Transitory symptoms and problems speaking and thinking

I have had episodes for over 20 years and nothing helped and I had no diagnosis.  Few years ago one neurologist here in Oklahoma put me on Verapamil (1-2 tables a day to help blood flow in brain)and it has helped me significantly.  It has cut down the duration of the episodes from 3-6 weeks to 6-7 days. I have also began to take B vitamin shots and they seem to help my condition also.  However, this condition still affects my life a great deal and I would like to find out what is wrong.  I think I am always affected to a small degree, but when the symptoms increase then they take over my life.  The Symptoms are:
1. My accent gets thicker and I have problems pronouncing words, feel like I have less control over my  tongue.
2. Feel like my head or brain are swollen, pressure in back of head/under jaws or front neck.
Sometimes my voice changes, gets deeper and then I become horse
3. Have problems understanding words and concepts
4. Feel like my face is frowning and sometimes I have small tremor in my right hand if I try to apply it.  My small motor functions are affected, eg my writing becomes very hard to read.
5. When the symptoms recede I feel like my memory has been partly erased, feel like I have to learn some things again
6. When the symptoms recede I feel like I don’t know my base line for what is normal, like I have to discover my old self again.  
Usually every neurologist suspects MS, epilepsy (but) they have never found anything despite doing some medical tests such as MRI.  If there are any rare conditions that can cause these symptoms that you are aware about and you think I should be tested, please let me know.  

[Dr Sharma]

Hi there. You have multiple neurological symptoms which need to be investigated for multiple sclerosis. MS is a chronic demyelinating disorder where the disease phase is characterized by active phase and remissions. It has multiple symptoms and signs and is a diagnosis of exclusion. The symptoms of multiple sclerosis are loss of balance, muscle spasms, numbness in any area, problems with walking and coordination, tremors in one or more arms and legs. Bowel and bladder symptoms include frequency of micturition, urine leakage, eye symptoms like double vision uncontrollable rapid eye movements, facial pain, painful muscle spasms, tingling, burning in arms or legs, depression, dizziness, hearing loss, fatigue etc. The treatment is essentially limited to symptomatic therapy so the course of action would not change much whether MS has been diagnosed or not. Apart from clinical neurological examination, MRI shows MS as paler areas of demyelination, two different episodes of demyelination separated by one month in at least two different brain locations. Spinal tap is done and CSF electrophoresis reveals oligoclonal bands suggestive of immune activity, which is suggestive but not diagnostic of MS. Demyelinating neurons, transmit nerve signals slower than non-demyelinated ones and can be detected with EP tests. These are visual evoked potentials, brain stem auditory evoked response, and somatosensory evoked potential. Slower nerve responses in any one of these is not confirmatory of MS but can be used to complement diagnosis along with a neurological examination, medical history and an MRI in addition, a spinal tap. Therefore, it would be prudent to consult your neurologist with these concerns. Hope this helps. Take care.

[michael5559]

Thank you for your advice.  My neurologist has previously ruled MS out, but I will talk to him again.  What ever this condition is, it is very difficult to diagnose.  Do you think this can be  central nervous system.

Thank you

[michael5559]

Thank you for your advice.  My neurologist has previously ruled MS out, but I will talk to him again.  What ever this condition is, it is very difficult to diagnose.  Do you think this can be  central nervous system Vasculitis.

Thank you

[hava]

You can help your body to get better. Follow this pranayam daily and let me know when you start to feel the benefit. The effect is gradual, so allow months. Your nervous system will get better, as the chandra nadi and surya nadi get balanced.
Build up your timing gradually.If you feel tired or dizzy, stop and resume after one minute.
Anulom Vilom pranayam –
Close your right nostril with thumb and deep breath-in through left nostril  
then – close left nostril with two fingers and breath-out through right nostril  
then -keeping the left nostril closed  deep breath-in through right nostril
then - close your right nostril with thumb and breath-out through left nostril.
This is one cycle of anulom vilom.
Repeat this cycle for  30  minutes twice a day.
Children under 15 years – do 5 to 10 minutes twice a day.
You can do this before breakfast/lunch/dinner or before bedtime or in bed.Remember to take deep long breaths into the lungs.You can do this while sitting on floor or chair or lying in bed.

Bhramri Pranayam -Close eyes. Close ears with thumb, index finger on forehead, and rest three fingers on base of nose touching eyes. Breathe in through nose. And now breathe out through nose while humming like a bee.
Duration : 5 to 21  times
June 20 ,2011