frustrated .... life on hold :(

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Babsuk57

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Hi, i'm new here .............. Sorry if this post is in the wrong place.

If I run through my brief story it might help to gain some insight in what is happening, any advice would be gratefully received.

in March 2011. I had something that the doctors thought was a Trans Gobal Amnesia / mini stroke. I became dizzy, disoriented, confused. I lost 8 hours of my life and people said that just kept repeating things. I took several weeks to recover and eventually managed to go back to work (health care ass) all scans were normal

After a few weeks of being back at work, I began to have odd symptoms; I had a pain in my tummy immediately followed by dizziness, disorientation, confused, shaky and sweaty. They did a random blood monitoring to check my blood sugar which was found to low (3 UK levels) Doctors thought I was having post prandial hypoglycaemic attacks; I now have to work the permanent late shifts because it always happens in the mornings.

Recently; over the this last year, these spells have been happening more frequently and now at any time of the day, the mornings are still bad but I have 'mini' episodes during the week. I recently been to see a Neurologist who said I was having migraine ............... after a big debate and a few choice words I asked for a second opinion.

The new consultant sent me for an EEG on Monday, I'd had a small attack before the test, so did not have any symptoms during the test other than tummy ach; after the test once outside the hospital, I became unwell, I felt nauseated, tummy ach, dizzy and had an upset tummy. I felt weak and it took three/ four hours to feel well again.

I saw the new consultant Neurologist today. Sadly my results of the EEG were not there (grr) however; he seemed to think I may have something called 'Gastro Epilepsy' but he cant sure, he also said there wasn't any real concrete test to perform because it starts in the tummy and not the brain?
I've been booked in to have a sleep deprivation EEG test and if this is inconclusive will have a 5 day mobile EEG; Doc said they may never find out what is wrong but could after the test try medication that works on both migraine and epilepsy.

My life is at a stand still, I cant work early shift and this means I miss out on lots of social things, plus my family too.

do you think my symptoms sound like epilepsy?
was my feeling unwell after the EEG typical of this test?
does anyone here have Gastric Epilepsy?

thanks for listening :)
 
Hi Babsuk and welcome,

Sorry to hear of your mini stroke and your recent issues. Since you started having hypoglycemic issues in the mornings that now occur whenever, have they tested you for diabetes? Sometimes those hypoglycemic attacks in the mornings happen with diabetes, and if not taken care of, a person can lose consciousness/ have a seizure, or make you dizzy, feel faint, etc. Postprandial hypoglycemia, or reactive hypoglycemia, can cause loss of consciousness because your brain isn't getting the glucose it needs.
 
Hi Cint, thanks for your reply. Ive had extensive tests in the endocrine hospital, I had a 72 hour fast to test for dieabeties and check to ensure there was no tumor and was tall normal. I wish it was that simple :(
 
Babsuk57 said:
I wish it was that simple :(
Click to expand...

Me too. I have TLE and Type 1 diabetes, so I do know how complicated it can be. I have to take insulin shots 4 times a day and check my glucose numerous times a day. And I take meds for E, also. I feel like my life has been on hold for years.
 
Hi Babsuk57, welcome to CWE!

By "gastric epilepsy" the neuro may have been referring to abdominal epilepsy. It's fairly rare, and usually involves vomiting, so it might not be what's going on with you.

A more likely diagnosis is simple partial seizures. Those can start with a feeling of nausea or other stomach discomfort, followed by other autonomic sensations such as increased heart rate and dizziness. Sometimes this kind of simple partial is accompanied by a feeling of dread as well.

Unfortunately, partial seizures (which tend to originate in the temporal lobe) can be very hard to detect on an EEG. They can be diagnosed by an experienced neurologist familiar with the symptoms. You may want to try and see an epileptologist for a second or third opinion.

In the meantime, keep a detailed diary of your symptoms, including any data that indicates they are escalating in frequency or duration. Not only will this be useful for the diagnostician, but it may help you identify patterns or triggers. If you can identify and avoid any triggers, that may help at least partially reduce the symptoms.

Best,
Nakamova
 
Thanks both, yes ive been keeping a diary, they dont last long but leave me feeling very tired after. I had one at work last night, pain in my tummy then dizzy and disorintated, stopped after around 30 srconds then I had a real floppy sort of feeling in my limbs like wobbly, had to sit down for while then start again. Its been happening for so long now I dont hold much hope in getting a diognosis :/
 
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