[jnewk]

hey everyone! I wonder if you could give me your thoughts on my current situation. I had a seizure a few weeks ago. I bumped my head, scraped my knee. I was sick sick when I came to. Crawled to toilet which was thankfully not too far away. Wretched like never before for a good while. Completely weak and sickly feeling. Coincidentally my niece came to my house while I was wretching and when I could get to my feet she helped to go get to my bed which is also fairly near (small apt).

I was loopy as heck the next day with a nice bump on forehead and cheekbone. The day after i still felt that way so I called neuro. They called back the next day. I am sure the residual confusion and emotional state I was in was due to a mild concussion. Neuro didn't want cat scan. So I called primary and he ordered one. I haven't heard yet what it showed. She put me on keppra and that stuff sent me through the roof.

[In the meantime, I get a letter from dmv. 3 months I guess until otherwise stated.]

I went completely manic/crazy and confused. It was the worse experience. I have never had anything like that happen before. And it lasted for days. So I called back, off Keppra. Days pass. I finally see neuro. She puts me on lamictal. I honestly thought all these "brain drugs" were making me insane.

However, in the meantime, my neuro had not seen me or spoken with me on phone. But her bimbo secretary did. We made apt for about a week later. by that time although I was still pretty manicky I was not confused, or woozy or anything. just a bit ticked off.

anyway, I would have appreciated at least speaking to her or waiting until my appointment for her to do that. I know its her license and liability. however, a direct conversation with me shouldn't have been too much to ask.

Obviously I am not dealing with this. I'm really ****** at them. I don't want to tell them a darn thing again. It will cost me more money in ins, transportation, etc. And my soc sec is under poverty level,. its high enough that I get denied for any of the "freebies" (no offense anyone) that are available to disabled people. And I'm broke. I don't even get through the month. I don't live much of a lifestyle. TV, grocery store, small errands. And now my world is even smaller. I realize there are many of you out there that are in worse situations, and I shouldn't complain. But sometimes we just have to have somewhere to share this kind of stuff. So I am thankful to you all (if by the time you've gotten this far into my post that your eyes haven't glazed over lol)

My life is diminishing...getting so much smaller and isolated. I am about to give up and just not care. Honestly, I went to this neuro with an open mind and willing to give her plan a try but so far I've had 3 meds that contradicted with my heart meds causing an apparent a seizure, and lost my DL. So far this place has done nothing but make my life worse. So in three months when she can sign the effing form to dmv. I'm done with them. Again. Done with "ms" drugs, and I'm done with being a human test tube.

Thanks for letting me rant.
janet

[clarkstar]

sorry youre going through this. its good to vent, this is a good place to do it

hang in there

[SallyC]

(((((Janet))))), what an airhead nimrod of a Neuro, you have... I'm so
glad your Niece was there at the right time to be of help to you. I don't
suppose Vegas is the place for top notch Docs, unless they're retired..

I hear you and you have every right to complain. I will pray that
things ease up for you soon. You deserve a break!!

Feel better soon..

[Kitty]

I had to stop driving a few years ago.....but I did it on my own. Nobody told me or made me stop. In fact, I still have my driver's license but just keep it for identification purposes.

It's hard to stop driving. It was definitely an adjustment for me. But, my income has more than been cut in half so not having to make a car payment or insurance payment is really the only way I can make it through a month.

The doctor should have told you that she contacted the DMV. That's just common courtesy. Sorry you had to find out the way you did.

[tkrik]

I'm so sorry this is happening to you.

Did you actually see the neuro at all or was everything done over the phone? IMHO, they should have done some testing such and an EEG to make sure that it was truly a seizure and not something else. Granted, from your description it sounds as if it may have been but still.... And, she contacted the DMV without concrete proof (such as an EEG) that you even had a seizure. Nor did she investigate the reasoning behind it, such as what you mentioned - medication interactions. She didn't discuss contacting the DMV with you and by that she has impacted your quality of life. I think finding a new neuro may be a good idea if you are able to do so.

I have had absence seizures before and the neuro didn't contact DMV. I was told to avoid driving for 6 months to make sure no more seizure activity occurred. If it did, then they would have to contact the DMV. I guess I was lucky that they didn't contact them.

I am glad your niece happened to come by and help you. I hope you start feeling better soon. Let us know the results of your CT scan and how you are doing.

[Sparky10]

I'm sorry all this happened to you, Janet. Hope you get to feeling better soon.

So, all these medical professionals are taking you at your word that you had a seizure and a concussion? That seems odd. And wrong. Is it standard procedure for people who have experienced a seizure, or simply said they did, to be reported to the DMV?

[jnewk]

Originally Posted by Kitty

I had to stop driving a few years ago.....but I did it on my own. Nobody told me or made me stop. In fact, I still have my driver's license but just keep it for identification purposes.

It's hard to stop driving. It was definitely an adjustment for me. But, my income has more than been cut in half so not having to make a car payment or insurance payment is really the only way I can make it through a month.

The doctor should have told you that she contacted the DMV. That's just common courtesy. Sorry you had to find out the way you did.

yes Kitty...I have already given up driving at night because off "night blindness" but I know when I am able to get myself to the market or where ever. I've lost 3 members of my family to (2) different drivers that were impaired. I would never put anyone through that by driving impaired.

It is what it is at this point I guess I just have to accept it and wait it out. Then, 3 mos and I'm done with Lou Ruvo Center

[jnewk]

Originally Posted by SallyC

(((((Janet))))), what an airhead nimrod of a Neuro, you have... I'm so
glad your Niece was there at the right time to be of help to you. I don't
suppose Vegas is the place for top notch Docs, unless they're retired..

I hear you and you have every right to complain. I will pray that
things ease up for you soon. You deserve a break!!

Feel better soon..

Thank you Sally. And you are right....the good docs are retired or close to it. My cardio is getting close to that and I'm not looking forward to finding another one.

Thanks for your understanding and compassion. It HELPS!

[ginnie]

Sometimes when things really are bad....this is the best possible place to be. Even though I don't know you, I understand what poverty does. Add a few medical issues and non- responding doctors, and you have more issues than you want. Truly, I hope things can get better for you. Hope you can find a physician that will treat you decent. Don't give up. There will be folks here that may have some good ideas on how to help. PM me, and I can list some agencies that may give a hand. ginnie

[Mariel]

I have read the letters on this thread, and I'm impressed with the wisdom here. It really does help to read here!
There are a number of serious issues here, but the one that leaps out at me, related to personal experience, is that the doctor was NOT wise in giving you drugs that conflicted.
She should have at the very least looked those up to see if they fought with one another, or she should have called the heart specialist. I'm told doctors are having to limit time they spend with patients (it is even recorded, the time spent with each one, by a click on your computer record, according to one medical person who confides in me). So this may be one reason she didn't do an adequate job of correlating your meds.

I have gone now for over 16 years without anti-depressants, because I have Porphyria, and sometimes I was in deep depression. But I am glad that I am not burdened with any of those drugs and their potential side effects and interactions. All anti-depressants made me worse off, usually with deeper depression and many other side effects, one of them sending me to the ER with tachycardia (Prozac). I was in the clinical trial for Xanax before I was dx'd with the disease (Porphyria) in which one cannot take anti-depressants.
Xanax was awful. It made me almost unable to walk, semi-paralyzed. I took it two days and gave up. That type of reaction probably wouldn't occur to many here on the MS forum, but it was a big reaction that I thought you might be interested in, since you take it some of the time. For you it may be better than nothing. For me--the WALL. Whatever that means--I guess the WALL means that one must stop an activity no matter what else occurs.