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Nothing I've learned in school matches me...I think?

Sat, 04/02/2016 - 13:25
Hey there! I'm currently a medical student about to finish up my Neuroscience course in school. And as we've covered everything from Orthostatic Hypertension to the different types of seizures, nothing I've learned seems to match up perfectly with the episodes of whatever I have gotten/been getting throughout my life. I knowing everyone is different so maybe I'm just an unusual presentation of a usual case. (Or I dazed off in class and missed something completely...) Either way, I'd like to know! So here's my case: For all you clinicians out there, my chief complaint is simply what feels to me like convulsions lasting (I think) always less than 1 minute, MOSTLY occurring after standing up too quickly from sitting or lying down. I can usually tell when it is going to happen because I'm just used to it now, and it isn't everytime I get up too fast. (It has also occurred once in the past when I was out drinking with friends, but I was nowhere near drunk - tipsy if anything. And another time recently, whilst already standing. Before/after eating a meal doesn't seem to make a difference.) Once it happens, since I remember having it since middle school/high school, I kinda have a "plan of action". I have hit my head on the bathroom floor from the convulsing or shaking once before, so i've taught myself that when i feel it coming on, to get away from people (b/c i'd rather no one see it and freak out), go to a safe place that's open so i can't hit myself on anything or fall down stairs or anything, and make me way to the ground any way i can and just hold onto it in sort-of a runner's stance until it passes. I've gotten some bruises on my way down, but it's better than knocking my head on the ground. During it, I wouldn't say I lose consciousness, because I'm aware it's happening and if someone's around I try to make it look like I'm just doing something normal on the ground like tying my shoe, even though my eyes kind of lose focus when it occurs so I wouldn't even be able to fake tying my shoes properly and the room spins/jerks around in my vision. So, I'm conscious enough to be able to make an effort to seem "normal" or try and control it when it happens. But at the same time, after it happens, I sometimes completely forget what I was doing or what was going on just before. One time it happened when I went to open the door for a friend to come in to my room, and I knew it was coming on after I already opened the door, so I said hold on a sec, and only made it to halfway out of their field of vision before I got to the ground, and they said it looked like I had gotten on the floor to exercise (randomly haha) and was rocking or something and mumbling. They didn't know I had episodes like these, so they didn't think it was something health-related at all. After some seconds when I came out of it, I had completely forgotten they were at the door and what they wanted, and just went on my bed back on my laptop to continue studying; when I realized they were there, I remembered, and I was so embarassed...and confused. That was odd for me, and the first time friends have kinda seen it happen to me. Last thing to mention is that I think I have aura with it, at least sometimes. I can still hear things, but sometimes what I hear is...odd? Once I remember hearing my dad downstairs at our house watching the news like always...but...I wasn't at home when it happened...that really freaked me out. But more often than not, sounds just dull into background noise, and all I can think about during it is controlling it as best as possible. Those are all the things that seem medically relevant to me...no one else i've asked in my family has these episodes...oh and also I have Beta-thalassemia minor - which attributes to mild anemia and tiredness, but nothing else I believe. Anyways, just figured I'd put it out there, and see if any simple answers come up that I may have missed, or if this is just some odder presentation of a normal occurence/disorder. I'd just be happy to put a name to these mysterious occurences to be frank. Any comments/thoughts/insights are greatly appreciated and will help me become a better doctor! Thanks in advance! :)

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