pseudo seizures with extreme head pressure

[taximom316]

my daughter has a seizure on 5/1 all tests eeg, mri or head, mri of putilitary gland(spelling), blood levels with everything normal. Her chief complaint is the pressure in her head...it seems when it get untolerable that is when a seziure comes. she is on 1000 ml dekapote 2 times a day and tordal for pain...but that doesn't seem to be controlling the pains...we are seeing a specialist in epilepsy/seizures in University of Chicago on 5-18...anyone experience this head pressure? also after the 3rd seizure she starting talking with a studder, right hand motor skills very weeks and numbness from the knee down with right left...she is using a walker...anyone can help?

[JRuner]

I am not a doctor but to me this sounds very serious and I am glad shes getting more medical attention soon! Are they sure these are pseudo seizures?

Good Luck and God Bless you both!

[taximom316]

originally they were going to transfer my daughter to the University of chicago but then the neurologist request a psych eval and that doctors said her brain was psycho symatically causing the seizure because she is repressing something. she was very upset that he suggested she was suppressing something when she has the day to day stress that most people have...so therefore because he said yes their are pseudo no direct transfer inthe mean time no one can explain the head pressure...

[RobinN]

Migraines can cause extreme pressure. I know this from experience.
Another test you might ask for is a MRA, which shows the vascular system in the brain.

Is your daughter receiving any kind of therapy? I found it has been a necessary part of my daughters healing.

[daisy.girl]

Does she having ringing in the ears too? any vision issues?

Has she ever had a lumbar puncture? There is a condition called intracranial hypertension or pseudotumor cerebri.....where the CSF pressure gets too high and causes pressure headaches, visual issues, ringing, dizziness, tingling and many others symptoms.

Here is a link: http://www.ihrfoundation.org/

wishing you the best, please keep us posted.

[taximom316]

however she does have ringing in her ears and her vision has been blurred. today her pain level is a 4 which is the best she has ever felt in the last 2 weeks. She does receive physical therapy 3 times a week and a home health care nurses visits to check vitals. Today she has started to feel part of her right foot and feeling of cramps in her right calf. I hope this is good as she has not felt since 5/2. Thanks for everyone input

[Zoofemme]

Hi Taximom...from personal experience, more than likely it is the stutter that is pointing them toward the psuedoseizure diagnoses Most of the neurologist journals I have read state that a stutter is almost always indicative of these type of seizures. Once that label gets attached then it can be difficutl for the neurologist to see beyond anything else unfortunately. That is what happened to me. I had a seizure one night and when I came out of it I couldn't speak, then I couldn't speak anything but gibberish, the gibberish eventually turned to words and sounds that were all messed up which turned into a stutter as I tried to wrestle it all back into comprehension. For me, the stutter lasted 4 years. Every time I had a seizure I went through the above process all over again. I finally got a neurologist who wasn't so narrow minded and realized I was having epileptic seizures and put me on anti-epileptic drugs that eventually got my stutter under control (if not my seizures completely). Now I only stutter post-ictally when I have a complex-partial seizure. Your daughter may be having psychogenic seizures but then again, she might not be. If you aren't comfortable with that diagnoses or it doesn't fit with what you know about your daughter, then I would suggest that you might want to get another opinion or 2 or 3 if you are not satisfied with what the doctors are telling you. YOU are the customer and the one paying for their service...they don't always get it right 100% of the time.

Best wishes

[taximom316]

well we did not get the black and white answer we wanted but the plan is to admit daughter for a 5 day eeg..doctor felt that since she was on so many meds to control the seizure that it may have masked what the brain was doing...so the plan is to hook her all up do a day of monitoring with meds and then take them away in the safe environment. she is scared as she has gain ability to walk better with her right leg and speech is coming back that she will lose it all...trying to stay position and tell her she getting stronger everyday as she has had 4 days of little to no pressure. eyes still bother her and she still feels off but as she say "two thumbs up for no head pressure" so maybe well find something out in 2 weeks.

[PhylisFeinerJohnson]

Here's my two cents...about "pseudo seizures". Psychogenic seizures are often triggered by emotional stress or trauma. That's why Robin suggested therapy. I have both and talk therapy has done me a world of good.

However, some people with epilepsy have psychogenic seizures in addition to their epileptic seizures.

Then there are physiologic nonepileptic seizures which can be triggered by some sort of change in the brain — typically a change in the supply of blood or oxygen rather than electrical activity. This could be causing the pain in her head and motor skill problems.

Let is know how the 5 day EEG goes. Good luck...

[RobinN]

Magnesium is helpful for leg cramps, and overall muscle relaxation. Tinnitus can also be a symptom of magnesium deficiency. The mineral is used as an anti convulsant as well.

It has been extremely helpful in eliminating my migraines. I had them for 30+ yrs, to the point of being in a fetal position for 3-4 days. I have not had a migraine in 5 yrs since taking magnesium.

[taximom316]

Here's my two cents...about "pseudo seizures". Psychogenic seizures are often triggered by emotional stress or trauma. That's why Robin suggested therapy. I have both and talk therapy has done me a world of good.

However, some people with epilepsy have psychogenic seizures in addition to their epileptic seizures.

Then there are physiologic nonepileptic seizures which can be triggered by some sort of change in the brain — typically a change in the supply of blood or oxygen rather than electrical activity. This could be causing the pain in her head and motor skill problems.

Let is know how the 5 day EEG goes. Good luck...

**can you tell me what type of therapy you looked for -- the psychiatrist in this area are not....how can I see anti pills -- my daughter does want to be on medication...so this is hard for her to even take the depakote

[RobinN]

We are just doing weekly sessions with a psychologist. It has been 4yrs this June since she began having seizures. This doctor has seen her through the worst of her medical side effects.

At one point she suggested to me some anti-depressants, but I continued through with nutrition and supplements and her view of life has changed to positive. I really want people to consider the "cost" of getting on medication. I realize it is a quick answer for many, and sometimes the only answer at the time. For others it can lead to enormous problems, and side effects that are non-reversable.

Psychiatrists work with drug therapy - Psychologists work with talk therapy

[PhylisFeinerJohnson]

My psychiatrist works with talk therapy and drug therapy when necessary. He is not just a 15 minute dispenser of drugs.

[RobinN]

You are lucky.
Rebecca's therapist was not covered by the companies change in insurance plans, yet she still only charges us the co-pay. I must say she is our Angel. It is my belief that anyone dealing with seizures, needs to have someone to talk to other than a family member or friend.

[PhylisFeinerJohnson]

You bet!

[taximom316]

AGAIN the word pseudoseizure but at least now they can say she is having migraines/tension headaches that are the major contributor to the head pressure and that the pain is so bad my daughter's brain is putting her into the pseudoseizure...but they are still recommending a psychologist to asses if there is underlying stress that even if she is talking and venting about things her body is not letting it go. If that makes sense. Robin N I would like to talk or have you direct me to your diet suggestions. My daughter is not a big pill taker. We have been advised no more diet coke. They switched her from depakot 100mg to Topamax 25 mg in am and 50mg at night. If the migraine get back into control as they were with depakote then we can move onto therapy. She does have a stutter after each seizure and does lose feeling in her right leg and they tell us that is part the residual of the seizure. Open to dietary suggestion and recommend therapy for her.

[PhylisFeinerJohnson]

People with epilepsy are more than twice as likely to develop migraine headaches as those without the disorder. Research showed that more than 20 percent of people with epilepsy have migraines, compared to 11 percent of the general population.

Evidence supports the coexistence of migraines with the following conditions:

* In migraine sufferers, 6% are epileptic, more than ten times than the general
population.

* In one study, people and their relatives who are diagnosed with epilepsy
were found to be approximately 2.4 times more likely to have migraines than
the control group.

* In another epilepsy study, about 16% of those people who had migraines
also experienced epileptic seizures before, during or after a migraine.

* While most migraine sufferers do not have epilepsy and most epileptics do
not suffer from migraines, these findings still indicate a significant “overlap”
of both of these conditions.

Epilepsy and migraines share common features, including the fact that both are episodic. Also, they share many common triggers. Foods such as chocolates, aged cheese, and red wine may trigger migraine headaches. Alcohol (or alcohol withdrawal) can provoke a seizure. Emotional stress, poor sleep, fatigue or flashing lights are often a trigger for both seizures and headaches.

And this migraine-epilepsy duo also share some of the same symptoms: headache, abdominal pain, awareness and EEG abnormalities. A person may have a seizure on one occasion and a classic attack of migraine on another.

Resources:

Steven Karceski, MD, Practical Neurology, March 2007
http://www.columbiaepilepsy.org/docs...rch%202007.pdf
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/record/ar...rd2016.15.html
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/20011979...st-a-headache/
http://www.medigraphic.com/pdfs/arcn...06/ane064j.pdf
http://www.realage.com/check-your-he...with-migraines

[Endless]

Not always abnormalities on eeg's with migraines. I had a raging 3-day migraine during a video eeg and it didn't show on the eeg. Who knows the why on this stuff?

I wish there were hard and fast rules for this stuff, but I see why they call it the "art of medicine."

[KelVarQ]

The head pressure sounds like "Brain Fog". I used to get it a lot on Dilantin and never had a clue what it was and that there was actually a term for it. I used to say, "My brain feels like it's under water" or "My brain feels like it has bunch of cob webs" "It's like everything is echoey" etc. This was not a migraine nor a headache but simply a foggy brain. I recently started getting it again (I'm not on meds and doing a GF diet) and I found that eating CARBS (for me GF carbs) alleviates the fog / pressure. I'm not saying it's definitely Brain Fog, but it could be. I know for me the, this time around with Brain Fog, GF diet caused it because CARBS are actually energy for the brain and brain fog is when your brain is lethargic. When I started the GF diet all the CARBS were knocked out of my diet and now I have GF pasta, etc. Worth a shot and good luck!

[RobinN]

Robin N I would like to talk or have you direct me to your diet suggestions. My daughter is not a big pill taker. We have been advised no more diet coke. They switched her from depakot 100mg to Topamax 25 mg in am and 50mg at night. If the migraine get back into control as they were with depakote then we can move onto therapy. She does have a stutter after each seizure and does lose feeling in her right leg and they tell us that is part the residual of the seizure. Open to dietary suggestion and recommend therapy for her.

I would like to remind you I am not a nutritionist. My research has been done via the University of Google.

I would say you have been given one of the best recommendations and that is to quit all chemical drinks. I use to think that Snapple was ok. Then I found out how toxic High Fructose Corn Syrup is. Do your research. Buy whole foods, and read labels. Cook fresh. Go back to the basics. I found it difficult to convert old favorites into healthy ones. Find brand new recipes that you can make family favorites.

If you have specific questions please PM me, because I don't always see questions and comments in another post,