Hello all, newbie here. I had posted in the movement disorders and neuromuscular pages but after briefly talking with one of my patients today (I draw blood for a living), she suggested my symptoms might point to epilepsy, so I figured I'd repost here to see if anyone has had similar experiences.

A year ago I started with "flashing" in the eyes. Like a strobe light in the corners of my eyes. It was only at night, and only when looking at something red or orange. Wierd huh? Now, pretty much all the time in my left eye and rarely in the right eye. Saw 2 opthamologists and both still say it's posterior vitreous detachment aka the fluid in my eyes is shrinking and pulling on my retina. They admit I'm young for this problem, but "its a natural process" they say.

A few months ago, I had really bad neck pain on the left and had an Xray, which of course was negative. My PCP said it was muscle strain and gave me Flexeril and Iburofen. It eventually went away.

About 6 weeks ago, I noticed my big toe on my left foot was twitching. Moving back and forth by itself. Then within a week, I started to feel a like someone was plucking on my sciatic nerve, a deep "twang-ing" feeling and a vibration all the time- like my foot was in on the floorboard of a car with no exhaust or like an electric charge building up. The muscle fasiculations are visible to the eye in my leg, you can see my calf and buttocks and thigh moving. My toe will move so much, I'll try not to put weight on that foot because it makes me unsteady. I feel a constant tingling, but the electric shocking feeling comes and goes.

I have had 2 microdiskectomies in my lumbar spine and the last one in 2010 was because a disk fragmented and was stuck in my spinal canal. The swelling was so bad, I had to be on high dose steriods before they could operate and it left me with a drop foot/weak achilles tendon in my left foot. So when this started, I went back to my spinal surgeon and we did another MRI showing the disk L5-S1 on the left is bulging again and to add to it, the L4-L5 on the right that I had operated on in 2007 is herniated again. He proposed an epidural steriod injection which I did not get because then the same thing started happening with my left thumb. Plus, I wasn't having any nerve pain, my muscles hurt from the spasms, but nothing like I'd experienced with my back in the past.

So, now the thumb is going and the toe/leg are going nuts all the time. Then about a week ago, I got really stressed out at my 2.5 year old and my neck sort of spasmed, although it didn't hurt like a muscle spasm, but it pulled my head down and to the left. Luckily that hasn't repeated since.

I clench my teeth really badly at night, so much so that my teeth have actually loosened and worn down from it.

I had blood work, all normal besides an elevated C-reative protein, which is always high when they test it on me (and the rheumatologist I saw said it must just be "normal for me"). Lyme negative, other tick bornes like Ehrlichia and babesia negative, normal chemistries, normal CBC, normal sed rate (strange with the high CRP). I've had my ANA tested multiple times in the past and its always neg. All autoimmune tests are always neg. like, Rheumatoid Factor and stuff like that. I did have Epstein-Barr last year though. An MRI of my brain w/o contrast was "unremarkable".

I have an appt. on 9/12 to see a neurologist. Hopefully I can get some answers. I draw blood for a living and I can't hold the needle in my left hand anymore, I've had to switch to my right. The flashing in my eyes is driving me nuts too. I just hope it stays on the left for now and doesn't progress to the right or I'm screwed. Especially since the doctors keep blowing me off like I'm some looney.

Anywho, I was researching things like epilepsy and clonic seizures and wonder if I sort of fit the bill. Could I be having mini-seizures and be aware during them? I am very overtired with a 2.5 year old, stressed about work too. I feel especially tired a lot during the day, like I can barely keep my eyes open.

I was diagnosed borderline ADD in school, but always did well, but I do "zone out" a lot. I also have a really high sensitivity to asparatame/nutrasweet, I get extremely dizzy from them. Even sugar free gum.

It's just strange that all the issues right now are on the left side of my body, which is why the patient today suggested right (perhaps temporal) lobe epilepsy.

Thanks for listening! I'm interested in any feedback you may have!

Carly