Diagnosis

[TriTripod]

My wife has the following since a car wreck, severe neck pain, numbness in both hands, headache, metal taste in mouth, some Aphasia, Flat effect, and partial paralysis, can feel touch but loses the ability to move hands and feet at times. We have been diagnosed with some partial seizure activity i.e. electrical system in brain not working, had 4 MRI of Brain, CT, C-Spine of Neck ( 3 bulging disc), Echo w/wout bubbles, halter etc. Just looking to see if anyone has any weird syndromes or something similar, still have severe neck pain located on top of shoulder near her neck, when this pain is severe seems to drive many of the other conditions. Currently taking Keppra, today had a mild seizure if that is what this is while on medicine, we still feel somehow tied into her neck pain.

[ggreg]

SO glad to hear my thoughts might help.  And relieved to hear you two are seeking a diagnosis and treatment from the right specialists.  A human being is not set up to have a car accident, so the experience can have profound effects.  But fortunately proper care, good medications, and an ongoing treatment plan will minimize the scary stuff.  God speed to you both.  

[TriTripod]

Thanks very much, this is the first time to ever blog that is some great feedback, it will help her to read someone understands the pain she is in. We are working to get back in to Ortho and also have a lead on one of the nations leading Neurologist.

[ggreg]

Well, could be she has two health issues going on at the same time, the so-called seizure activity AND her bulging discs in her neck.  Her neck has got to be re-evaluated by a neurologist or orthopedist, because could be her discs have gotten worse and ruptured, or could be they are pushing on some nerves in her neck, or could be she tore up some muscles and now they spasm and hurt and swell, and thus numb up her nerves.  My back was broken in three places in a car accident, so I know how all that pain in her neck feels, and how the nerves run out from the spine and, in your wife's case, into her arms and ending in her hands, causing numbness, loss of function, and so forth.  Now, the business about her inability to move her feet, if that is a spine problem instead of a head problem, well, that would mean her lumbar spine is in some distress, too, so ask her how that part of her body feels.

If her cervical spine is reevaluated and they find it's still significantly goofed up or worse, the doc can try moderate treatment, which is pain meds, physical therapy, and perhaps a cervical collar, plus professional massage therapy to rub out those frozen and spasming muscles.  If her neck does not imrove after a while with that, then surgery is an option, to fix those discs and align the vertebrae, to free up any trapped nerves and release any tensed-up muscles.  I might add that she could ask the specialist who checks her neck out again, if nerve damage in the cervical spine could be causing some of her more neurological sounding symptoms, like the metallic taste and aphasia.  Also, if she had a seizure whist on Keppra, the prescribing doc needs to up her dose or change to a more powerful medicine, it's not good for seizures to go unchecked, if that's indeed part of her overall health picture, all that unfettered release of electricity in the brain can mess it up pretty bad.