Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

Vertebral Stenosis

   I've been experiencing some difficulty with short term memory loss, ringing in ears,  a drunk type feeling, and  fatigue as well as automatic behavior, on a daily basis for 2 years, it is progressively getting worse. After exhausting testing of labwork I recently had a sleep study done which is being diagnosed as Idiopathic hypersomnia.
  Being unsure of this I found myself looking through all my medical record copies I keep in my home- amoung them I found an MRA I had done in Sept. of 06.

  Needless to say there was something that caught my eye. If anyone has any input or knowledge in this area it would be greatly appreciated.  The MRA  report findings are as follows:

  MRA with contrast of neck-

    The right vertebral artery is widely patent from it's origin. Right commoncarotid,bifurcation,internal and external are widely patent. There is mild to moderate stenosis adjacent to the origin of the left vertebral artery, the vessel is otherwise widely patent.The left common carotid are widely patent.



      I will be seeing a new neurologist in the near future and most certainly will have to repeat this procedure. Just wondering if anyone has any experience or knowledge of a vertebral stenoosis.

     Thank you .

      
2 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
Avatar universal
Idiopathic hypersomnia is a cousin to narcolepsy. I have all the symtpoms and sleep latency of Narcolepsy but I do not have cataplexy and I do not go into rem sleep immediately which is most common in Narcolepsy. On average in 2 daytime sleep tests within 6 minutes I fell asleep but did not reach REM in any of the 5 naps and remained asleep until they woke me 20 minutes later, hence the diagnosis. I can basically fall asleep anywhere- anytime.

I guess I was mostly searching for an answer to my short term memory loss. Is it possible that this kind of sleep disorder would cause the memory issues ?  The other symptoms fit according to my doc with exception to the ringing in my ears. Or is it more likely to be something of a neuro disorder to be followed up on?

  I have had extensive labs done all of which have come back normal. I had a thyroidectomy a couple of years ago and my labs are always in check. I do smoke- if I smoke a total of 8 cigs a day that is alot for me. I drink very little caffeine and have great BP.I take a multi vitamin- sublingual B12- fish oil-  Q-10- levoxyl 150 mcg- and now provigil 200 mg ( to help stay awake) I am on a low carb regimine to maintain weight- all my carbs come naturally from organic foods. I do not drink or do rec. drugs either.

  I just wonder as stated above- would this sleep disorder affect my memory this way? Or would it be from a stenosis in a vertebral artery?

     My memory was once that of an elephant. I could recall anything. Now I have trouble remembering if I fed the dog 5 minutes ago- I get lost driving to places i go to daily- i have post it notes everywhere to remind myself to do things i always did on a daily basis in routine for years- i have trouble recalling dates and times- i just can't remeber things or even process it the way i did 2 years ago.My job is even suffering and I love my job.

     The use of the word Schizo was harsh considering I did NOT make up the diagnosis or the word
Helpful - 0
144586 tn?1284666164
Hmmmm. Idiopathic hypersomnia. Basically that means they have no idea whatsoever what is causing your problem. One of the symptoms of schizophrenia is the tendency to make up nonsense terms. By that standard, "idiopathic jypersomnia" meets the criterion. I hope they paid you good money to participate in the sleep study. Of course they will have you "repeat the procedure". Like the novel "The Octopus". The motto then was "all the traffic will bear". Clearing through the nonsense, the kind of problems you describe are generally associated with lack of oxygen. In other words those teensey little red cells aren't transmitting enough oxygen to the brain tissues. Looking further, one has to ask "why?". There are lots of missing pieces in your medical presentation. I am uncertain why you are pre-occupied with the condition of your neck. The first thing I would do is have a look at tour blood. Are you smoking? Carebon monoxide has an extraordinary half-life and binds to the red blood cells, preventing oxygen delivery. What is your hematocrit? What is your pulse and blood pressure? What kind of labs do you have? What is the hematcrit? The word "stenosis" means there is a narrowing. This narrowing sometimes is severe enough to prevent good blood flow. One answer is to assist the lubricosity of the blood by taking cod liver and omega-3 fish oils. Your comments provoke more questions than answers.
Helpful - 0
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the Neurology Community

Top Neurology Answerers
620923 tn?1452915648
Allentown, PA
5265383 tn?1669040108
ON
1756321 tn?1547095325
Queensland, Australia
1780921 tn?1499301793
Queen Creek, AZ
Learn About Top Answerers
Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
Find out how beta-blocker eye drops show promising results for acute migraine relief.
In this special Missouri Medicine report, doctors examine advances in diagnosis and treatment of this devastating and costly neurodegenerative disease.
Here are 12 simple – and fun! – ways to boost your brainpower.
Discover some of the causes of dizziness and how to treat it.
Discover the common causes of headaches and how to treat headache pain.
Two of the largest studies on Alzheimer’s have yielded new clues about the disease