Seizure Disorder and MS

[Nepharious]

So I have been diagnosed with a Seizure disorder almost a year ago. Already been through two different seizure medications and now taking the third. I have tried Depakote ER no help (7 months), Topamax (3 months) and now Gabapentin (1 Week) to control my episodes. Tightness in the chest area with warm sensation that would radiate through both sides left more than right with numbness and tingling feeling. I just plainly felt out of sorts followed by weakness that has lately been putting me down not being able to get up on my own. Last sometimes 10 minutes can last few hours.

After much testing, my MRI and EEG showed sign of some nonspecific punctuate hyper-intensity in the white matter of the Frontal Lobes and than an area of the body of the corpus callosum posteriorly which appears small with some increased T2/Flair signal.  

This indicated that I was having what doctors think could be Simple Partial Seizures. Some findings suggest it could be early stages of Demyelinating Disease.

The cause of all this seems to be from a child hood car accident that put me into a coma for 11 days. I was hit my a car crossing a road at age 6.  All the symptoms I been having over the years that were never properly diagnosed cause they passed seems to fit the seizure activities I been having lately.  

I have had some trouble lately with dizziness and motion sickness. I travel 80 miles to work and lately whether I drive or ride in the passenger front seat I get motion sickness.  The dizziness comes when I move around to fast or am higher than floor level. (Oh elevators kill me more than anything especially more than two floors.)  I have always had this problem with motion sickness growing up but notice that it's getting worst.  

I keep looking up my symptoms and everything points towards the MS and it worrying me.  But I don't know much about it.  Other issues I have are eye pain, been to the doctor to rule things with my eye out (they found nothing other than my prescriptions keep getting worst), and leg twitching usually as I am trying to get controllable. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[Lulu54]

Hi Nepharious,
One of the big pitfalls with looking up symptoms on the web are almost everything fits the description of MS....  seriously.  

Dizzy? Numb? Tired? Bladder control? Facial pain?  etc. etc. etc.  They all can be symptoms of MS.  

This is such a bizarre disease that just about anything can happen to our bodies because of it.  And when people such as yourself start looking for explanations to their symptoms, MS always comes up.  It is very common to happen that way and always causes lot of concern.

Now that you have this thought, you need to pursue it with the doctors, get any additional testing done, and in the meantime try not to worry too much about the possibility.  IF this is MS, then you will have to learn a whole lot more about it and how it can affect your life.

In the meantime, if you have more questions, I hope you will come back and ask.

be well,
Lulu

[Nepharious]

Never had a MRI of the Spine!  I the same kind or jerks in my legs.  Not all the time but sometimes for a few days when ever I try to relax my legs.  

I have a doctors appointment with my Primaay Care Doctor this week and going to ask her about the Inner Ear thing.

[jensequitur]

I've always had motion sickness, but I think it's separate from my MS.  I also know that while being hit with a car will cause brain damage, it won't cause MS.  It's quite possible that the problems you're having right now are because of that accident, but it's also possible that it has nothing to do with the coma.

Soon after diagnosis, I started experiencing myoclonic jerks.  These are similar to seizure activity, but instead of involving the brain, they seem to involve nerve and muscle groups.  I take Keppra for the myoclonus, which keeps it pretty quiet.

I've heard of other people with MS who have seizures.  MS disease activity can cause brain damage.  At first they get diagnosed with a seizure disorder, and later the MRI shows that they actually have MS.  

Anyway, all that aside, have you ever had an MRI of the spine?  I have several lesions in upper spine, and one well-defined one in the lower.  It causes my leg weakness and spinal myoclonus.  When the spinal myoclonus is really bad, it makes my legs very weak - after an 'episode' I have trouble standing.

[Wobbly]

Hi there, have you seen other specialist, like a Rheumotologist and ENT, ears nose and throat specialist?  Your ears could cause a big problem with dizzy, motion sickness etc.  and a Rheum can help rule out things like Lupus, Lyme etc.

as you know there are many Dx for symptoms and you must keep track of yours and ask you GP for help and get to see more Drs.  

hope you feel better soon, let us know how things go and please see more Dr about this.  

take care
wobbly