My mums unknown condition

[ERudi]

My mum is 60 years old and for the past couple of years she has been having some sort of short attacks on her head.
She has been to the doctors but does not seem to get any answers, but they just give her medication.
She has done tests but nothing has been clear as to what is wrong with her.
Mum would be in a middle of doing anything and she would have what seem to be as (maybe) 3-4 seconds seizures and it might repeat 2 to 3 times after that. Once that is passed she would be feeling anxious for a couple of days until it passes.
Before at the earlier stages she would be feeling nauseas but at present she does not have that (or maybe at times).
I do believe that these symptoms are caused by stress since mums problems started after my brother passed away and ever since they keep happening mostly when she gets stressed.

Please help.

[ggreg]

Dear ERudi,
You are a good daughter, to write to all of us about your Mum's difficulties.  Now, when you say "seizures," I wonder if you mean she stops everything and jerks her body around in an unorganized way and is not exactly conscious.  Or I wonder if you mean she suddenly cannot continue what she is doing, begins to tremble and cry, and wanders off in confusion.  Or perhaps her eyes just glaze over, she is uncommunicative, and gets a little dizzy.  So, if you could describe exactly what she does when she has these "seizures," this group might be able to better pinpoint what is going on with your Mum.

See, it could be she does have seizures, which her doctor has likely already given her a diagnosis of some kind, and since you say they give her medicines, well, in that case, if she is having seizures, then she iis getting a drug that is to help her not have those seizures.  So, could be she needs better or more drugs to control it.  

Or it could be she is just really overwhelmed with emotion over the loss of her child, which is the number one stresser for a human being, and she might get caught up in the emotion of the whole thing and not be able to think straight, and will come unraveled and shake and not know what she is doing.  If so, a tranquilizer will help her enormously, and if the docs have said she has anxiety or panic disorder or depression, which often happen simultaneously when a parent loses a child, then the doc needs to revisit her situation and perhaps, for example, instead of giving her an antidepressant, maybe she would do better with just a tranquilizer, or some combination medicine that includes tranquilizing her.

But if she's getting dizzy and her eyes glaze over, like she might fall over, then that might instead be a heart issue, where she is not getting enough oxygenation in her bloodstream due to a circulatory problem, or even stroke is possible where there is a bleed in the brain (this can cause the nausea you referred to), or even heart attack might be imminent, in which case her doc should have her evaluated by a heart specialist to make sure she's in good health.  It's kind of like the old days, when men used to work themselves to death, and they'd wind up with a heart attack because they were working too hard... your Mum may be so absorbed by this unfortunate turn of events, that her heart is overworked.  And it's also like when some people say a person died of a broken heart.

I think the best thing you can do is bring your Mum back to her doctor, have a little chat with him about what you've been seeing with her in the way of her continuing symptoms, and ask him will he please make sure he has considered all avenues of why she's doing this, and that he please review her medication situation so that she will get some improved relief.  I personally think she needs to be sedated for a while, with a tranquilizer like Klonopin, which is also prescribed for people who have seizures, and it helps with anxiety, any seizure activity, and in general affects the portion of the brain that has to do with improving mood.  I mean, at the very least, she should have a medicine like that on board.  If she's just getting an antidepressant, for example, it may not be taking care of the anxiety part of her problem.  Or if she's just getting anti-seizure medicine, it could be that is also not helping her anxiety that you report.  I'm no expert, I just know what it's like to feel anxiety, it's a dreadful thing and downright scary, and that's the LAST thing your Mum needs right now.

In addition to everything I've said, your Mum really needs to be seen by a mental health counselor, it's where she can sit down and talk about her loss to a professional and sympathetic ear, who will give her positive tips to get through it.  So, ask her doc to recommend such a person, and she should not feel the least bit afraid she's lost her mind, rather those counselors are there to help people who are in crisis, just like an orthopedist fixes a broken bone.  She has a broken emotional problem, and she does not have to go it alone.  I might add that if she is open to that, then you should take her on some easy pleasant walks through the neighborhood, it always helps people's mental outlook to be amongst the outdoors and also to get exercise.

I hope something of all this too-long post helps you out a little bit, and I shall think of your Mum and sympathize with her loss and hope for the best.
GG

[ERudi]

Thank you GG for your response,

I do understand that I have not made it very clear and not being very specific on details.
I should point out that she blanks out, she does not jerk her body around in an unorganized way but she is not exactly conscious either. She suddenly cannot continue what she is doing and she is uncommunicative and unresponsive.
I am not sure what kind of medication she has been given or currently taking, since it is a great distance in between us and the country she currently resides hasn't got the same medication that gets used here in the States.
I also would like to point out that she has not been treated for depresion, which it could be another factor to her condition.
You also are making a good point when mentioning her heart.
I never thought that it might be related to her heart but it might make sense though. Mum always had some kind of problems with her weak heart, which can be an add on to everything else.

Well thank you again for you help and best of luck.

ER

[ggreg]

Dear ER,
Thanks for clarifying the symptoms of your Mum.  It may still be her heart, but it also sounds like a little seizure she's having.  People can sometimes space out like she is doing, where they really don't know what is going on around them for a few seconds or even minutes.  If she drives, obviously this is a problem.  I hope you can encourage her to have a friend take her back to her doctor, the friend should tell the doc your Mum may be having seizures, and then they make sure your Mum gets better medicine.  The doc should also doublecheck how her heartrate is doing.  If you can, find out the name and phone of her doctor from your Mum, just tell her you want it "just in case," and then call this doctor and talk to him yourself, mention the possibility of a seizure diagnosis, and that her anxiety is severe for days at a time, and that the doc should seriously consider putting her on an antiseizure medicine and a mild tranquilizer.  I do not think your Mum should be driving, and if she is, maybe you can ask the doc to tell her not to do that anymore, and that the doc should inquire of her if she has a nearby friend who can help her with that.  Just by having more contact with a neighbor or friend, this will help your Mum feel better about her recent loss.

I can tell you this about long-distance assisting.  I had a dear friend who was in his final months of life, his heart gave out, and I could not get to him either.  So, I had to engage the help of friends I knew in the area, and also spoke directly with his doctor, because he did not have family or anyone living with him, and so he needed someone just like me to help out.  I even got the neighbor lady living upstairs to help him daily.  So, it can be done.  And then there is a possibility you could ask your Mum to lock up her home for a short while and come stay with you.  Keep us posted on what happens.
GG