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Seizure/Sycope Mystery

Fri, 09/08/2017 - 12:18
I am a 19 year old female and for two months now, I've been getting these episodes that my neurologist thinks is a cross between seizures and syncope--but she isn't completely sure what they are. I lose motor function and am not able to respond or move. However, I am completely aware with what is going on around me during these episodes--I can hear everything and if my eyes don't close themselves, I can see everything. I don't get confused, I just simply can't respond. When they first started, they would only last 30 seconds to 2 minutes. But now, they last anywhere from 5 minutes to 16 minutes. My warning signs before I get them have become less noticeable and I collapse now (I've collapsed on to the floor 4 times at work now). My warning signs are extreme dizziness, a hot flash, and recently I've begun losing feeling in my toes. Every test they have done has come back normal--MRI, EEG, EKGs, CT scans, constant blood work. I even had a doctor ask me if I was making these episodes up in my head. They put me on Keppra, but it hasn't stopped the episodes and I have almost every side effect Keppra can give you. They are currently switching me to Lamactal. If this medicine doesn't help, they are going to admit me in the hospital for 3-5 days to see if they can catch an episode while I'm fully hooked up. But as of right now, the cardiologists have been a joke and my neurologist is basically taking shots in the dark. Is there anyone who has an idea with what's wrong with me?

Comments

Syncope can look like the

Submitted by just_joe on Sun, 2017-09-10 - 17:42
Syncope can look like the person is in a seizure. Just because a test comes back normal does not mean you have no problem. I had 20-25 different EEG's that all came back normal. It was the 26 EEG in which I fell asleep in that showed abnormalities. Those abnormalities came from the left lobes of my brain. The test that the MRI replaced was done and in it the neurologists looked closer in those lobes and found scar tissue.

I too have these issues I

Submitted by lcsdr60 on Wed, 2017-09-13 - 17:37
I too have these issues I have been having them since I was 13. I am now 43. I have struggled to control them the best I can and have found some triggers to them. About a year and half ago I had a surgery, while being brought back from recovery still under heavy medications, the nurses hit my bed against the door frame then again against the wall throwing me into one of them while i was unconscious. I code blued 7 times before my roommate came in and slapped me under my chin while screaming my name. The doctor could not believe this brought me out of it. My blood pressure leveled out, my breathing returned to normal, and I became partially awake. I was still able to hear, smell, taste and see but had no way to respond. I was sent by ambulance to another hospital, while in the ambulance I had 3 more occurrences, the EMT just smacked me, called my name and told me to come out of it. I spent 3 days in ICU for a problem they could not figure out. The doctor was totally puzzled by it and said it was syncope. I still have them and they are getting worse. Changes in altitude, stress levels, coughing fits and tiredness are some of the onsets. I do have the occasional tingling, the dizziness, and hot flashes. I have only had 1 while driving several years ago but I knew it was coming and pulled over until it was finished. This has become debilitating but I cannot prove it because they think I too am just making it up until the doctor actually seen it. I was recently in an altercation with another person that threw me into one violently. I began violently shaking, at actually lost consciousness for a few moments. my bp rose to stroke levels, my breathing became sporadic. Yet again no one knows the why.

My 8 year old son had a very

Submitted by dmom022609 on Sat, 2017-09-16 - 20:16
My 8 year old son had a very scary event Monday night 9/11.  He was standing in the kitchen with me waiting for me to put a band-aid on his finger and told me he felt dizzy.  He looked okay, but is not the type of kid to complain or "attention seek", so I told him to stay close to me, I would watch him and we would go snuggle on the couch as soon as I got the band-aid on his finger.  I looked at him again less than 5 seconds later and noticed he was swaying back and forth.  I put the band-aid down and looked at his eyes.  They were staring at me as if looking through me without blinking.  I am a nurse and recognized that stare from when I worked in the Pediatric ICU during nursing school many years ago.  I grabbed him so he wouldn't fall, screamed his name and hit his shoulder without any response.  Within seconds his eyes rolled in the back of his head and he fell over.  I caught him so he didn't hit his head or suffer any injury.  I called to my husband and 17 year old step-daughters to call 911 who were in the living room and witnessed the event.  I carried him to the living room and laid him on the carpet.  He was unconscious for about 1 min, but was breathing.  I noticed at this time he was slightly clammy and breathing fast.  When he opened his eyes, he did not look confused or frustrated, but just looked around the room and remained non-verbal.  He told me earlier today that he remembers telling me he was dizzy, he heard me scream but his eyes were closed, and he remembers waking up on the living room floor with his eyes open and wanted to talk, but was not able to.  He remained non-verbal for about 5 min, then it took about 15 minutes for him to really begin to be himself once he did begin talking.  When the police officer arrived, he had already opened his eyes.  Although he was non-verbal, I was more comfortable since he was no longer unconscious and didn't think we needed an ambulance...so my husband and I drove him to the emergency room.  They did an EKG, monitored him on telemetry for a while, did labs, a chest x-ray and CT scan.....all of which were normal.  By the time we left, he was completely back to normal and sitting on the side of the stretcher eating chicken fingers and french fries drinking Gatorade.  We saw a neurologist the next morning who said he does not want to "label" him as having a seizure until we have more information even though it clinically appears to be a seizure.  He is calling it syncope at this point.  He did order an EEG & MRI which are both scheduled for this week.I am not a physician, but am a nurse with enough knowledge to know something weird occurred.  It may never happen again and everything may come back normal, but something definitely happened.  He had slight dizziness Wednesday after school walking to the bus stop and a little more dizziness Thursday during music class.  Otherwise he appears as if nothing ever happened.  He is a very athletic kid...plays travel baseball, soccer & is always on the move.  He has had a batting lesson, soccer practice and a game as well as went rock climbing and threw some hoops on the basketball court at the gym.....all without any issues. I am sure he will be fine and everything will come back normal, but what the heck happened?!?!?!  The neurologist thinks if anything is going to show something, the MRI is going to show something in the temporal lobe of his brain.  His pediatrician thinks it's related to his blood sugar.  I disagree with the pediatrician, but don't want to think the MRI will be anything other than normal.

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