I cross-posted this in the new member introductions, so forgive me for the duplicates.

I hit my head after fainting back in June. I didn't have concussion symptoms until two days later, and ended up going to the ER with what I thought were seizures (uncontrollable non-stop jerking). The ER doc did NOT do an EEG, just gave me lots of valium and dilantin to stop the jerking, then set me up with a neurologist.

The neurologist ran an MRI of the head and that was clear. She prescribed klonopin for when the jerking is particularly bad and said that eventually this would go away. I'm trying to NOT take the klonopin unless I just can't take the jerking anymore.

Since I hit my head, the symptoms come and go. They include:

• Tingling in my feet and hands- sometimes the tingling goes up further in my arms and legs
• Jerking- like when a doctor tests your reflexes. I feel the same kind of 'zing' then off goes the body part.
• Trembling in my right hand
• A tick in my right hand, mostly noticeable when I'm resting my hand on my computer mouse- because it constantly 'right-click's the mouse bringing up the annoying right-click menu
• Off balance when I walk or stand
• When standing in line, I wobble
• When I'm walking, I feel like I'm being pulled to the right
• My typing stinks and I used to be a good typist. My job is communications for a large firm, so this really bothers me and is slowing me down. I'm constantly making typos and needing to fix them- although I noticed something interesting yesterday... if I'm retyping something I'm reading off a piece of paper, my typing is fine except for the occasional extra letter caused by my finger ticking.
• I forget words and stop mid-sentence and it takes time to to try to find the word. I do that with writing too (using my thesaurus a lot these days!).
• Constantly grinding my teeth day and night

The tremors and jerking stop when I'm moving around. For example, I learned last night that if I continually shake my leg- I don't jerk. When I'm relaxed, that's when it happens.

It seems to get worse when I'm tired. Not sure if all the jerking around is making me tired, or being tired is causing me to jerk around.

All I know is that it's scary to have a body doing things that I don't want it to do. I'm not obsessing about this, or trying not to anyway. It's just terribly annoying and embarrassing especially when I'm in meetings at work where everyone can see me.

I had a sleep study last week because after hitting my head, my sleep has been HORRIBLE (the neurologist put me on a low dose of seroquel to help). I see my neurologist on Monday to go over the results.

I know that PD is usually something that gradually happens- but my grandmother had PD and some of my symptoms look an awful like hers when she was alive. It's just weird that they'd suddenly happen after hitting my head and it gets better and worse depending on how tired I am.

Anyone have any opinions?

Thanks in advance for any responses.

~Lori

Lori, Your experience sounds VERY similar to Greg B's. Read this......http://upcspine.com/greg2.htm.......and see what you think. If this is the case, you are one lucky gal! Best wishes.......
Ibby

It was an interesting article and thank you for pointing me in that direction. I only had five of the 39 symptoms he listed:

1. I also experienced what I would call memory lapses. I couldn't remember even the simplest names of things e.g. wheelbarrow, shovel. How come I couldn't remember the name of these things?
2. I had difficulty coordinating fingers when typing and writing. The computer keyboard was becoming more difficult to handle.
3. I started to get leg twitches and tremors down my left leg. It appeared to be somewhat similar to what I had read about Parkinson's disease. I would stand up and my leg would shake of its own accord. My electronics background makes me think this is overshoot of the electrical impulse to the muscles.
4. My fingers and toes tingled and periodically I would get pins and needles throughout my hands and feet.
5. ......... that I was walking sideways like a crab. (unlike Greg- I don't feel that my body is twisted, I just feel like someone has a rope and is pulling me to the right)

I've had no pain thankfully (except the initial head injury, and the pain was only at the point of impact).

He mentioned sensitivity to light. Maybe I described that wrong in my original post. Flashing lights are what bother me- just like loud sounds and touching when I'm not expecting it. All of it makes me start jerking.

Well, all I can do is make a list for the Neurologist on Monday and hope she has answers for me. I want off the seroquel (and any drugs, for that matter) because I've gained 15 lbs since I've started taking it. That makes me crabby!

Dear Lori ,-
I did not understand everything you wrote ,but I think most of it. 10 years ago I was assaulted by a Shizofren 17 year strong boy, he came behind me, hold my arm and hit me many times in the head and neck.
After that I had a lot of jerking in my torso, centred from the diaphragms, and I started to speak with cramps and sometimes paralytic voice, "stamming" . This went on for some months . Many things happened, I was in hospital for 10 days ,and on recreation for 1 mnd. , never go back to my work, everything changed , my concentration, my voice, my body .

It has been a never ending process ,something happened after this hitting and my family and friends says that my PD has causality with that assault.
Reading your story ,I wonder if there is any connection between damage to the head and PD. Got my diagnose July-05, no PD in my family
The link does not open (greg).

All the best for you - dear Lori

Thank you for your thoughts. Yes, I'm going to ask my neurologist whether PD can be brought on by a blow to the head. I've read that it can, but years after the blow. I'm hoping that I'm blowing all of this out of proportion and it will truly go away.

Interesting that your jerking starts from the diaphragm. That happens to me too and those jerks feel very different (in a way that I cannot explain) from the ones happening in other parts of my body.

A little bit of me is sensitive to head blows because my brother developed epilepsy after he hit his head on bricks. The doctors said that the brain damage causing the epilepsy was always there, but it took a blow to the head to start the seizure activity. He's now had seizures for 35 years. So sad for him.

IMHO....is not so much the specific symptoms but that misalignment of the upper cervical vertebrae - caused by the head injury - might be causing the symptoms you are experiencing.....as was the case with Greg. I hope you can locate a good Upper Cervical Chiropractor and have x--rays taken to determine if you have such misalignment(s). It's likely a neuro will dismiss this, but it's the first place I'd look. You may also want to google Erin Elster a chiro who''s done studies of PD patients w/ Upper cervical probs...they ALL had them! As do I! Good luck ...and let me know what you find.
Ibby
Maybe your brother could benefit, too??

Interesting! I'm certainly willing to look into whatever resources I need to make this stop. Thank you for the suggestion. I really appreciate it.

While digging around in here (today's the first day I've visited this forum), I found a forum for Post Concussion Syndrome and THAT seems to fit, since I did have a concussion and the symptoms fit too. This is a big relief to find this information and I'm going to hang on to that unless doctors tell me otherwise.

I'm not a doctor, just play one on the Internet.

Some PCS sufferers still suffer from the affects years later, but it's not progressive and it does eventually go away.

Whatever is wrong with you, i would just like to say, GET ALL TYPES OF INSURANCE THAT YOU MAAY NEED NOW. When you diagnosed, they won't touch you, and this may make the difference between a long life of relative comfort and one of waiting for your next penny. cs

I fixed the link. Try this:

http://upcspine.com/greg2.htm

Thank`s , I could open it. Interesting story, doctors have always something to learn.