[Seizethecarp]

“Just curious, do people that have CFS suffers from seizures more often than the general population?”

I have seen no increased correlation between CFS and actual seizures in the research, although a person could also have seizures just as they could also have any other condition.

What I have seen and do experience personally is debilitating orthostatic intolerance (intolerance of sitting or standing) which results on loss of blood to the brain.

This causes fainting (syncope) or near-fainting (pre-syncope).

For people with CFS this is usually caused by either POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome) or neurally-mediated syncope (aka neurocardiogenic syncope).

As you can see there is a lot of jargon.

Here is the Wiki-page on POTS:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Postural_orthostatic_tachycardia_syndrome

Here is the Wiki-page on neurally-mediated syncope (also aka vasovagal response):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurally_mediated_syncope

So no seizures with CFS but when the brain stops working it
might as well be!

The way that othostatic intolerance is confirmed is by using a “tilt-table” test conducted by a cartiologist in a lab where they can revive you if you pass out (in agony). I made a little joke with the MD that the tilt-table test is like being crucified, only without the nails. He joked back to me that they had stuck two IV’s into me, one in each arm, so it was getting close!

Here is the Wiki page on tilt-table test:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilt_table_test

“A tilt table test, occasionally called upright tilt testing,[1] is a medical procedure often used to diagnose dysautonomia or syncope. Patients with symptoms of dizziness or lightheadedness, with or without a loss of consciousness (fainting), suspected to be associated with a drop in blood pressure or positional tachycardia are good candidates for this test.

“The procedure tests for causes of syncope by attempting to cause syncope by having the patient lie flat on a special table or bed and then be monitored with ECG and a blood pressure monitor. The table then creates a change in posture from lying to standing.”

[muggs]

Thanks, my daughter in law actually has POT’s (and Elhers-Danlos) so I know a little about it. I have low BP that sometimes just crashes for no apparent reason. Last week it feel to 70/40. I called my cardiologist and he seemed completely unconcerned.

The only reason I asked about the seizure connection is because I had never paid much attention to what the vagus nerve does until I was DX’ed with partial seizures in October. Since then I have read a lot about the vagus nerve.