Psychogenic seizure..?

[jmpatte50]

It has recently been suggested to me that perhaps my "episodes" are anxiety related.? I'm posting my symptoms and a brief history to see if anyone could shed a little more light on this subject for me...Thank you in advance.

Summary of Symptoms:
Headaches - sometimes severe
Abnormal sensation in abdomen and chest, followed by dizziness and limp body
Seizures
Episodes when she can hear, but doesn't have ability to move or speak

Con Meds:
100mg BID Topiramate
81mg Bayer
.05mg Alprazolam
100mg Zoloft

History of Events:
~ one year ago
Symptoms: rising sensation in chest (lasting from a second to 15 seconds) almost feeling as though she was unable to take another breath.  Face felt full and flush.

April 25, 2010
After extremely stressful day at work sensations described above occurred again, but this time body also went limp.  Taken by ambulance to the Hospital.  Admitted for 3 days, and a series of heart related tests were performed.  All tests reflected good health.

Follow-up visit with PCP.  PCP referred her to oncologist because MGUS protein found in the blood, and also requested MRI of brain.  She was prescribed 25mg of Zoloft for anxiety.

MRI of brain shows 1 cm right parafalcine meningioma.  The meningioma was on top of one of the dural sinuses but does not significantly compress the dural sinus.  No other abnormalities.

EEG performed which demonstrated occasional left-sided slow wave activity but not epileptic discharges.  50mg BID of Topiramate prescribed for potential seizures.

July 2010
Admitted to South Shore Hospital for 4 days for episodes of nausea, light headedness, limp body, and ability to hear what is going on but not able to speak or move. Episodes lasted b/w 1 to 3 minutes.

Also had right facial and right arm symptoms, which abated.

BP 130/70, Pulse 80 and regular, Respiratory rate 18.  No focal abnormalities on neurological exam.

Released from hospital still feeling dizzy and unable to walk more than 50 feet w/o getting nauseous.

Topiramate increased to 100mg BID.

August 6, 2010
24hr sleep derived study.  Complicated migraines but no seizures.
Want to perform 72 hour EEG

[jmpatte50]

Thank-you for calming my fears AND making me laugh!!

[ggreg]

I stand by what I said.  However, it IS possible you simply fainted, that you got so anxious that you quit breathing and that knocked you out, but the problem with all that is, you have a meningioma in your brain.  

Anybody who knows about the LOCATION of your particular meningioma, and if they read the report that yours does "not significantly compress...," well, hon, that means it IS compressing the area nonetheless, and the medical literature suggests your kind of meningioma will cause symptoms similar to yours.  In addition, you can always go to a larger city, to perhaps a hospital in a university setting, and let them have a look at your MRI, do a repeat one to compare, and a neurosurgeon can read those pictures just fine without a radiologst, and see what THEY say about how come you fall out like you do.

The way to look at this thing is, if the docs can come up with WHATEVER diagnosis they do, and they treat you for it, and you become well, that's the goal and all this guesswork is for naught.  This forum is to support people and tell others what we members know about.  And it's okay for a patient to politely explain their fears and their questions to the doc, and also a patient has the right to ask for a "second opinion."  So, let's hope the docs get it right, and actually I hope I'm proved wrong, because I'd much rather have anxiety than a growth in my brain.

[jmpatte50]

Thank you for your response
If I was to self diagnose I would have come to the same conclusion only the doctors are
telling me that the meningioma is "too small" to cause any side effects at this stage..
I found infrormation on another website that that claims the opposite..
Just curious to see what you think ?

[ggreg]

Your symptoms are not caused by anxiety.  The meningioma is what is causing your symptoms.  It can cause the headache, interfere with normal activity of nerves and of blood vessels, and cause nausea.  Anxiety can occur as a result of those symptoms.  For example, I have panic disorder, triggered by a car accident, and when fear takes over, my heart beats fast and I almost stop breathing.  One of the ways to ease my panic is to do deep breathing, thus I gain control of my breathing, and this lowers the heartrate, and in turn the anxiety.  

Your doctors are giving you the right medicines and are doing the correct tests.  The 72-hour EEG is a good idea, it should confirm the low wave activity of your first EEG, and perhaps other abnormalities.  Eventually the physicians should come up with a diagnosis, which may be a mixed one, perhaps secondary symptoms coming from the primary health issue, the presence of the meningioma.  I could be wrong on all of this, but from what I know about the subject, those would be my thoughts, hope it helps.