Random question about seizures / epilepsy

[AutumnDragon]

Is there anything that could cause someone to have seizures by just breathing it in? I'm thinking of something that may have been left maliciously, say hidden behind a bed. I think the person having the seizures may already be predisposed to having epilepsy, but that something could have brought on grand mal seizures when all they'd previously had were absence seizures.

If not something left maliciously then just something that may have been left in the room (of a very untidy person!!) or some sort of environmental factor we could look at?

I think we've ruled out anything ingested due to the time span.

The background is: Relative has started having seizures and they seem more frequent if they sleep in this room. Also they started after dumping ex. When they were speaking to their Ex's Ex he also stated that he started having seizures after they dumped the Ex - we are assuming this as BS but need to rule it out.

Are you suggesting there may be some sort of poison left in the room that's causing seizures. Your relative needs to have hospital tests, not sleep in that room and contact the police.

At the moment it is more a theoretical question. Is there something that could do it - in which case I'd know what I was looking for. At the moment we have about 50 millions ideas about what could have caused it - energy drinks, stress, drugs, cleaning products - if you google it it feels like just about everything can cause seizures.

The hospital idea would be great - if we could just get an appointment - it was supposed to be an urgent referral, but three months on and nothing 😡

Relative isn't sleeping in that room anymore - but the link only came to us yesterday

https://www.epilepsy.org.uk/info/seizure-triggers

Carbon monoxide poisoning can result in an increased risk of developing epilepsy, particularly in younger people. Is there a boiler near that room and does he have a carbon monoxide monitor to check the levels?

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0196064422013154#:~:text=In%20this%20population%2Dbased%20cohort,aged%2065%20years%20and%20over.

If someone starts having grand mal seizures for no reason they need medical help, it could be serious, do you call an ambulance when they happen or are they waiting for a neuro appointment. I wouldn't waste time sleuthing really, hospital is the best place.

There's no boiler near the room. We have a CO detector in the only room near the boiler and we replace it regularly. We've also just had a new boiler fitted so hopefully even less of a chance.

Thank you for the suggestion though

@TraitorsGate They have had several A&E visits, but we're just not getting the neuro appointment. We have tried chasing it up, but they're just not answering the phones in that department. If we can't get an appointment soon then we're taking out a loan to go private. (A&E staff are excellent though, as are the ambulance crews)

Sleuthing is helping in a world where I feel so utterly powerless to help in any other way.

I've always been able to spot patterns, there appears to be a link to sleeping in this particular room so - so my 3am brain went to what could be the cause.

Stress can cause seizures, maybe all the stuff with the ex has triggered them?

It sounds frustrating so hopefully the hospital scans, blood tests, toxicology tests and assessments get them the help they need.

@TraitorsGate it is very frustrating.

@iamwhatiam23 We initially thought it was stress that brought them on in the first place, but it's what's causing the frequency to change when they are here that's bothering us (they have no additional stress when here).

Certain things can and do trigger seizures. Stress, sleep deprivation etc all being a part of it.

they may be having seizures with you as they aren’t stressed- it’s actually very common for epilepsy to present itself after a stressful event or period when the stress is calmer or calmed. (I’m epileptic and this happens to me- I’ll manage at the point of stress but once the areas is reduced or gone that’s when I’m likely to have a seizure)