I’m hoping someone can help me here before I go to the doctors and waste my money.
Since the very beginning of my childhood, I’ve suffered from involuntary movements. It is not a common occurrence—if it happens once a week, it’s highly unusual. I can feel them coming on. When they do come on, my entire body contracts; it’s not just a single limb. It’s almost like a tourettes syndrome movement, although I don’t make any noise. I don’t lose consciousness and it only lasts for one contraction. Nonetheless, it is very embarrassing. It’s happened a few times in public. People have noticed in the past, but never really said anything. It normally happens when I am sitting down.
I’ve never really sought any medical help for it because it never hurt me in any way. It’s just something I learned to accept as something that happens, and my parents have generally ignored it. However, I’ve recently been diagnosed with REM Behavior Disorder. I am extremely violent when I sleep and act out my dreams, which are apparently very interesting. I’m so violent that I will actually wake up with “mystery” bruises that I received during the night. I’m not on medicine for this because I’m not married and do not share a bed, and have found it is something I can live with.
When I was researching these “involuntary” movements I came across epilepsy. (I once described my symptoms to a neurologist at a camp, and she mentioned it, but I never really went anywhere with it because my parents thought it was silly). Apparently REM sleep disorder has been linked to epilepsy. Obviously I don’t have the full scale seizures that epilepsy is known for, so I was extremely skeptical. However, I did come across something called “absent seizures.”
If I indeed did have “absent seizures” this would explain many things to me. I’ve always been famous for my daydreaming—at least that’s what people have called it. There are times when I will completely zone out for twenty or so seconds and not hear a word someone is saying to me—they don’t even get I’m daydreaming, because I’m looking right at them, but I would jokingly say, “Oh, I didn’t hear what you just said” or something to that effect. I never really noticed how severe it was until now, because I recently started my first job. I’ve “woken” up several times to people yelling at me, assuming I can’t hear them or have my ipod in my ears. I’ve assumed it is just something wrong with me, or that I am lost in thought, but I really can’t say I remember what I was thinking.
My overall question is if I should go to the doctor or not. I don’t want to go there for them to send me away with a “Oh, you are fine, eat some bananas” answer, so I really would like your opinions if I should go or not. The money is coming out of my own pocket. I’m not certain if these random movements are common or not. If they are common, I don’t think I should go just for the daydreaming-like state I fall into, because I am quitting my job, and while at times this has happened during school, it has never affected me academically. They are extremely short-lived. However, if these are all symptoms of epilepsy, I should probably go.
Since the very beginning of my childhood, I’ve suffered from involuntary movements. It is not a common occurrence—if it happens once a week, it’s highly unusual. I can feel them coming on. When they do come on, my entire body contracts; it’s not just a single limb. It’s almost like a tourettes syndrome movement, although I don’t make any noise. I don’t lose consciousness and it only lasts for one contraction. Nonetheless, it is very embarrassing. It’s happened a few times in public. People have noticed in the past, but never really said anything. It normally happens when I am sitting down.
I’ve never really sought any medical help for it because it never hurt me in any way. It’s just something I learned to accept as something that happens, and my parents have generally ignored it. However, I’ve recently been diagnosed with REM Behavior Disorder. I am extremely violent when I sleep and act out my dreams, which are apparently very interesting. I’m so violent that I will actually wake up with “mystery” bruises that I received during the night. I’m not on medicine for this because I’m not married and do not share a bed, and have found it is something I can live with.
When I was researching these “involuntary” movements I came across epilepsy. (I once described my symptoms to a neurologist at a camp, and she mentioned it, but I never really went anywhere with it because my parents thought it was silly). Apparently REM sleep disorder has been linked to epilepsy. Obviously I don’t have the full scale seizures that epilepsy is known for, so I was extremely skeptical. However, I did come across something called “absent seizures.”
If I indeed did have “absent seizures” this would explain many things to me. I’ve always been famous for my daydreaming—at least that’s what people have called it. There are times when I will completely zone out for twenty or so seconds and not hear a word someone is saying to me—they don’t even get I’m daydreaming, because I’m looking right at them, but I would jokingly say, “Oh, I didn’t hear what you just said” or something to that effect. I never really noticed how severe it was until now, because I recently started my first job. I’ve “woken” up several times to people yelling at me, assuming I can’t hear them or have my ipod in my ears. I’ve assumed it is just something wrong with me, or that I am lost in thought, but I really can’t say I remember what I was thinking.
My overall question is if I should go to the doctor or not. I don’t want to go there for them to send me away with a “Oh, you are fine, eat some bananas” answer, so I really would like your opinions if I should go or not. The money is coming out of my own pocket. I’m not certain if these random movements are common or not. If they are common, I don’t think I should go just for the daydreaming-like state I fall into, because I am quitting my job, and while at times this has happened during school, it has never affected me academically. They are extremely short-lived. However, if these are all symptoms of epilepsy, I should probably go.