I always thought it was a seizure. At least after I was able to get some time on google and do some symptom searching. The doctors seemed to disagree.
When I was a freshman in college, shortly after I turned 19, I went up to do my chemistry lab report on the study center computers. While in the middle of typing up my notes I noticed that the words on the page seemed to glow... even the color black seemed to “glow”. As the glowing grew more intense I began to hear a roaring in my ears (similar to when you make a big yawn). My eyes clamped themselves shut. I tried to open them. Then I tried to force them open. Nothing worked. Now along with my eyes the rest of my body was beginning to clamp up. I curled up, leaning on the desk. Still fully conscious (and getting worried) I focused on the extremities, which seemed to be less affected. I could wiggle my fingers. I could move my arms a bit and tap my toes. I couldn't uncurl my body and I couldn't open my eyes.
I stayed like that for a while. Probably not longer than a couple of minutes. It's hard to tell when all you are focusing on is moving your fingers or tapping your toes.
Eventually it began to fade. I began to uncurl myself from my computer desk, lifted my head and was finally able to blink my eyes. I was exhausted. I felt like the vital juices in my brain had been sucked out or something. I got up and staggered out the side door. Leaning against a row of lockers I began to move each body part separately, testing it's range of motion and looking for any hitches or stiffness. Everything had more or less checked out when I finally noticed that my stomach was beginning to act up. I hurried back inside and found the garbage can in time to throw up my shake a fries into it.
Knowing that head problems and throwing up (or nasuea) are never a good sign I called my dad and asked him to pick me up. I couldn't drive, not in my condition.
My dad was very worried. Thought I may have had a stroke. We went immediately (after putting my car in a place where it wouldn't get towed sitting overnight) to the doctors. I was given and MRI and EEG. I could tell that the EEG, when I was having it, was trying to reproduce the situation. The flashing lights kind of made me feel like I did right before everything went haywire. At first I fought it off, then realizing a negative test result wouldn't help any, tried to let it trigger it a bit. No dice.
The visit to the neurologist was interesting. All of the test results put me in the peak of mental health. He even commented that my brain was well formed, my parents had done a good job. A couple of smelling tests (smell this and tell me what it smells like) and the best he could think of it, was that it was an abnormal migraine.
It was during this visit that I learned that my “bad headaches” that “pounded” and “didn't go away generally, unless I went to sleep for a bit” were migraines. I got some migraine medication and an appointment for next year (if nothing happened in between whiles.)
A year later, my migraines were much less of a burden and the weird clamping thing had not come back.
Life happened and several years later I began to notice that I would still occasionally get clamping (or the urge to clamp) eyes, accompanied by the roaring sound. It has never been as bad as that first time, but I am beginning to notice it happening frequently with visual stimuli. Flashing lights, large alternating black and white images, the computer screen in general... It tends to be worse (more apt to happen) when I'm tired, but does happen even when I'm not. I have ways of fighting it off; looking away, closing one eye, or just giving into the clamping urge, which is always pretty short now (though not short enough to do while driving, ya know?)
My question is: Should I go back to the doctor and get this checked out? Was the above incident actually a small seizure? What are the clamping urges? Miniature seizures?
Thought it would be best to check with you guys. They say you become an "expert" when you get something like this. What better place to start?
Thanks!
