Well, I have been on here before talking about this so I apologise if i'm repeating myself but i'm really confused. I have had Epilepsy since early childhood (my first seizure was at 14months old) and since then have only had a diagnosis of generalised tonic clonic seizures. I have not been diagnosed with having temporal lobe epilepsy but I have had some issues with feelings of numbness and tingling in my face, head, mouth etc and I have also had instances of twitching in the arms, legs and head, although I don't really know if that has anything to do with the temporal lobe. I have also noted for a long time now that when people talk to me I don't always hear what they say straight away - like I need to take a bit longer to process the information. The epilepsy nurse educator at Epilepsy Action here in Australia indicated to me earlier this year that this may be an indication that my temporal lobe has been effected more than my doctor knows and that temporal lobe epilepsy can be difficult to diagnose.
Anyway, after every test known to man (EEG, MRI, CT scan, Nerve Conduction, blood tests) my neurologist didn't think my issue was nerve related or Epilepsy related and suggested the possibility of anxiety.
I've been attending a psychiatrist and been treated for anxiety. At first I thought it might be right and I know that I do have anxiety - i'm just not convinced that the numbness and tingling has to do with anxiety and i'll tell you why.
I went to the dentist on Monday and experienced a very obvious panic attack. The dentist was putting a needle into my mouth and I hate needles in my mouth with a vengeance. Stick a needle in my arm, my leg, my back - anywhere except my mouth. So... my heart rate increased to a hundred mile a minute (well not that I measured), my feet were shaking and I was feeling nauseas. I've had this feeling (or very similar) before when i've been panicked or anxious and I DID NOT have any numbness or tingling. I would think that if that was how I reacted to anxiety then I would have had the numbness and tingling. Plus, when I get the tingling and numbness I am not necessarily anxious about anything - it started when I was on holidays enjoying myself.
My neuro also indicated that he didn't think that it was seizures of any type because sometimes it happens on one side and sometimes on the other and that would indicate damage to both sides which is uncommon. However, as a child I suffered from many grandmal seizures so is it possible that they have resulted in my temporal lobe/s being effected (i'm not sure how all that works so my apologies if I sound dumb)?
Anyway, after every test known to man (EEG, MRI, CT scan, Nerve Conduction, blood tests) my neurologist didn't think my issue was nerve related or Epilepsy related and suggested the possibility of anxiety.
I've been attending a psychiatrist and been treated for anxiety. At first I thought it might be right and I know that I do have anxiety - i'm just not convinced that the numbness and tingling has to do with anxiety and i'll tell you why.
I went to the dentist on Monday and experienced a very obvious panic attack. The dentist was putting a needle into my mouth and I hate needles in my mouth with a vengeance. Stick a needle in my arm, my leg, my back - anywhere except my mouth. So... my heart rate increased to a hundred mile a minute (well not that I measured), my feet were shaking and I was feeling nauseas. I've had this feeling (or very similar) before when i've been panicked or anxious and I DID NOT have any numbness or tingling. I would think that if that was how I reacted to anxiety then I would have had the numbness and tingling. Plus, when I get the tingling and numbness I am not necessarily anxious about anything - it started when I was on holidays enjoying myself.
My neuro also indicated that he didn't think that it was seizures of any type because sometimes it happens on one side and sometimes on the other and that would indicate damage to both sides which is uncommon. However, as a child I suffered from many grandmal seizures so is it possible that they have resulted in my temporal lobe/s being effected (i'm not sure how all that works so my apologies if I sound dumb)?