[sigmund]

Hi...my mom is going through a really rough time, Id be thankful for some ideas ....She has a questionable TIA history, with associated dementia, anxiety, and CAD. She has been to the hospitals multiple times, seen numerous neurologists, cardiologists, and we recently started seeing a psychiatrist.

Her symptoms include weakness, poor gait, and a hemispheric "numbness" which is primarily in her face but can affect a whole side of her body. These "episodes" have increased as have the hospital stays. The best the doctors can do at this point is chalk it up to anxiety, since every cardiac/neuro test known to man has been negative. She is convinced she is having strokes, which is where anxiety comes in. Ive witnessed many of these episodes, which appear to have a sudden onset and can occur multiple times a day. My stepdad is having a hard time managing her due to her catastrophic emotional responses ( she always wants to call 911 but we have been counseled that continuing to take her to a hospital for more tests will feed into the anxiety). So Im not sure if we are helping or hurting her. She takes Effexor, Klonapin ( recently started), Namenda, Lipitor, Plavix.

We have a new Neurologist who may have a new angle. Ive been reading posts about Celiac Disease, Paresthesia, and dont know if the benzo could be a problem......sorry for the long post...any ideas would help thanks