Please help in diagnosing-I get arm jerks & I speak & weep while sleeping

[superjimmyplus]

I am 15 and live in India. Exactly 1 year earlier, my eyesight got blurred and this blurring increased to short bouts of complete blackouts/darkness(10-30 seconds, 3-4 times a day) i also used to have severe headache. All pathalogical tests were done, everything was normal. We consulted ophthalmologist and he said eyes/eyesight were 100% fine, he referred me to neurologist I underwent MRI and CT - everything was normal. One day some shivering (mild) in my hands started and stayed on for 2 hours and we went to a neurologist, neurologist indicated it could be deficiency of VitaminB1 and migraine.

After 1 week, on one day shivering got intense and it transformed into jerky movement (in both arms) and the same day the jerky movement became so intense that they reached my abdomen and with each jerk abdomen was rising 4-5 inches from the bed with each jerk (this was the worst ever i had these jerks). i was admitted to the neurology ward, along with neurologists and psychiatrists were consulted. They (the latter) diagnosed it as Dissociative Disorder (as per the neurologists and psychiatrists, all the symptoms like blurring of eyes, blackouts, headache etc were imaginary as the medical / diagnostic tests indicated no abnormality) and mentioned that the problem is stress based hence it doesnt need any medication. After staying under observation for over week (each day i used to get strong jerks and my arms used to fly outwards).

The psychiatrists and neurologists attending to me were 100% sure that it is all stress induced and behavioral therapy would gradually help me out of this all. All the symptoms and jerky movements faded away after 1 month - i started attending school. it is one year now and i have been regularly visiting the doctor for counseling and behavioral therapy. Jerky movements have not stopped. i keep getting them often (once/twice in 2-3 days) and now additionally i have noticed that i (when i m lazy and at home) suddenly fall asleep and my parents say I speak during this sleep and whatever i speak the subject is not so pleasant (at time I say, "pl. dont leave me alone" "I wont tell anyone" "I dont want to go alone" etc) and invariably tears start rolling from my eyes. If someone wakes me up,, i get up as if i was sleeping normally. I also at times completely forget some events/period those took place before the jerks. Doctors still are maintaining that I will be fine with the counseling. I have not been prescribed any medication (after the doctors diagnosed it as D.Disorder)

Can someone please help me with the diagnosis?
Thank you.

 

[Crazy for Cavies]

from: Look up Catamenial Epilepsy. Keep track of when these episodes are happening on a calendar. See if they're happening right before, during and after your menstrual cycle.

It sounds like seizures to me. You didn't mention having an EEG done. That will measure the electrical waves in the brain and tell if there is seizure activity there. They can set you up with the electrodes on your head for a 24 hour study to see if they can record any activity.

Catamenial epilepsy can start at either puberty or menopause. For me it started at menopause. The triggers are Stress, Lack of sleep, MSG in foods, Fluorescent lights, electromagnetic fields (cell phones, cordless phones, TV, video games, the computer!!!), smells: like perfume, gasoline, cigarettes, cleaning chemicals, wood smoke, and car exhausts.

Have an allergy test done too. See if you could be allergic to certain foods or substances that might be causing this. I was told that I was allergic to milk, tomatoes and sugar!!!

The B vitamins are key in helping the nervous system. I take extra B6 and B12. B12 is also helpful in treating depression.

Also see if you can get a toxic and non-toxic element test done. I had one done where they sent my hair off to a lab and when the results came back it showed that I was low in magnesium and selenium. Magnesium deficiency will cause twitching. I was getting twitching under my eyes. Now that I take magnesium the twitches have gone away. If you drink caffeine it depletes the magnesium in you. Other sources of magnesium are dark chocolate, nuts and fish (salmon).

If possible, see if you can see a neuro-endocrinologist. He deals with the neurologicial issues as well as endocrine. The Catamenial seizures I have are caused by Estrogen Dominance. There are around 40 side effects of it. Research that, too.

Just because you're 15 doesn't mean your hormones can't be off balance. You might benefit from some progesterone cream or even a birth control pill to regulate your hormones if they're available to you.

Estrogen Dominance is caused by being exposed to chemicals, hormones in beef, all the stuff I listed before like the EMF's and perfume, etc.

Another test you can have done if it's available to you is to have your neurotransmitters tested. It's a urine test.

Over here in the states the doctors automatically put you on seizure meds. If your problem is hormonal, like mine, then the meds won' work. I've never been seizure free and it's been 5 years. I should have been given hormone replacement when these seizures started instead of being put on meds. I don't know if you've got access to herbal doctors. Sometimes herbs can help with these seizures. You can't mix herbs with seizures meds though. You'll end up with more seizures.

There are many different types of seizures - grand mal, petit mal, complex partial, simple partial, to name a few.

Have you ever had any head trauma? Migraine headaches are in the same catagory as seizures. Over here they give the same meds for both of them.

Another thing to look into is to see if you're diabetic. Low blood sugars can cause dizziness, blurred vision, shaking, fast heartbeat, sweating, anxiousness, hunger, weakness, fatigue, headaches and irritability. And..... headaches and low blood sugar are on the list of the symptoms of estrogen dominance!!!

Sorry if I've rambled but I'm just trying to give you enough information to look in other directions to get some answers. Good luck.