What type of seizure?

[spastic]

Today my neurologist told me that I have a seizure disorder.  He said the part of my brain affected is causing my symptoms, they are, severe muscle spasms, they never seem to end, they are in my hip and lower back, sometimes I have locking up spasms and I can't move, I'm just frozen. I am in constant pain and I don't understand any of this.  I was referred to him because I was having symptoms of ms. Can the MRI's be similar? What kind of seizure is this?

[spastic]

Thank you, now things are making sense.  They only did a lumbar spine MRI.  A cervical cord MRI was not ever suggested to me, definately should probably have one done.  Is there any other medical conditions that can cause my symptoms besides MS?  I am worried that my neuro is just not putting all the pieces of the puzzle together.  Thank you for taking so much time to look at this and to answer my questions, I know you are very busy, again, Thank you.

Spastic

[Abhijeet Deshmukh, MD]

Hi.

Referring to your question in the very first post in this thread, the MRI findings of MS are not so vague as to be confused by any other lesions. There are deep white matter lesions (foci of hyperintense signal), which are periventricular. There are criteria for diagnosis on the MRI. You need to have a certain minimum as far as the lesions go.

Did they do only a lumber spine MRI? When you also have upper limb symptoms, was a cervical cord MRI suggested?

You have hyper-reflexia on the left and loss of pin-***** sensation on the right. This means that you have motor symptoms (weakness) and sensory symptoms (hyper-reflexia and loss of pin). For you to have these symptoms, your brain needs a widespread lesion. As you go down the brainstem into the spinal cord, all these fibers are clumped together, so that even a small lesion somewhere higher up in the cord can produce the same symptoms.

Regards

[spastic]

I forgot to tell you I did have an MRI of the spine last summer without contrast. They were looking for buldging or herniated discs, the radiology report said no fracture or dislocation or significant disk herniation lumbar spine.  There is normal hydration of disks. Multiple thin section T1 and T2 weighted and STIR sagittal images were obtained of the lumbar spine as well as multiple thin section T1 and T2 weighted axial images from L1 through S1 with no prior exam available for comparison.

Question, if they weren't suspecting MS would they even look for lesions or plaque?

[spastic]

  Hello, yes you are right, I am aware and coherent o when I'm having these spasms.  I have had two EEG's all normal.  I have not gotten the radiologist's report on the MRI, the only thing the neuro said was the area of my brain affected is causing my symptoms.  When he did the examination of me he said I had hyper reflexes on the left and hardly anything on the right but he did say right sided sensory deficit.  I could not feel the safety pin when he was poking me on the right side.  Do you think I need to see a MS specialist?  I have heard that neuros are reluctant to diagnose it unless you have 9 lesions.  I know I have some but wasn't told where they were.  I really appreciate the time you are spending on me.  Thank you,

Spastic

[Abhijeet Deshmukh, MD]

Hi.

Throughout the description, I have not seen any indication of a seizure. The spasms that you describe seem to be sustained contraction of the muscles and you seem to be alert and conscious during such an episode. Please correct me if I am wrong.

There is no mention of an EEG. I suppose the MRI picture suggested MS. Your symptoms are varied. A common and long standing symptom is weakness and fatigue. For someone who types so fast, not being able to type is significant. I was wondering if you had any cervical cord MRI for any suspected lesions.

Regards

[spastic]

I forgot to include that when I was born I was in intensive care for two weeks, the umbilical cord was wrapped around my neck and my lungs weren't developed.

[spastic]

Ok, well I dont have a web link but I type pretty fast, ok here goes. BTW, thank you for talking to me, it is much appreciated.

Summer 2003-Extreme fatigue, bedridden for two weeks, after the fatigue subsided I had electrical shock sensations from my neck and down my arms with numbness and weakness.
Winter 03-04,Fatigue again, it lasted 3 weeks
Summer 2004-Fatigue back again, I can barely type and get enough strength to flip my paperwork. Intolerable to heat, it is making me dizzy and nauseas.
Winter 04-05-Had hysterectomy. recovery long and painful, had setback with a hematoma.
March 2005-Noticed color changes in legs, Heaviness and weakness in the legs, feels like I'm wearing 100lb weights. My kids remark on how clumsy I am with dropping things, tripping myself.
Summer 2005-Still having the heaviness in my legs, having periods of dizziness, it comes on fast and I am weak afterwards. The fatigue is back with the shock sensations.
Winter 05-06-Legs still are heavy, had episode at work w/numbness and spasms in my neck and down my shoulder and arm, it lasted two weeks. Work is difficult, I can't type or concentrate.
Feb 2006-Fatigue is becoming a battle for me, this time it lasted 2 months.
Spring 2006-The heaviness in my legs make it quite a challenge at work, I walk 12 miles a day there and it is getting painful now.
Summer 2006-The intolerance to heat is back along with the dizziness. I have started falling down, my concentration level is down, started having migraines, they always start in my right eye, I cannot move my head without it hurting even more, my vision is distorted as well.  The leg heaviness and weakness is constant.
Winter 06-07-The cold is making me stiff and rigid, the fatigue is back am starting to miss a lot of work. The shock sensations are back. Having a hard time making quick decisions at work, its a hazard because I'm responsible for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Still having the heavy and weak legs.
Feb 2007-Had lymph node biopsy, results normal
Spring/Summer 07-Fatigue is mind-numbing, having the episodes of dizziness again. I keep falling at work. Severe muscle spasms in my lower back and hip, I can't bend over anymore, walking is becoming more difficult. I am in constant pain. The migraines have become a daily thing.
Winter 07-08-Still having the electric shock sensations from my neck down to my arm and around my ribs. My right leg turns a lobster red color when I am in the shower and it goes completely numb. Having fevers everyday, the spike in the afternoon and go away quickly, the heaviness and weakness has now moved up to include my hips. I can hardly walk anymore. Having bizarre who body spasms, I lock up completely, I lose control of my bladder when this happens, I am having memory problems, it has gotten so bad that in mid-sentence I don't remember what I was talking about.

Dr. Abhijeet, it just doesn't make sense that a seizure disorder could cause all of these symptoms. I don't know if I'm wrong in saying this but can't the spasms be mistaken for a seizure?

A little medical history about me. I am a white female, 31 years old. I live in Iowa. I have mild scoliosis and livedo reticularis. I have had 2 children, one born prematurely, she had jaundice due to rh incompatability.  I have had every bloodwork known to man and besides having the ebv present in my blood, everything was normal. I have a cyst on my right kidney and a few on my right ovary. I am mentally healthy with the occassional bouts of depression from being sick. Family history includes, father with heart problems, I have a few nieces and nephews who have MS (paternal side) and a nephew who has MD, grandmother (paternal) died from a brain tumor, grandfather (paternal) died of a heart attack, aunt (paternal) has ahlzsheimers, uncle (paternal) has Parkinsons. My mother has high blood pressure, grandfather had pancreatic cancer, grandmother died of a heart attack, I don't know anymore than that.

I hope this helps and thanks again for helping me.

Spastic

[Abhijeet Deshmukh, MD]

Hi.

The timeline would be a great help. I can not see any element of a seizure. But it will help if you can me provide with the timeline. Do you have a weblink?

Since you do not lose consciousness and appear to have the spasms pretty constant, I do not suspect a seizure. I may be wrong. A detailed history would help.

Regards

[spastic]

I do not lose consciousness with them, I have however passed out from the pain. The way to best describe them are severe spasms and muscle ridgity. I cannot bend over anymore and walking is painful. The spasms have drawn my right leg up so I have to swing it when I walk.  I do fall down a lot, my right leg is so numb sometimes I don't feel the ground beneath it.  I have been taking 800mg of gabapentin 3x/day and have for 3-4 years.  I have had two EEG's so far and they have been normal.  I am to have another one soon.  I made a timeline if you are interested in seeing it, the neuro I seen didn't want to be bothered with it.

Thank You so much for replying to me, it makes a world of difference. You are wonderful.

Spastic

[Abhijeet Deshmukh, MD]

Hello.

A seizure is defined as an episode of central nervous system dysfunction. A seizure may or may not be accompanied by convulsions.

Your seizures are unusual. Do you lose consciousness when you have the episode? usually convulsions are tonic (only spasms) or tonic - clonic (spasms followed by repeated contractions).

An EEG confirms a seizure. Has it been done?

Regards