second opinion

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walkerjm3

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I sent a message to my neurologist yesterday telling him about my new symptoms of becoming uncontrollably angry and yelling along with crying. It happened again last night as I was looking for my son's birth certificate for his Kindergarten registration. I was holding it in my hands any screaming at my dad asking where it was. I threw it on the floor and knocked a bunch of papers off the table. So he sends me an email back saying it could be from depression or perhaps pseudobulbar affect and that we could discuss it. I asked him if I'm supposed to wait until my next appointment in June or come in sooner. He basically left it up to me saying if it wasn't a major issue to just wait. Well if I didn't think it was a problem I probably wouldn't have said anything in the first place!
I decided that maybe it's time to get a second opinion as I still haven't heard anything on scheduling my video EEG after almost a month and he's never he tried to give me anything for my migraines or headaches. I have one daily and it's frustrating especially at work. So I called my PCP and am having his office schedule me with another neurologist.
Does this seem like a reasonable thing tomorrow or am I overreacting?
 
Are you taking any seizure meds? Keppra is one that can make you VERY angry! I'm on it and you can't believe how many times I've screamed at people over just the littlest things.
 
I started on Keppra but was taken off it for that reason. I'm on Trileptal now. This is different than that. It's hard to explain...but it hits me suddenly for no reason. Yesterday I yelled at one of my coworkers because my toolbar randomly changed colors after I accidentally clicked a link that I've done a bunch of times before. Then I start stuttering and my hand forms like a claw and my arm jerks.
 
Since it precedes stuttering and muscle spasms, it sounds more like a seizure symptom rather than a med side effect. Definitely worth contacting your neuro (or a second one) to talk about adjusting your dose, or trying a different med altogether.
 
My PCP's office called me today and I see a new neurologist in May. I'm going to start writing everything down now to take with me. I think I'm also going to bring a friend or my cousin. I usually go alone and struggle through the appointment.
 
I think it is a good idea to get a 2nd opinion. Plus, bring someone with you to your appts, someone who is familiar with your symptoms. And like Nak said, it does sound more like a seizure than a med side effect. I take 3000 mgs. of Keppra and haven't really experienced the "rage" that others have spoken of. And I once was taking Trileptal (which, btw, is also used for bi-polar disorder) but I had to be taken off that med because of the low sodium level that it can cause.
 
The Trileptal just makes me unbearably tired. I take it about 11 am while I'm at work and then again at bedtime. It's nice at night because it helps me sleep, but it's horrible at work. I struggle to get through the rest of the day. I think I am going to ask about a possible med change.
 
Cint said:
I think it is a good idea to get a 2nd opinion. Plus, bring someone with you to your appts, someone who is familiar with your symptoms. .
Click to expand...

I completely agree. In my opinion getting second opinions are great because you have a new set of eyes and ears. They could possibly find something that your current neuro can't find.

Though it was under different circumstances, I decided to get a second opinion and brought my mom with me as an "outsider" to let them know what she had seen before. It was the best decision I made because they found a combo of meds that work wonders (for the most part). He's a whole heck of a lot nicer too.
 
The only people that see mine usually are my co-workers. I may drag one of them along since my dad won't take off work.
 
It's not a bad idea if one of them would come with you.

I know there are many questions that my neuro asks about what I do during a seizure or what I'm like when I come out of it that I can't answer. It's only my husband who can answer the questions because he's the one who sees it happen.
 
I'm trying to but we have a few open positions at work. So it makes it hard for a few people to take off the same day.
 
When I first started having seizures and taking meds it made me feel really frustrated and angry, with a short fuse. I remember getting so upset I didn't know what to do with myself. My mom wrote a note about it that I found last year. I was about 12 years old. Keppra used to do it to me pretty bad, but now instead of a temper I think it just makes me stressed.
 
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