migraine or epilepsy? I'm really scared...

[troubledmom247]

I am a 28 year old female, with 3 children. I was in good health until March of 2005 when I suddenly had a "stroke" episode while I was 22 weeks pregnant with my third son. I couldn't feel my hands, lost my ability to speak, couldn't see clear, was extremely dizzy and and weak, and felt like I was floating above my body. I was taken to the ER from my job by ambulance,evaluated, had weakness on the left side slightly. I had MRI/MRA scans which resulted normal, no clots, I had ultrasounds of the legs looking for DVT, and EKG, and ECG's. Everything, normal, symptoms slowly disapated, I remained in the hospital 3 weeks, left side returned to full strength, and remained dizzy for rest of the pregnancy, no elevated BP either, every test I had was normal. After delivery, everything went back to normal, I seemed fine. Between then and August of 2007 I had about 10 surgeries for a condition I developed called Pelvic adhesion disease with endometriosis--ended up with a paritial hysterectomy and am left with one left ovary only. So, August of 2007 I was sitting on my couch playing with my 3 children and I lost my vision completley, couldn't move, couldn't speak, felt like I was floating above my body, didn't know what was happening, it lasted around 2 hours, or so I was told, my cousin was at the house preoccupied with the kids so when I was able to begin to move some I found the phone and started punching numbers to get help. I wound up in the hospital for 5 days, with another MRI/MRA, TEE, EKG, ECG, ultrasounds for DVT, all looking for blood clots, thinking it was a stroke, I still couldn't talk much, was like a 2 year old, couldn't read, couldn't say what I was thinking and extrememly dizzy...hands and feet numb, along with sharp pains in the head. They classified it as another stroke and sent me home, even though no sign of clots and such. All tests still normal. Between then and March I was ok, and then another episode struck again, I woke up with my left arm completley numb and couldn't feel it, but hurt to touch it, thought it was asleep, but for hours it didn't go away, then I noticed purple indentations all over my hands with white rings around them, and I started to feel dizzy and like I was out of my body again, like da ja vou... speed dialed my husband and he called the ambulance, and back to the hospital I went. this time they CT my head, normal results, they druged me up, classified as a TIA and sent me home 5 hours later. One month later I developed a pelvic mass that grew from 1 cm to 11 cm in a month and had it removed, then found out I had intercystial cystits, and dealt with that. I started to see a neurologist at this point and he put me on diamox for migraines??? but I don't have headaches, but he said I don't have to have headaches, I told him epilepsy runs in my family, he ordered an EEG in April results are normal.  until last monday--when I started to feel weird again, and dizzy and that out of body experience. I started to speak like i was 3, he prescribed a steroid pack, and told me it would eventually get better, I got worse, couldn't functoin lost track of time, starred off into space, was weak, couldn't do anything, couldn't read or write, or talk much at all. when I saw the T.v. I refereed to it as box instead of t.v., and my speech is still off and it has been over a week. by friday I felt better, the steroids were finished, he also started me on klonopin .50 mg at night and Saturday I felt fine. Sunday I was  back to my 3year old self, in the stroke mode, this time, my hands jerked inward and were rigid and my thumb was cramped in and I have experienced a twitch inbewetween my index and thumb finger since last monday to the point where my whole arm trembles and my hand pulls inward on and off throughout the day. It is worse on my prodominant hand which is my right hand, and it gets so bad that I cannot pick up a pen and write. What could this be ? part of the migraine? side effects from meds? I stopped the diamox and started topamax on Monday per my neurologists request...but I am very worried about my hand that doesnt stop with this twitch and how bad it gets,I don't know if it ties in to the rest of the story, or if I should bring it up to my doctor a third time, but I thought I would just throw it out here, can anyone help me understand what could be happening??  Epilepsy runs in my family and I just don't know what to do anymore, my mind is mush...

-christine

[DrNoopurMD]

Hi,

Hope you are feeling better.
It is really hard to tell if it is just atypical migraine or epilepsy. Since all your tests have been normal and you do not have any risk factor for stroke, TIA and stroke can be ruled out.
I would suggest you to discuss the possibility of trying out ambulatory EEG. In some cases of epilepsy the EEG picks up abnormality only during an episode.
This could be atypical migraine also because migraine can present with all these symptoms with or without headaches. I would suggest you to continue with Topamax and see if it relieves your symptoms.
Do keep us posted!

[codycool]

Hi hope you are feeling better , i to suffer from the same condition i am 45 years old and have had this condition for 17 years i have not  yet found anything to help ,it's sometimes really hard to live with as i to have small children ,now when i have a fit i just lie down and wait 2 hours or more for it to pass. l really feel for you it sounds like you have had a bad run of it and i know it hard to look after the family and deal with this is not easy but you sound like a very strong person good luck if you ever need someone to talk to please feel free to contact me hope to hear from you kerry.

[troubledmom247]

3 more episodes in 2 weeks, these are bad, left side paralasis, topamax was rejected by my insurance and now I am on klonopin in the a.m. and p.m. Started more steroids today as I have am in another epidsode my eye balls are shaking. any clues why?

[eialici]

Ask your doctors to check for Auto Immune Disorders, a condition where the body's immune system attacks itself instead of alien bodies.

One of those conditions is called Lupus.

Hope this helps.