Is my brain broken?

[Neurodelima]

I am starting to think my brain is broken!

For the past around 7 years I’ve had weird episodes intermittently where I have a strange feeling if Deja vu followed by feeling sick

Ive seen two neurological specialists - had an MRI, blood tests and the epilepsy test (I forget the name but it involved a thing on my head and flashing lights). All came back normal and I decided to take as is - as I’d prefer to live with the episodes than take it any further . Oddly while the my assumed epilepsy at first it was ruled out.

however in the last week I’ve now started to have a tic. It starts as an urge in my shoulder and I then sort of spasm. It’s not exactly involuntary but i can’t quite control it either

while I can live with the weird Deja Vu - i definitely don’t want to start having episodes of uncontrollable tics!

has anyone else had similar?

also I wanted to go back to my neurologist but realised he has now retired so any recommendations for a specialist would be gratefully received

go back to your GP and ask for another referral to a neurologist. Brain things can be very odd and take a while to diagnose, but having a new symptom is important.

how often do the tics happen? is there a trigger, like being tired or similar?

can you video the tics so you can show the video to the GP? you might need to leave a camera running for half an hour while you eat a meal or read a book and see if you can catch a tic.

So the tics are very new - ony twice since Friday - but that’s how the other thing started which makes me worry )I ignored for years as was so intermittent for a long time.

UNfortinately my GP is utterly useless to plan on funding myself.

give it a month and try to keep a diary of the tics. then if they persist, see the GP with the diary and you'll have clear evidence that you need a referral

I don’t really want to wait. It’s so hard to describe but I fear that if I leave it - it will get worse

it’s like even typing about it here makes it worse and I sort of fear it will become ingrained . I know that sounds totally mad but it’s the oddest feeling.

Could it be PANS / PANDAS or immuno encephalitis (adults can get it too ) that causes tics. Can be brain inflammation as immune response to something like strep, mould or a tick bite. There’s a list of blood tests to ask for on the P / P website. Or you can try taking nurofen and antihistamine for two weeks and see if symptoms stop

It can also cause OCD / intrusive thoughts. Dr Gareth Morgan at the Portland is an expert. Also Tim Ubhi if you can’t get to see Gareth Morgan.

Chat GPT says:
The combination of recurrent déjà vu followed by nausea and now a new urge to jerk your shoulder is something that deserves another assessment by a neurologist. It’s not possible to diagnose from symptoms alone, but a few possibilities come to mind.
The symptom that stands out most is the déjà vu plus nausea. That pattern can occur with:

• Temporal lobe focal seizures (focal aware seizures). These often cause a sudden wave of déjà vu, a rising feeling in the stomach or nausea, fear, or odd sensations, while the person remains aware. Importantly, a normal MRI and a normal routine EEG do not rule this out. Many people with focal epilepsy have normal tests between seizures, especially if the EEG was only a short recording.
• Migraine aura, even without a severe headache, can occasionally cause unusual sensations including déjà vu.
• Less commonly, panic attacks, certain sleep disorders, or other neurological conditions can produce similar symptoms.

The new shoulder tic or jerk broadens the possibilities. It could be:

• A motor tic, which is often preceded by an uncomfortable urge that is temporarily relieved by performing the movement. Your description of “it’s not exactly involuntary but I can’t quite control it” is actually quite characteristic of tics.
• A focal motor seizure, although these are usually not preceded by the same “urge” that tics have.
• A muscle spasm or another movement disorder.

I wouldn't be mucking around op - get another GP appointment/ second opinion.

Could the weird feeling you described be some sort of migraine? I sometimes get weird neurological symptoms followed by nausea and vomiting, along with my usual migraine aura of flashing lights in my peripheral.

There are a load of weird migraine auras, once my daughter described this kaleidoscope sort of thing in her vision with very specific black circular lines and it turned out to be exactly the same as a particular type of migraine.

The spasm - could it be a trapped nerve?