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Please Help
I have a friend in her forties. A couple of years ago she started experiencing a tick in her right arm. Currently she has seizures where she can hear and understand. After a seizure, which can be between one a day, to one on top of the other all day long, she is exhausted and needs to sleep. She has been evaluated by the top neurologists, psychiatrists, and cardiologists. They have out ruled every disease or disorder that has been linked to tics and seizures and are at a loss. My question is: Could this be an allergic reaction developed later in life to something or a combination of things? She is severely allergic to latex and MSG and is extremely careful to not come into contact with these items. Please help. I am scared for her and no one seems to be able to answer our questions. She is now on disability because of the severity of the tics and seizures. She has had multiple surgeries and at one point had a hysterectomy due to Cervical cancer. Please help.
Hi,
How is your friend doing now? What has the neurologist advised?
Keep us posted.
Regards.
How is your friend doing now? What has the neurologist advised?
Keep us posted.
Regards.
HI
My sister, nephew and 2 older sons had similar symptoms, and after all the tests came back negative my older sister went to a clinical ecologist. Clinical ecology refers to physicians who believe that exposure to certain chemical agents can result in physical damage, causing multiple chemical sensitivity and a variety of other disorders.
My sister and nephew were helped tremendously. so we took our boys to see this doctor
The tests are much more conclusive than allergy testing.. In the end they were put on food and chemical drops to help them tolerate the foods and chemicals that were causing the seizures and tics.
Two of my three boys had Tourette Syndrome which is characterized by tics and now they are gone. My sister and nephew's seizures have stopped.
Where do you live.?
There is a really good clinical ecologist in Toronto Ontario, he is the one we went to.
They are all over the world
We were lucky to have one so close to us.
Juli48
My sister, nephew and 2 older sons had similar symptoms, and after all the tests came back negative my older sister went to a clinical ecologist. Clinical ecology refers to physicians who believe that exposure to certain chemical agents can result in physical damage, causing multiple chemical sensitivity and a variety of other disorders.
My sister and nephew were helped tremendously. so we took our boys to see this doctor
The tests are much more conclusive than allergy testing.. In the end they were put on food and chemical drops to help them tolerate the foods and chemicals that were causing the seizures and tics.
Two of my three boys had Tourette Syndrome which is characterized by tics and now they are gone. My sister and nephew's seizures have stopped.
Where do you live.?
There is a really good clinical ecologist in Toronto Ontario, he is the one we went to.
They are all over the world
We were lucky to have one so close to us.
Juli48
Hi,
What does her neurologist say about the symptoms your friend is having?
Has juvenile myoclonic epilepsy been ruled out?
Why was atenolol prescribed?
Get a review with a neurologist and see what the specialist has to say about this.
Let us know how your friend is doing.
Regards.
What does her neurologist say about the symptoms your friend is having?
Has juvenile myoclonic epilepsy been ruled out?
Why was atenolol prescribed?
Get a review with a neurologist and see what the specialist has to say about this.
Let us know how your friend is doing.
Regards.
She is currently taking the medications listed (this is straight from her discharge paperwork after a six day work up at UCLA Medical Center)
1) Neurontin 300 mg p.o. t.i.d.
Atenolol 25mg p.o. daily
Sertraline100 mg p.o. q.h.s.
Trazodone 100 mg p.o. q.h.s.
Lovastatin 40 mg p.o. q.h.s.
Hydrochlorothiazide 25 mg p.o. daily
Klonopin 1.5 mg p.o. q.h.s.
fish oil 1 g p.o. daily
2) She had a thorough workup including MRI of the brain to evaluate for structural lesion, LP to evaluate for infection or other CSF fluid abnormalities that could be causing the patient's movements, ceruloplasmin, and multiple vasculitis labs. All the studies that have returned to date have been negative.She had a routine EEG performed and had no alteration of the background rhythm even while she was having the involuntary movements of the right arm.She also has right-sided sensory deficits on exam but still appeared to have a functional component to this because of the lack of any vibration sense in the head when the tuning fork was placed on the right side.
3) I think they may be allergies that have possibly changed symptoms. She is highly allergic to latex and MSG like I said and those symptoms have not changed. She was also severely allergic to anything scented ( perfumes, lotions, air freshners, and other things of this sort). When the tics and seizures started she was still experiencing sever migraines when exposed to these items. Now the seizures and tics have worsened, the migraines are still there, but she says these scented items do not seem to have much affect on her now.
4) I am not sure how to read the laboratory data, but here is what is in the report that all this info is coming from as of December 16, 2007
CSF showed RBC less than 1, WBC 1, albumin 14.9, Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease is pending, glucose 73, protein 33, Coccidiodes antibody negative, VDRL nonreactive, lgG synthesis rate within normal limits, lgG index 0,6, and cryptococcal antigen negative. Acid-fast cultures negative to date. Bacterial cultures negative. Fungal cultures negative to date. Viral cultures negative to date. Serum test: ESR 32 which is slightly elevated, ceruloplasmin 33, CS 153 which is slightly elevated, C4 25, SPEP pending, rheumatoid factor negative, TSH 0.59, ANA negative, hepatitis B serologies negative, HSV lgM negative, P-ANCA negative, C-ANCA negative, myeloperoxidase negative, proteinase-3 antibody negative, RPR nonreactive, SS-A negative, and SS-B negative. Urine heavy metal screen arsenic within normal limits. Arsenic urine mcg per 24 hours,110 mcg per date, which is elevated; lead 0; and mercury 0.
5) Hysterectomy in 2001 for cervical cancer. History of C-section in 1983. History of tubal pregnancy in 1984. Ulnar nerve transposition in the right arm x2 in 1997. Carpal tunnel release surgery x2 in 1997. Cholecystectomy in January 1991. Multiple skin cancers resected. History of depression. History of migraines that resolved 4 years ago. No history of obsessive-compulsive disorder or ADHD. No history of febrile seizures, CNS infections, or head trauma with associated loss of consciousness.
She was discharged with the instructions to see a psychiatrist. She was evaluated and told that this was not a psychiatric situation. She has recently had to change doctors due to insurance changes.
1) Neurontin 300 mg p.o. t.i.d.
Atenolol 25mg p.o. daily
Sertraline100 mg p.o. q.h.s.
Trazodone 100 mg p.o. q.h.s.
Lovastatin 40 mg p.o. q.h.s.
Hydrochlorothiazide 25 mg p.o. daily
Klonopin 1.5 mg p.o. q.h.s.
fish oil 1 g p.o. daily
2) She had a thorough workup including MRI of the brain to evaluate for structural lesion, LP to evaluate for infection or other CSF fluid abnormalities that could be causing the patient's movements, ceruloplasmin, and multiple vasculitis labs. All the studies that have returned to date have been negative.She had a routine EEG performed and had no alteration of the background rhythm even while she was having the involuntary movements of the right arm.She also has right-sided sensory deficits on exam but still appeared to have a functional component to this because of the lack of any vibration sense in the head when the tuning fork was placed on the right side.
3) I think they may be allergies that have possibly changed symptoms. She is highly allergic to latex and MSG like I said and those symptoms have not changed. She was also severely allergic to anything scented ( perfumes, lotions, air freshners, and other things of this sort). When the tics and seizures started she was still experiencing sever migraines when exposed to these items. Now the seizures and tics have worsened, the migraines are still there, but she says these scented items do not seem to have much affect on her now.
4) I am not sure how to read the laboratory data, but here is what is in the report that all this info is coming from as of December 16, 2007
CSF showed RBC less than 1, WBC 1, albumin 14.9, Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease is pending, glucose 73, protein 33, Coccidiodes antibody negative, VDRL nonreactive, lgG synthesis rate within normal limits, lgG index 0,6, and cryptococcal antigen negative. Acid-fast cultures negative to date. Bacterial cultures negative. Fungal cultures negative to date. Viral cultures negative to date. Serum test: ESR 32 which is slightly elevated, ceruloplasmin 33, CS 153 which is slightly elevated, C4 25, SPEP pending, rheumatoid factor negative, TSH 0.59, ANA negative, hepatitis B serologies negative, HSV lgM negative, P-ANCA negative, C-ANCA negative, myeloperoxidase negative, proteinase-3 antibody negative, RPR nonreactive, SS-A negative, and SS-B negative. Urine heavy metal screen arsenic within normal limits. Arsenic urine mcg per 24 hours,110 mcg per date, which is elevated; lead 0; and mercury 0.
5) Hysterectomy in 2001 for cervical cancer. History of C-section in 1983. History of tubal pregnancy in 1984. Ulnar nerve transposition in the right arm x2 in 1997. Carpal tunnel release surgery x2 in 1997. Cholecystectomy in January 1991. Multiple skin cancers resected. History of depression. History of migraines that resolved 4 years ago. No history of obsessive-compulsive disorder or ADHD. No history of febrile seizures, CNS infections, or head trauma with associated loss of consciousness.
She was discharged with the instructions to see a psychiatrist. She was evaluated and told that this was not a psychiatric situation. She has recently had to change doctors due to insurance changes.
Hi,
Is she on any medication currently? Any anti-cancer treatment or any medications for the tics and seizures?
Has an EEG and MRI brain been done? What do the reports say?
Why do you think these are allergy symptoms?
These most probably look to be neurological in origin.
Have the blood electrolytes levels been checked like sodium. potassium, calcium, magnesium?
What multiple surgeries has she had?
Do let us know the answers to the above questions so that we may be in a better position to respond to your query.
Regards.
Is she on any medication currently? Any anti-cancer treatment or any medications for the tics and seizures?
Has an EEG and MRI brain been done? What do the reports say?
Why do you think these are allergy symptoms?
These most probably look to be neurological in origin.
Have the blood electrolytes levels been checked like sodium. potassium, calcium, magnesium?
What multiple surgeries has she had?
Do let us know the answers to the above questions so that we may be in a better position to respond to your query.
Regards.
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