Acid or Epilepsy? Drug-induced Hallucinations or #TemporalLobe #Seizures? Mushrooms or #Migraines? “Curiouser and Curiouser,” indeed.
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, known to most as #LewisCarroll, has a fascinating story in his own right let alone the works we’ve come to love and recreate. One fact about his life in particular is relevant to many a fellow #Spoonie, too!
When doctors first began confirming what that one doc did nearly 16 years ago – that I was having seizures, and hey it is Epilepsy! – it was thought I had Temporal Lobe Epilepsy on top of Catamenial Epilepsy and thus began a search for others with the same. My two greatest passions in life (aside from my hubby, of course) are #writing and religion, so how weird/cool was it that I began to find all these literary and religious figures said to have the same? Well, that is what brings us to dear Charles/Lewis. As soon as I’d learned about his possible TLE and began to read more about it all, Alice made so much more sense to me (and the connection I’d already seen between seizure-induced and drug-induced #hallucinations made even much more sense indeed).
Like with my own history, migraines with aura appeared to be diagnosed for him first, but alongside fainting spells that couldn’t be otherwise explained. It was only until later it was clear to doctors he had “Epileptiform” attacks, and he even wrote that he was having seizures in his journals. Just now, to verify my memories of what I’d read and thought to remember years ago when I first received this diagnosis, I stumbled on some new-to-me information on Wikipedia about #AliceInWonderland syndrome which is often associated with migraines (and drug-use but also tumors and Epstein-Barr). How many LSD- or 🍄- fueled Alice readings/enactments/watchings are there out there? Is anyone realizing they are also practicing migraine and Epilepsy awareness? 😝😂😉
Anyway, all I meant to do was share my pretty new journal (picked up at #BisbeeBooksAndMusic a bit ago). It called to me on the shelf and knew it’d bring me on an interesting, magical journey with a new #writingproject. Should stop this post now. Much to do and still haven’t had breakfast yet! 😉
