G'day! Just a bit of advice needed!

[AJ33943]

G'day,

I am just after a bit of advice if someone would be so kind? I have not been diagnosed with epilepsy but wondering if I have a minor case of temporal lobe epilepsy.

I suffered minor brain damage at birth as a child but apparently outgrew it as it did not show up on an MRI.

I developed OCD/ADD with symptoms of Aspergers that later changed into OCD/panic disorder/depersonalisation and health anxiety. When experiencing pretty bad Depersonalisation I had a fair bit of deja vu, and strange feelings of unreality and random thoughts of places and memories. When the stress cleared up it all went away except for the OCD. Recently at work I had some extreme deja vu at work and I felt like something had changed in my head, sometimes worse than other times - brain fog and feeling like my eyes were closed in my mind if that makes sense - I was not anxious at this stage just stressed. I also noticed that I had a couple of 'seizure' like feelings in my head, which I had years ago (not a panic attack) that went away for years.

I would be functioning normally when all of a sudden I would feel REALLY weird feelings in my head getting worse - I thought I would faint so I grab my head.. they go away within 15 seconds and I forget about them.

Things have got worse (I had sleep apnea and thought it was that so I am getting used to a CPAP).

Now I feel spaced out with racing thoughts sometimes - sometimes the thoughts turn into nonsense and I feel really detached from my surroundings, my flow of time feels really messed up (just don't feel right in the head) and my concentration has got worse. At night I sometimes start to feel better.

I feel whacked but I can still function just - I can drive and talk to people and they don't notice a thing.. they think there is nothing wrong with me.

The really weird deja vu and strange mind feelings started this.. could it be temporal lobe epilepsy that triggers with stress? I have never had an actual lose consciousness seizure or absent seizure. I have mental illness symptoms but I will not mention them as they complicate and mask things I think.

Can anyone advise?

Thanks heaps!

[qtowngirl]

If you are experiencing deja vu and know you have never lost consciousness then it could be simple partial seizures. Best thing to do is get your doc to make a referral to a neurologist. A bit of info to see if this relates...

Simple Partial seizures are usually put into categories depending on the type of symptoms the person experiences:

MOTOR seizures:
These cause a change in muscle activity. For example, a person may have abnormal movements such as jerking of a finger or stiffening of part of the body. These movements may spread, either staying on one side of the body (opposite the affected area of the brain) or extending to both sides. Other examples are weakness, which can even affect speech, and coordinated actions such as laughter or hand movements.

SENSORY seizures:
These cause changes in any one of the senses. People with sensory seizures may smell or taste things that aren't there; hear clicking, ringing, or a person's voice when there is no actual sound; or feel a sensation of "pins and needles" or numbness. Seizures may even be painful for some patients. They may feel as if they are floating or spinning in space. They may have visual hallucinations, seeing things that aren't there (a spot of light, a scene with people). They also may experience illusions—distortions of true sensations. For instance, they may believe that a parked car is moving farther away, or that a person's voice is muffled when it's actually clear.

AUTONOMIC seizures:
These cause changes in the part of the nervous system that automatically controls bodily functions. These common seizures may include strange or unpleasant sensations in the stomach, chest, or head; changes in the heart rate or breathing; goose bumps.

PSYCHIC seizures:
These seizures change how people think, feel, or experience things. They may have problems with memory, garbled speech, an inability to find the right word, or trouble understanding spoken or written language. They may suddenly feel emotions like fear, depression, or happiness with no outside reason. Some may feel as though they are outside their body or may have feelings of déja vu ("I've been through this before") or jamais vu ("This is new to me"— even though the setting is really familiar).

[Nakamova]

Hi AJ33943, welcome to CWE!

I agree that a neurologist should take a look at your symptoms and weigh in on what might be going on. It's a good idea to keep a symptom diary, tracking what happens when -- it will be helpful to a doc, and can also potentially indicate if there are any triggers that are making your symptoms worse.

Best,
Nakamova