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I've Had Depression Most Of My Life, But Lately It's
Question: I've had depression most of my life, but lately it's just turned into complete apathy. I can't shake the feeling that something else is wrong, so I want to lay out all the things I've never told a doctor. Maybe it'll point to something else. I don't know. At about 8 I had a migraine that caused me to pass out. I've continued to get headaches - never that bad - for as long as I can remember. Always in the same place, and typically lasting 2-3 days. This latest one has lasted five days and counting. Around 15, I had a sudden loss of vision and hearing that lasted about five minutes. Before and after that event I'd have little spells where my vision blacked out for a few seconds and I'd stumble. I still have those spells. About four years ago, I had a bout of extreme muscle weakness where I could barely move for twenty minutes. My right eyelid has always dropped lower than my left. In the past year, the depression has increased exponentially, I've had insomnia, chronic fatigue, trouble concentrating or remembering things, extreme irritability, and muscle twitching. My hair is also shedding, my periods have become irregular, and I'm having difficulty orgasming. My best guesses are a brain tumor or hypothyroidism. I just need to know if it's all in my head or if something is really wrong with me.
I've had depression most of my life, but lately it's just turned into complete apathy. I can't shake the feeling that something else is wrong, so I want to lay out all the things I've never told a doctor. Maybe it'll point to something else. I don't know. At about 8 I had a migraine that caused me to pass out. I've continued to get headaches - never that bad - for as long as I can remember. Always in the same place, and typically lasting 2-3 days. This latest one has lasted five days and counting. Around 15, I had a sudden loss of vision and hearing that lasted about five minutes. Before and after that event I'd have little spells where my vision blacked out for a few seconds and I'd stumble. I still have those spells. About four years ago, I had a bout of extreme muscle weakness where I could barely move for twenty minutes. My right eyelid has always dropped lower than my left. In the past year, the depression has increased exponentially, I've had insomnia, chronic fatigue, trouble concentrating or remembering things, extreme irritability, and muscle twitching. My hair is also shedding, my periods have become irregular, and I'm having difficulty orgasming. My best guesses are a brain tumor or hypothyroidism. I just need to know if it's all in my head or if something is really wrong with me.
Brief Answer:
And you're from the Great State of Texas? Just met a fellow TEXAN
Detailed Answer:
How cool to meet yet another TEXAN in 2 days! We had a series of training classes yesterday at the hospital and she too was from XXXXXXX Very nice young lady (I'm sure much as yourself!) and she taught us how to both use and understand the y'all expression. She said that the easiest way to keep things straight was that EVERYTHING in a conversation must always refer to "Y'ALL..." Just depending on HOW many exactly one might be referring to in their conversation it could be a simple, "Y'all" but then, if more specific numbers needed to be mentioned then, we have to switch to either " All of y'all"..."Some of y'all" or "None of y'all...." ! LOL
So, here we go my dear....now, lemme just do a little check to see if I understand......you've NOT mentioned any of the above symptoms or problems you've either experienced in the past or have recently had happen to you? Is that right? If that's the case then, I definitely agree with you in terms of needing to check several out in order to look for some real world explanations because you've got too much going on for this to simply related to something like depression, anxiety, or apathy. If anything, those sentiments may very well be the result or at least contributed to by what physical or metabolic issues may be going on.
First, I'd like to put your mind at ease by telling you that after reading your summary statements the diagnosis that LEAST strikes my fancy as being anything to even think about...let alone worry about........is BRAIN TUMOR....There's no evidence from your symptoms that you've got some type of malignant cancerous growth.....not the right clinical presentation....so let's just rule that off the table right now....or we must cuz you're not yet quite sure what to make of my goofy approach and comments....fair enough....we'll leave it on the differential list of possibilities...but allow me to put it in very LAST PLACE with at least 100 other unique possibilities in front of it....how's that??? HAHA!
1. I would put CANCER/TUMOR down at the very bottom of the list
Now, the migraine that caused you to pass out....from what you write that happened at 8 years of age but not since then, correct? If that's true then, I would just say that POSSIBLY such a presentation could be due to some form of autonomic dysfunction and perhaps you've got some kind of POTS presentation (Postural Orthostatic Syndrome) since this is not infrequently seen in patients with migraine headaches. However, if this passing out spell (syncopal episode) is the only time that sort of thing has happened then, I would not get terribly excited about that incident....however, if things have been getting worse or headaches have been getting worse, or passing out or near passing out spells have been happening to it then, I would definitely recommend getting autonomic function testing done along with a TILT TABLE TEST. We might see some telltale changes in blood pressure and so forth to discover why some of these things are happening.
We need to get your headaches under control dear.....having to survive 2-5 days with severe headaches is simply not acceptable in this time period and especially since we have medications that are very effective. So for what you've just described with passing out during a migraine I would ask your primary doctor to consider either:
1. FULL BLOWN AUTONOMIC FUNCTION TESTING with an AUTONOMIC FUNCTION SPECIALIST (usually a Neurologist with additional training)
OR
2. Placement of a HOLTER CARDIAC MONITOR for 30 days or a ZIOPATCH for 14 days and if things looked suspicious switch to the 30 day monitoring....
And if you are on DAY #5 FOR A MIGRAINE headache then, I would talk to my primary doctor...or just bypass the primary in this case and head to an emergency room with the recommendation you be admitted to check on your headaches that have been really lasting far too long....and get seen for STATUS MIGRANOSUS that generally requires at least 3 days of a special regimen of medications to really squelch the headache and prevent it from coming back soon.
I wouldn't worry too much about the loss of vision and hearing for 5 minutes at age 15 since when involving both of those senses (hearing and vision) and lasting for so long the chance of the underlying cause being something within the eye, ear, or cerebellum/posterior fossa is almost negligible. You say you're still having those episodes to a somewhat different extent....but I'm wondering if you're not describing something very interesting called CATAPLEXY which simply is the name we give to a medical condition TRIGGERED by strong emotion (could be XXXXXXX sadness, XXXXXXX or even anger) causing a person to become suddenly and uncontrollably WEAK throughout the body which often leads to falls. The person usually does not pass out all the way, but they are certainly seem to be quite tired and fatigued and have a tough time coming out of it with a somewhat paralytic status when the phenomenon immediately happens. Some people with cataplexy are so embarrassed by it that they try and hide the fall or phenomenon of not really being able to converse with people and pretend as if they were laughing at something or fainted from such XXXXXXX Have you ever felt like you wanted to just "cover" these episodes up otherwise people might think you're doing something ILLEGAL! Ha! But you certainly are describing in quite a bit of detail the signs and symptoms we notice in people with CATAPLEXY. The good news is that this is a treatable condition.
However, it may be advisable first to obtain a SLEEP STUDY with the history of possible CATAPLEXY which could then, take your sleep doctor or neurologist specialist down the road of disorders such as REM BEHAVIOR DISORDER, NARCOLEPSY, or perhaps some variant of a NON 24 sleep wake disorder although you've not really mentioned any classical symptoms of the latter...still it's a relative new comer to the block of sleep disorders so it could be a little difficult to fully appreciate.
Now, in addition to what I believe may have been CATAPLECTIC spells I believe you are also describing something called SLEEP PARALYSIS and this is also linked and part of the clinical set of symptoms that fall into the rubric of NARCOLEPSY.....do you suffer from any EXCESSIVE DAYTIME SLEEPINESS?
If you're also complaining of ptotic eyelids (droopy) then, I would definitely do a metabolic workup for the usual suspects of metabolic things such as dehydration, electrolyte disturbances, diabetes, liver and renal enzymes....AND if these were all normal then, I would move right on to the THYROID PROFILE and I'd do FREE T4 and TSH for the screening tests. I would consider the diagnosis of MYASTHENIA GRAVIS and test you for ACHase antibodies. I would even check RESTING/FASTING CORTISOL levels though I doubt anything's wrong with your adrenal glands. Still if we're checking...may has well. Hypothyroidism definitely should be ruled out and even if the TSH and FT4 are both normal (unlikely in the face of thyroid disease) one can still do other thyroid profiles that could point to a HYPOTHYROID state....
But again, brain tumor (definitely not on the table for discussion) should be dismissed from any other REASONABLE possibilities.
If I've provided useful and helpful information to your questions could you do me a huge favor by CLOSING THE QUERY being sure to include some fine words of feedback along with a 5 STAR rating if you feel so inclined? Again, many thanks for submitting your inquiry and please let me know how things turn out.
Do not forget to contact me in the future at: www.bit.ly/drdariushsaghafi for additional questions, comments, or concerns having to do with this topic or others. I'm very interested in knowing how things evolve for you- especially if you get any testing done so drop me a line please and I'm hoping all the best for you.
This query has utilized a total of 54 minutes of professional time in research, review, and synthesis for the purpose of formulating a return statement.
And you're from the Great State of Texas? Just met a fellow TEXAN
Detailed Answer:
How cool to meet yet another TEXAN in 2 days! We had a series of training classes yesterday at the hospital and she too was from XXXXXXX Very nice young lady (I'm sure much as yourself!) and she taught us how to both use and understand the y'all expression. She said that the easiest way to keep things straight was that EVERYTHING in a conversation must always refer to "Y'ALL..." Just depending on HOW many exactly one might be referring to in their conversation it could be a simple, "Y'all" but then, if more specific numbers needed to be mentioned then, we have to switch to either " All of y'all"..."Some of y'all" or "None of y'all...." ! LOL
So, here we go my dear....now, lemme just do a little check to see if I understand......you've NOT mentioned any of the above symptoms or problems you've either experienced in the past or have recently had happen to you? Is that right? If that's the case then, I definitely agree with you in terms of needing to check several out in order to look for some real world explanations because you've got too much going on for this to simply related to something like depression, anxiety, or apathy. If anything, those sentiments may very well be the result or at least contributed to by what physical or metabolic issues may be going on.
First, I'd like to put your mind at ease by telling you that after reading your summary statements the diagnosis that LEAST strikes my fancy as being anything to even think about...let alone worry about........is BRAIN TUMOR....There's no evidence from your symptoms that you've got some type of malignant cancerous growth.....not the right clinical presentation....so let's just rule that off the table right now....or we must cuz you're not yet quite sure what to make of my goofy approach and comments....fair enough....we'll leave it on the differential list of possibilities...but allow me to put it in very LAST PLACE with at least 100 other unique possibilities in front of it....how's that??? HAHA!
1. I would put CANCER/TUMOR down at the very bottom of the list
Now, the migraine that caused you to pass out....from what you write that happened at 8 years of age but not since then, correct? If that's true then, I would just say that POSSIBLY such a presentation could be due to some form of autonomic dysfunction and perhaps you've got some kind of POTS presentation (Postural Orthostatic Syndrome) since this is not infrequently seen in patients with migraine headaches. However, if this passing out spell (syncopal episode) is the only time that sort of thing has happened then, I would not get terribly excited about that incident....however, if things have been getting worse or headaches have been getting worse, or passing out or near passing out spells have been happening to it then, I would definitely recommend getting autonomic function testing done along with a TILT TABLE TEST. We might see some telltale changes in blood pressure and so forth to discover why some of these things are happening.
We need to get your headaches under control dear.....having to survive 2-5 days with severe headaches is simply not acceptable in this time period and especially since we have medications that are very effective. So for what you've just described with passing out during a migraine I would ask your primary doctor to consider either:
1. FULL BLOWN AUTONOMIC FUNCTION TESTING with an AUTONOMIC FUNCTION SPECIALIST (usually a Neurologist with additional training)
OR
2. Placement of a HOLTER CARDIAC MONITOR for 30 days or a ZIOPATCH for 14 days and if things looked suspicious switch to the 30 day monitoring....
And if you are on DAY #5 FOR A MIGRAINE headache then, I would talk to my primary doctor...or just bypass the primary in this case and head to an emergency room with the recommendation you be admitted to check on your headaches that have been really lasting far too long....and get seen for STATUS MIGRANOSUS that generally requires at least 3 days of a special regimen of medications to really squelch the headache and prevent it from coming back soon.
I wouldn't worry too much about the loss of vision and hearing for 5 minutes at age 15 since when involving both of those senses (hearing and vision) and lasting for so long the chance of the underlying cause being something within the eye, ear, or cerebellum/posterior fossa is almost negligible. You say you're still having those episodes to a somewhat different extent....but I'm wondering if you're not describing something very interesting called CATAPLEXY which simply is the name we give to a medical condition TRIGGERED by strong emotion (could be XXXXXXX sadness, XXXXXXX or even anger) causing a person to become suddenly and uncontrollably WEAK throughout the body which often leads to falls. The person usually does not pass out all the way, but they are certainly seem to be quite tired and fatigued and have a tough time coming out of it with a somewhat paralytic status when the phenomenon immediately happens. Some people with cataplexy are so embarrassed by it that they try and hide the fall or phenomenon of not really being able to converse with people and pretend as if they were laughing at something or fainted from such XXXXXXX Have you ever felt like you wanted to just "cover" these episodes up otherwise people might think you're doing something ILLEGAL! Ha! But you certainly are describing in quite a bit of detail the signs and symptoms we notice in people with CATAPLEXY. The good news is that this is a treatable condition.
However, it may be advisable first to obtain a SLEEP STUDY with the history of possible CATAPLEXY which could then, take your sleep doctor or neurologist specialist down the road of disorders such as REM BEHAVIOR DISORDER, NARCOLEPSY, or perhaps some variant of a NON 24 sleep wake disorder although you've not really mentioned any classical symptoms of the latter...still it's a relative new comer to the block of sleep disorders so it could be a little difficult to fully appreciate.
Now, in addition to what I believe may have been CATAPLECTIC spells I believe you are also describing something called SLEEP PARALYSIS and this is also linked and part of the clinical set of symptoms that fall into the rubric of NARCOLEPSY.....do you suffer from any EXCESSIVE DAYTIME SLEEPINESS?
If you're also complaining of ptotic eyelids (droopy) then, I would definitely do a metabolic workup for the usual suspects of metabolic things such as dehydration, electrolyte disturbances, diabetes, liver and renal enzymes....AND if these were all normal then, I would move right on to the THYROID PROFILE and I'd do FREE T4 and TSH for the screening tests. I would consider the diagnosis of MYASTHENIA GRAVIS and test you for ACHase antibodies. I would even check RESTING/FASTING CORTISOL levels though I doubt anything's wrong with your adrenal glands. Still if we're checking...may has well. Hypothyroidism definitely should be ruled out and even if the TSH and FT4 are both normal (unlikely in the face of thyroid disease) one can still do other thyroid profiles that could point to a HYPOTHYROID state....
But again, brain tumor (definitely not on the table for discussion) should be dismissed from any other REASONABLE possibilities.
If I've provided useful and helpful information to your questions could you do me a huge favor by CLOSING THE QUERY being sure to include some fine words of feedback along with a 5 STAR rating if you feel so inclined? Again, many thanks for submitting your inquiry and please let me know how things turn out.
Do not forget to contact me in the future at: www.bit.ly/drdariushsaghafi for additional questions, comments, or concerns having to do with this topic or others. I'm very interested in knowing how things evolve for you- especially if you get any testing done so drop me a line please and I'm hoping all the best for you.
This query has utilized a total of 54 minutes of professional time in research, review, and synthesis for the purpose of formulating a return statement.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Brief Answer:
And you're from the Great State of Texas? Just met a fellow TEXAN
Detailed Answer:
How cool to meet yet another TEXAN in 2 days! We had a series of training classes yesterday at the hospital and she too was from XXXXXXX Very nice young lady (I'm sure much as yourself!) and she taught us how to both use and understand the y'all expression. She said that the easiest way to keep things straight was that EVERYTHING in a conversation must always refer to "Y'ALL..." Just depending on HOW many exactly one might be referring to in their conversation it could be a simple, "Y'all" but then, if more specific numbers needed to be mentioned then, we have to switch to either " All of y'all"..."Some of y'all" or "None of y'all...." ! LOL
So, here we go my dear....now, lemme just do a little check to see if I understand......you've NOT mentioned any of the above symptoms or problems you've either experienced in the past or have recently had happen to you? Is that right? If that's the case then, I definitely agree with you in terms of needing to check several out in order to look for some real world explanations because you've got too much going on for this to simply related to something like depression, anxiety, or apathy. If anything, those sentiments may very well be the result or at least contributed to by what physical or metabolic issues may be going on.
First, I'd like to put your mind at ease by telling you that after reading your summary statements the diagnosis that LEAST strikes my fancy as being anything to even think about...let alone worry about........is BRAIN TUMOR....There's no evidence from your symptoms that you've got some type of malignant cancerous growth.....not the right clinical presentation....so let's just rule that off the table right now....or we must cuz you're not yet quite sure what to make of my goofy approach and comments....fair enough....we'll leave it on the differential list of possibilities...but allow me to put it in very LAST PLACE with at least 100 other unique possibilities in front of it....how's that??? HAHA!
1. I would put CANCER/TUMOR down at the very bottom of the list
Now, the migraine that caused you to pass out....from what you write that happened at 8 years of age but not since then, correct? If that's true then, I would just say that POSSIBLY such a presentation could be due to some form of autonomic dysfunction and perhaps you've got some kind of POTS presentation (Postural Orthostatic Syndrome) since this is not infrequently seen in patients with migraine headaches. However, if this passing out spell (syncopal episode) is the only time that sort of thing has happened then, I would not get terribly excited about that incident....however, if things have been getting worse or headaches have been getting worse, or passing out or near passing out spells have been happening to it then, I would definitely recommend getting autonomic function testing done along with a TILT TABLE TEST. We might see some telltale changes in blood pressure and so forth to discover why some of these things are happening.
We need to get your headaches under control dear.....having to survive 2-5 days with severe headaches is simply not acceptable in this time period and especially since we have medications that are very effective. So for what you've just described with passing out during a migraine I would ask your primary doctor to consider either:
1. FULL BLOWN AUTONOMIC FUNCTION TESTING with an AUTONOMIC FUNCTION SPECIALIST (usually a Neurologist with additional training)
OR
2. Placement of a HOLTER CARDIAC MONITOR for 30 days or a ZIOPATCH for 14 days and if things looked suspicious switch to the 30 day monitoring....
And if you are on DAY #5 FOR A MIGRAINE headache then, I would talk to my primary doctor...or just bypass the primary in this case and head to an emergency room with the recommendation you be admitted to check on your headaches that have been really lasting far too long....and get seen for STATUS MIGRANOSUS that generally requires at least 3 days of a special regimen of medications to really squelch the headache and prevent it from coming back soon.
I wouldn't worry too much about the loss of vision and hearing for 5 minutes at age 15 since when involving both of those senses (hearing and vision) and lasting for so long the chance of the underlying cause being something within the eye, ear, or cerebellum/posterior fossa is almost negligible. You say you're still having those episodes to a somewhat different extent....but I'm wondering if you're not describing something very interesting called CATAPLEXY which simply is the name we give to a medical condition TRIGGERED by strong emotion (could be XXXXXXX sadness, XXXXXXX or even anger) causing a person to become suddenly and uncontrollably WEAK throughout the body which often leads to falls. The person usually does not pass out all the way, but they are certainly seem to be quite tired and fatigued and have a tough time coming out of it with a somewhat paralytic status when the phenomenon immediately happens. Some people with cataplexy are so embarrassed by it that they try and hide the fall or phenomenon of not really being able to converse with people and pretend as if they were laughing at something or fainted from such XXXXXXX Have you ever felt like you wanted to just "cover" these episodes up otherwise people might think you're doing something ILLEGAL! Ha! But you certainly are describing in quite a bit of detail the signs and symptoms we notice in people with CATAPLEXY. The good news is that this is a treatable condition.
However, it may be advisable first to obtain a SLEEP STUDY with the history of possible CATAPLEXY which could then, take your sleep doctor or neurologist specialist down the road of disorders such as REM BEHAVIOR DISORDER, NARCOLEPSY, or perhaps some variant of a NON 24 sleep wake disorder although you've not really mentioned any classical symptoms of the latter...still it's a relative new comer to the block of sleep disorders so it could be a little difficult to fully appreciate.
Now, in addition to what I believe may have been CATAPLECTIC spells I believe you are also describing something called SLEEP PARALYSIS and this is also linked and part of the clinical set of symptoms that fall into the rubric of NARCOLEPSY.....do you suffer from any EXCESSIVE DAYTIME SLEEPINESS?
If you're also complaining of ptotic eyelids (droopy) then, I would definitely do a metabolic workup for the usual suspects of metabolic things such as dehydration, electrolyte disturbances, diabetes, liver and renal enzymes....AND if these were all normal then, I would move right on to the THYROID PROFILE and I'd do FREE T4 and TSH for the screening tests. I would consider the diagnosis of MYASTHENIA GRAVIS and test you for ACHase antibodies. I would even check RESTING/FASTING CORTISOL levels though I doubt anything's wrong with your adrenal glands. Still if we're checking...may has well. Hypothyroidism definitely should be ruled out and even if the TSH and FT4 are both normal (unlikely in the face of thyroid disease) one can still do other thyroid profiles that could point to a HYPOTHYROID state....
But again, brain tumor (definitely not on the table for discussion) should be dismissed from any other REASONABLE possibilities.
If I've provided useful and helpful information to your questions could you do me a huge favor by CLOSING THE QUERY being sure to include some fine words of feedback along with a 5 STAR rating if you feel so inclined? Again, many thanks for submitting your inquiry and please let me know how things turn out.
Do not forget to contact me in the future at: www.bit.ly/drdariushsaghafi for additional questions, comments, or concerns having to do with this topic or others. I'm very interested in knowing how things evolve for you- especially if you get any testing done so drop me a line please and I'm hoping all the best for you.
This query has utilized a total of 54 minutes of professional time in research, review, and synthesis for the purpose of formulating a return statement.
And you're from the Great State of Texas? Just met a fellow TEXAN
Detailed Answer:
How cool to meet yet another TEXAN in 2 days! We had a series of training classes yesterday at the hospital and she too was from XXXXXXX Very nice young lady (I'm sure much as yourself!) and she taught us how to both use and understand the y'all expression. She said that the easiest way to keep things straight was that EVERYTHING in a conversation must always refer to "Y'ALL..." Just depending on HOW many exactly one might be referring to in their conversation it could be a simple, "Y'all" but then, if more specific numbers needed to be mentioned then, we have to switch to either " All of y'all"..."Some of y'all" or "None of y'all...." ! LOL
So, here we go my dear....now, lemme just do a little check to see if I understand......you've NOT mentioned any of the above symptoms or problems you've either experienced in the past or have recently had happen to you? Is that right? If that's the case then, I definitely agree with you in terms of needing to check several out in order to look for some real world explanations because you've got too much going on for this to simply related to something like depression, anxiety, or apathy. If anything, those sentiments may very well be the result or at least contributed to by what physical or metabolic issues may be going on.
First, I'd like to put your mind at ease by telling you that after reading your summary statements the diagnosis that LEAST strikes my fancy as being anything to even think about...let alone worry about........is BRAIN TUMOR....There's no evidence from your symptoms that you've got some type of malignant cancerous growth.....not the right clinical presentation....so let's just rule that off the table right now....or we must cuz you're not yet quite sure what to make of my goofy approach and comments....fair enough....we'll leave it on the differential list of possibilities...but allow me to put it in very LAST PLACE with at least 100 other unique possibilities in front of it....how's that??? HAHA!
1. I would put CANCER/TUMOR down at the very bottom of the list
Now, the migraine that caused you to pass out....from what you write that happened at 8 years of age but not since then, correct? If that's true then, I would just say that POSSIBLY such a presentation could be due to some form of autonomic dysfunction and perhaps you've got some kind of POTS presentation (Postural Orthostatic Syndrome) since this is not infrequently seen in patients with migraine headaches. However, if this passing out spell (syncopal episode) is the only time that sort of thing has happened then, I would not get terribly excited about that incident....however, if things have been getting worse or headaches have been getting worse, or passing out or near passing out spells have been happening to it then, I would definitely recommend getting autonomic function testing done along with a TILT TABLE TEST. We might see some telltale changes in blood pressure and so forth to discover why some of these things are happening.
We need to get your headaches under control dear.....having to survive 2-5 days with severe headaches is simply not acceptable in this time period and especially since we have medications that are very effective. So for what you've just described with passing out during a migraine I would ask your primary doctor to consider either:
1. FULL BLOWN AUTONOMIC FUNCTION TESTING with an AUTONOMIC FUNCTION SPECIALIST (usually a Neurologist with additional training)
OR
2. Placement of a HOLTER CARDIAC MONITOR for 30 days or a ZIOPATCH for 14 days and if things looked suspicious switch to the 30 day monitoring....
And if you are on DAY #5 FOR A MIGRAINE headache then, I would talk to my primary doctor...or just bypass the primary in this case and head to an emergency room with the recommendation you be admitted to check on your headaches that have been really lasting far too long....and get seen for STATUS MIGRANOSUS that generally requires at least 3 days of a special regimen of medications to really squelch the headache and prevent it from coming back soon.
I wouldn't worry too much about the loss of vision and hearing for 5 minutes at age 15 since when involving both of those senses (hearing and vision) and lasting for so long the chance of the underlying cause being something within the eye, ear, or cerebellum/posterior fossa is almost negligible. You say you're still having those episodes to a somewhat different extent....but I'm wondering if you're not describing something very interesting called CATAPLEXY which simply is the name we give to a medical condition TRIGGERED by strong emotion (could be XXXXXXX sadness, XXXXXXX or even anger) causing a person to become suddenly and uncontrollably WEAK throughout the body which often leads to falls. The person usually does not pass out all the way, but they are certainly seem to be quite tired and fatigued and have a tough time coming out of it with a somewhat paralytic status when the phenomenon immediately happens. Some people with cataplexy are so embarrassed by it that they try and hide the fall or phenomenon of not really being able to converse with people and pretend as if they were laughing at something or fainted from such XXXXXXX Have you ever felt like you wanted to just "cover" these episodes up otherwise people might think you're doing something ILLEGAL! Ha! But you certainly are describing in quite a bit of detail the signs and symptoms we notice in people with CATAPLEXY. The good news is that this is a treatable condition.
However, it may be advisable first to obtain a SLEEP STUDY with the history of possible CATAPLEXY which could then, take your sleep doctor or neurologist specialist down the road of disorders such as REM BEHAVIOR DISORDER, NARCOLEPSY, or perhaps some variant of a NON 24 sleep wake disorder although you've not really mentioned any classical symptoms of the latter...still it's a relative new comer to the block of sleep disorders so it could be a little difficult to fully appreciate.
Now, in addition to what I believe may have been CATAPLECTIC spells I believe you are also describing something called SLEEP PARALYSIS and this is also linked and part of the clinical set of symptoms that fall into the rubric of NARCOLEPSY.....do you suffer from any EXCESSIVE DAYTIME SLEEPINESS?
If you're also complaining of ptotic eyelids (droopy) then, I would definitely do a metabolic workup for the usual suspects of metabolic things such as dehydration, electrolyte disturbances, diabetes, liver and renal enzymes....AND if these were all normal then, I would move right on to the THYROID PROFILE and I'd do FREE T4 and TSH for the screening tests. I would consider the diagnosis of MYASTHENIA GRAVIS and test you for ACHase antibodies. I would even check RESTING/FASTING CORTISOL levels though I doubt anything's wrong with your adrenal glands. Still if we're checking...may has well. Hypothyroidism definitely should be ruled out and even if the TSH and FT4 are both normal (unlikely in the face of thyroid disease) one can still do other thyroid profiles that could point to a HYPOTHYROID state....
But again, brain tumor (definitely not on the table for discussion) should be dismissed from any other REASONABLE possibilities.
If I've provided useful and helpful information to your questions could you do me a huge favor by CLOSING THE QUERY being sure to include some fine words of feedback along with a 5 STAR rating if you feel so inclined? Again, many thanks for submitting your inquiry and please let me know how things turn out.
Do not forget to contact me in the future at: www.bit.ly/drdariushsaghafi for additional questions, comments, or concerns having to do with this topic or others. I'm very interested in knowing how things evolve for you- especially if you get any testing done so drop me a line please and I'm hoping all the best for you.
This query has utilized a total of 54 minutes of professional time in research, review, and synthesis for the purpose of formulating a return statement.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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