could have played a role in Wayne’s recent hospital stay, but we wanted to be fair and only address the stuff he’s most recently “told us” he’s been gettin’ into as of late. As for our professional recommendation, we’d advise less emphasis on “keepin’ it gangsta” and more emphasis on “keepin’ Wayne alive”.
-Team Injury-Duty
*We’re pretty sure he meant 30 beats per minute, not 30%. Just wanted to clear that up. And, unless you’re an elite athlete, 30 bpm is not good.
Picture this, you’re stressed out because Covid and climate change finds you out of a job and now you can’t pay for dental work so as you listen to the hold music to the dental clinic to cancel your wisdom teeth surgery you log into tumblr to calm your nerves only to be greeted by a Destiel meme informing you that the word flashing is banned and you realise fellow tumblr users can’t use a warning for post that could trigger your epilepsy. Imagine this, you’re now afraid and there’s nothing you can do, no tag to filter out, no warning to safe you.
the phrase ‘pulsing lights’ has been suggested as a workaround. I know I will be using it. Your safety is important to me.
!!!!! I don’t care if you’ve already rebloged this, reblog again and get the phrase ‘pulsing lights’ on blast to save an epileptic’s life. This is a serious matter and should be brought to staff and apples attention !!!!!
Asima Chatterjee (1917-2006) was the first woman awarded a Doctor of Science by an Indian University–in 1944, by the University of Calcutta. A chemist, she published nearly 400 papers in national and international journals and much of her work has been extensively cited. Her work led to the development of anti-epileptic drugs & anti-malarial drugs.
She was also the first woman to be elected as the General President of the Indian Science Congress, a premier institution that oversees scientific research.
Dear Epilepsy, Hi, how are you? I hope you’re good because I’m not. Why you ask? Because of you. You have taken my freedoms away and have left me with bruises and scars. You give me headaches everyday. You give me people staring when I have a seizure. The whispers, their freak outs, the pounding heart, the body tremors, the fear, the memory loss, ugh don’t get me started on that. People think I’m just stupid for not remembering things but it’s because of you. Because of you my memory sucks, I can’t remember things I learn in class but I’m still getting good grades, I’m trying to push you away but you keep trying harder to stay in my life. You make me sad. I can’t drive, I live in fear of having a bad seizure every day I wake up and every night before I close my eyes to sleep. As much as I hate you, I think about you a lot. You give me unwanted attention. You’ve made my family life awkward. My family finds you awkward so they don’t talk to me about it, they ignore my cries for help. They don’t understand that I have to take medication to try to get rid of you that makes me more moody at times, and they just make it worse. I’m tired of feeling tired all the time. I just want to live a normal life, like it was before what happened at Kairos. I was so pure until you came in my life. You make people talk about me faking you because you don’t make me fall over and convulse like they think that’s what epilepsy is, but you’re far from it, you’re real, a real monster. But I just want to tell you now, I will get rid of you, you will die soon and you won’t be able to bother me anymore. No matter how much you try to make my life harder I’m just going to continue to push through because I am stronger than you and someday I will prove that. Have a good day cause I hope I won’t be seeing you in my life in the near future. Sam
Today is bittersweet. My disabled person’s bus pass expires today and I’m not allowed a new one so no getting the bus for free anymore. However, I’m losing it because I’ve been seizure free for so long that legally I’m allowed to drive now, in the council’s eyes, my medical condition is no longer debilitating
So boo to having to pay £2.10 for a 3 mile journey to work, yay for being seizure free for nearly 2 years! Think June 29th is the anniversary, there shall be cake.
Expect my monthly step count to go up
Funnily enough, I get my disabled person’s train pass indefinitely because I need to be medicated to control my epilepsy. Granted you have to pay for that one to get the discount, but trains are so expensive that it pays for itself with just a few journeys anyway
Ok, quick rule of thumb to tagging posts for the safety of photosensitive epileptics.
Does you post contain flashing lights, heavy glitching, or anything else that is likely to cause a seizure from looking at it?
Tag it with flashing lights
Does your post warn about one of the above in a movie or video or tv show or game without including visual examples that would make the post fall into the above category?
Tag it with epilepsy
In summary: is it important for us to see it? Tag it with epilepsy. Is it important that we DONT see it? Tag it with flashing lights.
Basically, the epilepsy tag is for information related to epilepsy, the lights/flashing tag(s) are for warning those with epilepsy!
Epilepsy is hard. Some of you maybe newly diagnosed, others might be long term Epilepsy Warriors. Either way, Epilepsy sucks. It comes with dark days and bright days. And some days, the ones plagued with seizures and side effects and comorbidities, it probably seems like it will never get better.
But I was diagnosed with drug resistant Epilepsy at 4 ½. I’ve had regular seizures for nearly 25 years, and every day I deal with the migraines, processing issues, memory loss and stigma that comes with it. But I have also earned a Bachelor’s degree, a minor degree, a brown belt in Japanese JiuJitsu, and I’ve traveled by myself multiple times as well as living myself.
Nothing is impossible. You can accomplish anything. It might be harder, and it might take some out of the box thinking, but it can be done. Just stay positive.
Fellow epileptics, I have some fantastic news for you. There’s an add-on that makes the internet safer for us. It’s called Epilepsy Blocker. The creator had me test it out, give feedback, he made adjustments, and it works great. It may even help those with migraine disorders that are triggered by the same thing that messes with those of use with photosensitive epilepsy (mine is a case of being absurdly sensitive).
This is the only add-on I’ve encountered made specifically for those of us with epilepsy. It’s not a well known add-on, but I hope to see that change.
Decided to sorta visualize my feelings on my zonisamide situation. In July I’ll be 4 years seizure-free. I really REALLY dont want a breakthrough ruining my record.
I feel this. Except I could never dream of being 4 yrs seizure free. I’d be lucky if I make it to 6 months seizure free.
