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*oops* new here, posted in the wrong forum

Sat, 06/03/2006 - 18:00
Hey y'all, I'm new here. I am trying to figure out what in the heck is wrong with me. Here's the background. I'm sorry it's so long, but I welcome any imput. I had petit mal seizures from birth to age 11, at which time they stopped. From age 14 to the present, I'm 44, I have suffered with what has been diagnosed as atypical depression. Over the years I have received just about type of treatment for depression you can imagine, except for electroconvulsive therapy. I've been hospitalized for the depression six times over the years. NONE of the traditional anti-depressants have been of much help to me, some actually make the depression worse. The few that do work do so only for a very short period of time. About 5 years ago a creative-thinking psychiatrist decided to try me on Trileptal and it has made a world of difference. I have been truly productive for the first time in my life. However, even with the Trileptal, I often wake up in pain from clinching my jaw, with my legs sore, and with my hands tightly fisted. In addition to the pain, I have maybe 5 to 10 days a month where I wake from nightmares or just really bizarre dreams feeling exhausted, and terribly depressed. Also, the morning pain seems worse at these times. This happens more frequently when I am very tired and/or under stress (both of which are constant factors in my life right now). Some other facts about me: 1. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia in 1990, but two different fibromyalgia specialists have told me that my symptoms don't quite fit the mold for fibro. One of the specialist felt it was more like multiple sclerosis, but when the test for that was negative, they went back to the fibro. diagnosis. 2. I developed severe hyperemesis gravitum (excessive vomiting) during my first pregnancy and when none of the traditional meds for that worked, the doctor put me on phenobarbital, which cured it. 3. On the only EEG I have had as an adult, there is a 'blank spot' (right temporal lobe) that I was told was nothing to worry about, that it was just a marker saying that I had seizures as a child. 4. I had a sleep study done to check for sleep apnea (only) about 5 years ago. The study showed no sleep apnea, but did show alot of what I was told was unusual sleeping brain activity. The center where I had it done was designed to test for the SA only, but the technician did tell me that my sleeping EEG is remarkably similar to my awake EEG. 5. Last, but not least...I am on social security disability for the depression. I am able to work a limited number hours a week, but too much stress and my body begins to shut down. Where do I go from here? Could this be nocturnal seizures? Do I ask the family doctor for a referal to a neurologist and just tell him all this or what? Any imput would be greatly appreciated.

Comments

Re: *oops* new here, posted in the wrong forum

Submitted by Ramblinman on Sat, 2006-06-03 - 21:50
Welcome, Lets talk about the waking up sore. Wow, that's what happens to me all the time. Or at least used to happen a lot more often before I started topamax. I would often wake up in the push-up position just stiff as a board. I would be sore for days. I would also have the most awful dreams that everyone hated me and I would remember every bad thing that had ever happend to me. I would be sore and depressed for day. Doctors put me on all sorts of anti depressants but they didn't do a thing. AEDs have helped a lot. Not totally, but more than anything else. I think too many people with Epilepsy are diagnosed with depression or fibro or something else. I also had a sleep test. No sleep apnea but the tech said that I sure did move around a lot in my sleep and there sure was a lot of brain activity going on. Duhhhhhh!!!! Definately ask for a referral to not only a neuro bot to an epileptologist.

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