Seizures - possible MS

[tlpounds]

Hi-

I posted about a month ago, & I so much thank you. I really enjoy your forum. I still do not know whether I have MS or not.

Brief overview, I'm a 37yo F. I was having headaches & neuro ran an MRI which showed lesions & quite a bit of white matter disease, involvement on corpus collosum largest in right frontal lobe. I've had a couple of years of strange sx like tingling/pins in bottom of foot, bladder incontenence, etc. An EEG showed I was probably having seizures (although I never realized it.) All blood tests came out negative for any other diseases.  I had an LP, but the clutures are not in yet.

I am on 300mg of Trileptal after having olfactory hallucinations which were determined to be seizures.  Well, yesterday I had 2 seizures (I guess)that are different. I am conscious and aware during these.  My head does a fast jerking back & forth (about 1" at a time) & the 1st 1 lasted about 4 min. & 2nd, about 3 min. I don't think anything triggured it. It's just really confusing & I don't even know if these are seizures. After them everything takes more thinking (i.e. talking, typing.) I go to the Neuro later this week & I'll let him assess & possibly give test results. At this point I'm worried to even drive though, although I am completely aware during these "convulsions". Any recommendations? Could this be due to the to white matter disease? Also, I am having sexual dysfunction. Medication or white matter?

Thank you so much for your time. This website is a valuable asset for people. I know as a Dr., you giving your time for this must be difficult at times.

[c.light]

Use the post a question buttom at the top of this forum, underneath the box.  Try to post between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m., the forum only accepts 2 questions per day.  Good luck!

[Remedy]

Hi. I am a 31 year old male. About 7 weeks ago, I suddenly got disoriented (could not tell which way was up and which way was down, and got dizzy) in the swimming pool while I was practicing scuba diving. I also had decreased sensation all over my body. I was only a few feet deep in the water.  I was taken to hospital and had CT scan first. It was normal. The following morning, I had a brain MRI which was normal again. No stroke, nothing abnormal. Since then I have been experiencing decreased sensation on my chest, upper back, arms, and legs area. For example, I am holding a pen but I feel like I am not holding anything. I sometimes feel lightheaded and have sudden headaches which comes like a vibration feeling and lasts only for a second or so. I also had cervical MRI which came out normal, all the blood tests normal, EEG, EMG normal, a second MRI or my brain normal, visual evoked potentials normal, and last week lumber puncture which was again normal. I can tell you that I had been feeling a little bit lightheaed for 3-4 months until the scuba accident. In the last 3-4 weeks, I have also been seeing a small black floating spot on my right eye vision. I was so sure that the evoked potentials test would have shown something abnormal but it came out normal! I use glasses and know that my vision has gotten worse in the last year and maybe this black spot is due to something else. I do not have a clue what is wrong with me. One thing that is worth telling is that I have a long history (for about 15 years) of upper back problems. I am 6'4 tall and always felt pain and numbness around the area of the second vertebra and sometimes numbness and tingling feeling on my thighs when I stayed on foot for a long time or exercised intensively. I am 100% sure that the second vertebra is slightly not on the same line with the first and the third ones when I touch that area with my fingers. The fact that I had a heavy tank on my shoulder on the night that I was practicing scuba diving make me think that it is got to be related to my upper back, but my doctor said that the cervical spinal MRI ruled that out and everthing was normal (but I am SURE that there is a small S shape there which I had just mentioned). I saw another doctor 3 years ago due to my upper back problems and the numbness that i described above and they did an MRI which was again normal then. They also did a schilling test and found out that my B12 level was low. They asked me to take B12 orally every morning and have it checked it every 6 months. I have done it since until the most recent incident. Now I am taking shots because my new doctor told me that taking it orally does not do much help. But i had it checked in the last three years and it was normal. The problem is that we dont know for how long it was low when they found it to be low three years ago. Could you please give me your input on my case? I have been living with the fear of MS in the last 7 weeks but as I told you about everything came out normal. I keep touching my chest and legs to see if my sensations are normal and i dont feel like they are. It is still not the same as it was before the scuba accident. Am i losing my mind? Please help. Thank you very much...

[tlpounds]

The LP is a lumbar puncture.  It can rule out certain diseases and help verify if you have MS.  There are some bands that will appear in 90% of the MS cases.  It can also show if you have blood in your spinal fluid, which is partially from the brain area.  It can tell whether you've got a brain tumor, hemmorhage, and other things.  I'm not a Dr., but this is pretty much the information I received from the Dr. that performed the test, and from research on the internet.  Good luck!

[t_anunson]

Thanks. After I had my daughter in Aug., I started having MS like symptoms. Tingling/burning, numbness, fasiculations, buzzing in right leg with bending head but not down spine, muscle spasms and tight tendons. My MRI Brain was normal, MRI C-spine - normal, bloodwork - normal, NCT read essentially normal, which I didn`t really undertand. I`ve also developed a light dull pain behind my right eye for over a week with NO visual disturbances. Most of this has went awqay except the eye pain and a light numbness on my left heel that`s worse with hot showering. I`m frustrated! I hope I`m ok.

[t_anunson]

What does the LP test do? I`ve heard a lot of people on the forum write about getting that test. I`ve been having neurological problems too, and would like to get as many as tests as possible to rule stuff out. Thanks...

[tlpounds]

FYI-

The Dr. will not answer a post that is a thread from another post.  Hope you can get on soon.  The earlier you post, the better.

Good luck!

[Remedy]

Thanks, but I have been trying to post a question for the last couple of days but the system gives an error message when I hit the submit button after entering my question and all the credit card information, etc. I sent three emails to the customer service about the problem and noone has answered yet.

[tlpounds]

You shouldn't have to use a credit card.  If you use this early enough in the AM, you should be able to post it to the forum without having to go the credit card route.  I actually posted this AM at about 8:30 CST, and another day I posted a little later.  Keep trying, you'll get in :-)

[CCF-Neuro-M.D.-JT]

It is extremely difficult to comment on an MRI that I have never seen, but the lesion in your corpus callosum is worrisome for MS. There are not many diseases that hit this region of the brain and with your age/sex/symptom complex, MS is a strong possibility. Having said that, I'm not sure that these are causing your "episodes."  It's possible that they do represent true seizures and should be evaluated with an EEG, perhaps even more prolonged monitoring if the seizures aren't captured on routine EEG.  300mg of Trileptal is half the normal dose and is likely not at a therapeutic range.  This may need to be adjusted if your neurologist feels that you are actively having seizures. Prior to your visit with him, I agree with your thoughts and recommend you refrain from driving until you're cleared to do so by the neurologist.

As for the sexual dysfunction, it is well known that MS, antiepileptic medications, and seizures can all play a role in hormonal imbalance resulting in decreased libido as well as other aspects of sexual dysfunction.  Unfortunately, you may have all three players on board. Sexual dysfunction can certainly be a significant problem, but as no definitive diagnosis has yet been made in your case (no one's come right out and said you had MS or epilepsy) it's hard to make recommendations as to what should be done next.  Discuss your concerns with your neurologist at the upcoming appointment and adjustments or perhaps counseling could be tried.  Good luck.