The Big, Big Ring

Just having a little fun.

For the past several days, I've been experiencing something I like to call "the big, big ring" (mostly because I think the above song is super dope, even if the grotesque and obnoxious Miley Cyrus is involved in it, and am co-opting it for my own purposes.) Also, talking about somethings as bizarre and annoying as constant ringing in my ears seems somewhat analogous to anything Miley Cyrus has ever done. It also makes it way less scary. 

I appropriately hate myself. 

But seriously, this "big, big ring" is WAY annoying. It comes and goes at a steady, dare I say rhythmic, pace. But whenever the ringing starts, it feels like someone simultaneously chucks my brain into the ocean (salt water, obviously) while jiggling my head so that my vision gets warbled and my words garbled. I look and sound completely intoxicated, which makes me look and feel totally sane. Ironically, the closest thing to this I've ever experienced is one time when I got profoundly drunk and wound up in the ER (sometimes, we're young and stupid). But even alcohol poisoning doesn't come close to replicating these symptoms - they are just so strange. 

This is probably true.

There is some speculation among neurologists that when ear ringing accompanies a seizure disorder, one of two things might be happening. One (dark) possibility is that the patient is experiencing a simple partial seizure during the duration of the ear-ringing. According to Epilepsy.com, people who have a head injury (I've only had about five from grand mal or secondary generalized seizures over the past two months) are more likely to experience simple partial seizures, and that during these brief (usually 2-minute long) seizures, the individual is fully awake, alert, and able to interact. Overall, this seems like a pretty accurate description of what I experience. Another invisible seizure. 

But others suggest that ear ringing can also be an aura, or warning, or a more profound seizure episode. In fact, simple partial seizures can also act as auras for other seizures. So, that's a bit of a chicken/egg issue.

Love this guy. 

Needless to say, my seizure survey continues. I can now, probably, add simple partial seizure to the list of the types of seizures that I've had, including grand mal, absence, atonic, secondary generalized, and post-ictal (which is not considered a seizure type in all medical circles). My brain is clearly a hot, hot mess.

They say knowledge is power. They also say Google has turned us all into doctors. I want to meet this "they." But here's the thing, there's such a dearth of quality health professionals, that you have to become your own doctor and stalk doctors to get the help you need. And with seizures constantly showing their new and shiny faces, I can't live on their time, unless I want the big, big ring to turn into an alarm clock I can't shut off.