Community Forum Archive

The Epilepsy Community Forums are closed, and the information is archived. The content in this section may not be current or apply to all situations. In addition, forum questions and responses include information and content that has been generated by epilepsy community members. This content is not moderated. The information on these pages should not be substituted for medical advice from a healthcare provider. Experiences with epilepsy can vary greatly on an individual basis. Please contact your doctor or medical team if you have any questions about your situation. For more information, learn about epilepsy or visit our resources section.

Just had my VEEG - horrible symptoms

Mon, 07/25/2016 - 13:35
Hello, I'm new to this - a couple of months back I developed an intermittent myoclonus which became continuous (constant, rhythmic jerking in my abdomen, leg and arm) one day in May. I went to A&E and got a diagnosis of dissociative movement disorder. They treated me with clonzepam, and it got better. Since then, it has been mild but has carried on. I noticed in between all this that when I miss a dose of my Lamictal (which I take for depression), it comes back worse. My neurologist sent me for a sleep deprived EEG as part of the normal ruling out of seizures when you have a functional neurological disorder. During this VEEG today, the technician had me do the overbreathing for 3 minutes. Near the end, in the last minute or so, I started to have the myoclonus. There was both the brief twitching, but then I got the strong contractions in my abdomen lasting 1-2 seconds. It subsided after the breathing went back to normal (over the course of about a minute or two). Then the tech had me sleep, and I was jerking and jumping briefly so took me ages, and had a sort of weird anxious sweaty feeling. After I slept she did the photic stimulation. it started out ok, and then once the frequency increased the jerking started again - sort of spasms of a few seconds. When it got to the point the flashing was near continuous I had to make her stop, it was awful. My question is has anybody experienced this? I know that in epilepsy the flashing can trigger a seizure, but it wasn't a GTCS and I didn't lose consciousness. But I got it with the hyperventilation too, and it carried on into the sleep phase too. They also don't think I have epilepsy. I'll hear within 3 months apparently - but i sort of want to know what I'm in for. Thank you!

Sign Up for Emails

Stay up to date with the latest epilepsy news, stories from the community, and more.