Neurological panic - hand hold please!

[Easeljeasel]

In the last few months I’ve had…

Increasingly shaky hands (this has only been a month but significantly worsening week by week - eg now struggle to get iphone to do what I want as it doesn’t recognise long press etc because too shaky. When I hold my hands out my ring fingers - especially the right one - are the most dramatic shakers)

What might have been an absence seizure (I had minor absence epilepsy about age 12 but then nothing for decades - medical consensus seems to be it’s extremely unusual for it to recur without cause at age 40), but might have (hopefully) been a faint.

I also feel ‘foggy’ all the time

GP has referred to neurologist who has sent me for sleep deprived EEG, an ECG and an MRI. I’ve had that all done now but been told it will take a number of weeks before it’s all looked at and I hear back… I broke down in tears in the EEG chair this morning.

I’m also extremely depressed and anxious. I don’t know whether this can be causing the above. The mental health side isn’t new.

I don’t know why I’m posting here. In the desperate hope somebody will say ‘oh I had that and was fine’ I suppose. I have two young children and I’m worried about so many things, debilitating, life changing things 😣

Oh and the consultant doesn’t know about the shaky hands as they’ve kicked in since I saw him. The woman who did the EEG today said she’d right it in my notes, but again I’m worried about time/ that his assessment of me with shaking might have been different than that without (he did get me to hold my hands out when he saw me but there was no shake back then)

So so sorry you are experiencing this. I'm not sure what you can do except wait for results and I know that can be an utter nightmare. I had constant twitching in my muscles and we have a fatal neurolological disease in my family so I understand what you must be going through as I've been there waiting for results too. Certainly anxiety will not be helping and could be making your symptoms worse. Do you have any real life support, a husband, partner, good friend? Anyone who can listen to your fears will help. What is a 'sleep deprived EEG'? Do you not get much sleep? Sleep deprivation and stress could be at the root of all this, especially as you have 2 young children. Also don't blame you for crying in the EEG, its not a pleasant procedure I know.
Try to look after yourself.

Thanks for replying user. Sleep deprived EEG is when you’re only allowed 4 hours sleep the night before the EEG. I had it this morning and pretty sure I had a fit during it. I feel sick. I don’t really have anybody to talk to irl. I really don’t feel like I’m functioning at all. I just want to go to bed but I’m having nightly panic attacks and asthma attacks (I’ve also not has asthma for years but that’s suddenly back too) because I’m just so overwhelmed and scared by absolutely everything

I don't know if this will help but I had what sounded like a return of pubescent absence seizures a few years ago in my mid 40s. I had an eeg, a sleep deprived eeg and and mri and it was all ok. No one thought it was unusual for a reoccurrence (I saw a couple of people) and in fact said hormonal activity can be a trigger so it made sense....

They can't decide if my episodes were panic disorder or something else but they have ruled out a serious cause. I mention the panic disorder because it can cause physical symptoms which mimic neuro symptoms - I was also investigated for MS a number of years ago due to what turned out to me extreme anxiety symptoms. They were very real.

Obviously wait for results etc and I'm not trying to minimise. But the brain is a weird thing and causes all kinds of odd shit.

I fell asleep in my sleep deprived eeg......

Funtimefrank thank you so much - I’m really hoping I might be along similar lines. My anxiety etc has previously caused constant chest pain and adrenaline taste in mouth. Those symptoms have now gone but the anxiety has not - which sometimes makes me wonder whether it’s just moved in its expression to other parts of the body. I don’t know. I’ve also been wondering if I could be perimenopausal as my feelings have been wilder than ever recently. I’ve never really had PMT previously for example but in recent months I’m basically suicidal for a full 7-10 days a month, sometimes more. What a mess.

@funtimefrank did they stop you driving when you had a seizure? It would be so awful if I couldn’t drive. Mine have only ever been when I’m standing (as far as I know) even when I was 12, but I don’t know whether the DVLA would count ‘only when I’m standing’ as a guarantee of safety 😣

Did the neurologist mention functional neurological disorder to you? I have essential tremor of the hands, and experiencing lots of neurological symptoms atm which we're thinking is possibly fnd.

@Easeljeasel I get similar due to neuralgia. The shaking is not as severe as yours but my gp seems to think it is a trapped nerve that is worsened by stress and anxiety.

I know it's easy for me to say, but please try not to worry so much. There is a chance the worry and stress is exacerbating your symptoms.

So I stopped driving from when I saw the consultant until I got my results but when I was having my tests the epilepsy nurse said it wasn't a done deal on having to stop driving. So don't worry about that now.

I know what you mean about the anxiety travelling around your body. I had very bad post natal ocd which then translated into a generalised anxiety disorder (plus side I lost half a stone in a week once as I couldn't eat;)). Then that translated into the MS symptoms which then morphed into full blown health anxiety. I refused to accept my absence weirdness could be panic attacks as I went through all of that crap without any thing of that kind but they started up after my dad died so a period of different anxiety and also when my pre menstrual anxiety reached record levels. So who knows.

Best of luck lovely. Whatever it is will be easier to deal with when you have definates.

OP, tell us what it is you are most scared of?

Are you having any help for the anxiety? Wish I could give you a hug.

I know it wouldn't explain everything but are you on SSRIs/SNRIs? Tremor can be a side effect on these meds. It can start at a random time as well, not just when you start the meds. I'm glad they are taking your symptoms seriously

I had a sudden onslaught of anxiety when I hit 45. It turned out to be linked to the peri menopause. I’m on HRT now and also have a lot of routines in place to help reduce anxiety including practising good sleep hygiene and eating healthily and moderate exercise. Hope you are ok OP look after yourself x