Please Help ~ Multiple Doctors No Answers

[mandajayinc]

My dear neighbor has been having 'episodes' for the past 2 months, they tend to occur once every 6-7 days.  She becomes very dizzy, heaviness feeling in her chest, her blood pressure drops, she becomes disoriented, difficulty writing, has trouble speaking, difficulty walking, horrible headache and she says her lips become very numb and twitch during this time also has chills and extreme fatigue.  The 'episodes' usually last anywhere from 30-45 minutes.  She has been to multiple doctors, her cardiologist has preformed a stress test something called a table test and all checked out okay as well as an mri of the brain.  I have seen her during these episodes and her eyes become very glassy and she will try to speak and forget what she is saying.  She does have a genetic heard condition, which she cannot recall the name of but says that it causes her arteries to deteriorate from the bottom up and she has 2 stints in her heart from this condition.  If anyone out there can give us a direction as to what this could be I would greatly appreciate it.  We assumed she was having mini strokes but they said the MRI showed nothing in the brain that would result from a stroke.    

[chick89]

hello,
  it sound kinda like a panic attack.  

[keaheRN]

It's kinda surprising to me that she has a history of heart problems, is having symptoms that could cause her harm (like falling!), yet no tests were done except a MRI of her brain. A lot has changed in 3 months; it seems appropriate to repeat a full workup. Have any doctors seen her when she's having these "spells"? Has she gone to the ER during one? There may be $$ issues but if she's still not doing well, have her go be seen WHILE she's having an episode. Clearly the two of you aren't making this up & I get discouraged when I hear that medical professionals have taken her complaints so lightly. She knows her body better than anyone & is entitled to know what her plan of care is w/ her doctor. Keep @ it until you get a reasonable answer!    <3

[mandajayinc]

Thank you all for your responses I spoke with my neighbor she says her Cardiologist has done zero blood work on her at all.  Her medical doctor ran bloodwork checking B12 and folic acid only.   She is on Lipitor so 3 months ago, before the 'episodes' she had a full blood work up done.  Her cardiologist has really done no test on her, other than a heart  monitor.  I am pushing for her to find a new cardiologist because he just doesn't seem concerned w/her issues and they are making her feel like she is a hypochondriac, but, as I stated earlier I have witnessed one of these episodes.  I can tell you that she is continually having dizzy spells between these episodes.  Any bending over or anything like that she cannot w/out having them.  She is also feeling weak and fatigued contstantly.

Again, I thank you guys so much for the input and if you think of anything else we can use to push her doctors I would greatly appreciate it!

[caregiver222]

Let us assume that the problem is due to ischemia (lack of oxygen) to certain areas of the brain secondary to a spasming of the blood vessels. Under certain circumstances these spasms can be conditionable - that is linked to a certain room or person - much as with Pavlov's dog.  This would cause momentary neurological symptoms, however as long as the oxygen deficit was not severe there would not be an infarct (death of tissue) to show on an MRI. The most common cause of such spasms is electrolyte deficiency, calcium deficiency, potassium deficiency or magnesium deficiency. The other possibility is she is experiencing a variety of petit mal seizures, which can sometimes be controlled through diet. Do an internet search and a search on Pubmed, the governmental data base. Since the episodes occur on a periodic basis, consider a cirardian link. In other words a link to the inner clock inside every human being. Such problems are sometimes cured by daily exposure to sunlight or a melatonin supplement. Do try to get a neurological consult from another physician.

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi
Welcome to the MedHelp forum!
If stroke, transient ischemic attacks, vasovagal attacks (by tilt table test) etc are all ruled out, then it could be epilepsy, hypoglycemia, adrenal gland problem, hormonal imbalance (PCOD or menopause), or benign intracranial hypertension.
Ask your neighbor to discuss these possibilities with her doctor. Take care!