High altitude + lack of sleep = brain on fritz

Have you ever had the experience of "passing out" and waking up in the back of an ambulance? I must say, it's a bit disorienting! I've done it twice now. Let me 'splain:

You see, on Memorial Day Weekend, the singles group at Grace Chapel goes camping in the mountains. Now, I like to camp, I like the idea of roughing it, and I like hanging out with my friends for a 3-day weekend. Unfortunately, I do not generally sleep well when camping. Two years ago, I stayed up late talking to friends. This last weekend, I hit the sack at a decent time, but couldn't get to sleep. Basically the result was the same. Two years ago I was getting ready to play a game on Sunday afternoon, when (from my point of view) I passed out. From my friends viewpoint, I began having a seizure. They called 911, and the ambulance came to take me to the nearest hospital. I woke up in the back of the ambulance, though it hadn't left the campsite yet, with the EMT's and my best friend asking me how old I was. At first I thought it was a dream, but they were persistant with the questions, so I realized it was real! They did a cat scan, and later that year I had an EEG (brain wave graph) done. All came back normal. I learned that lack of sleep can cause a seizure, and it doesn't necesarily mean you're epileptic. That was two years ago.

So, this memorial day, I had - more or less - planned ahead. I was not going to stay up late. I was only going to stay until Sunday. I would be okay. Right? Not so much. I still didn't sleep well, but I was having fun and wasn't sure I wanted to go home early. In the end, I made the right decision, and packed up my stuff Sunday afternoon. I was in a car with two girlfriends, and we stopped to eat dinner in Morrison. We ate, and paid the bill, and then I had a seizure. Can you believe it? I was trying not to have a repeat performance!! So, they called the paramedics, and called my parents, and the next thing I know I'm in the ambulance headed to a Denver hospital. (Oh, no! Not again!) Again with the persistant questions to signal that this is NOT a dream.

Moral of the story: A) Get enough sleep when you go camping; and B) When you take topomax to prevent migraines, and then you stop because it doesn't seem to be working...MAKE SURE you get enough sleep when you go camping. Because topomax is also prescribed for epileptic patients...or, better yet, just don't stop taking your topomax!!