Undiagnosed?
 

Hi. I have been tottering off the sidewalk for over a year, I think. I'll be walking along and my upper body bends to the side, and my legs catch up to keep me from falling. I find myself about three feet into the grass off the pathway, and I often almost run into trees! I have been taking Seroquel (25-50mg) for that long... could it be causing it?

A few days ago, my hands started closing themselves and feeling weakened. I started Provigil a month ago and went up to 200 mg just before this started... could that be causing it? I went off of it 2.5 days ago and my hands feel less shaky but they are still acting funny and closing themselves.

I had a brain MRI on Friday but won't get results until a week from Tuesday. I don't know what my question is exactly, just that I'm worried and don't know what the deal is. Does anyone have any thoughts about what the deal might be?

I was assaulted 15 months ago and was thrown into a wall, which I hit with my back and then I slid down the wall to land hard on my tailbone. Would that hurt my cerebellum if I hit the wall a certain way? I mean, the symptoms would have happened then, right? Not now?

Thoughts? Comments? Wagers? Random guesses to keep me entertained until I get the MRI results? Thanks!

Here's the poll, since I can't figure out how to add one:

1) It's entirely her medications.
2) There IS something wrong with her brain.
3) Neither 1 or 2: she has an ear-related balance issue such as Meniere's.

Hey, chime in. We'll see who's right.

Hi Gerudo
 

[Welcome to neuro talk. You will find some friends here and maybe some information while you wait for your MRI results. So sorry your were hurt in such a mannor. Gosh, concusion, anything could have happened with that. Try not to second guess what is going on. Many who experience some form of brain injury, do feel and get off balance. Be good to yourself, and take it easy. Don't over extend what you do physically until you have the full evaluation. Until that time, I am here to listen. I hope you have seen a neurologist. That would be the type of physician I would seek first. Please seek a second and even a third opinion. Not all Neuros, treat TBI or these kind of symptoms in the same mannor. I hope your doctor listens to you, and has some compassion. It will help your doctor, if you keep a journal of all the symptoms you are experiencing. Write them down daily. Also bring a friend or spouse with you to your appointment. The doctors tend to pay attention a little better with some one else in the room with you to back up what you say. I do wish you a speedy recovery. Again, welcome to this site, you found a great place to see you through this trauma. I care. ginnie

Thanks
 

Thanks, Ginnie, you seem really nice. I appreciate that! A standard medical doc ordered the MRI, but I'm going to have my psychiatrist look over the scans too, to see what he thinks. I trust my psych a lot, and if he thinks I should get a specialist like you said, he'll probably be able to recommend one. :)

Yeah, um, it was my sister. If it turns out that my sister damaged my brain, for crying out loud, I don't even want to imagine how that would impact my family. Oh, they know what happened, and my dad kicked her out after she did it, because I became terrified of her, but we get along well now that she has her own place, and... I mean, God. :(

Thanks for the support, Ginnie!!! :hug:

Gerudo,

Some of the symptoms you describe are similiar to my brother who has been diagnosed with Parkinsonism. This seemed to start mostly with his balance. One question???? Do you swing you arms when you walk? People with this disease swing their arms very little and usually walk with arms straight down. He has had this for over seven years. When going out, he prefers to use a walker because he is afraid he might fall. The walker helps him to feel more secure.

Just a thought.....

I agree with Ginnie, bringing a friend or spouse with you to your appointment does seem to make a difference with doctors paying better attention.

Please let us know the results of your MRI.


Gerry

Hi Gerry! I can't really tell what my arms are doing... I think they swing. That's good, right? :)

OK, you all have convinced me, someone's going with me to the doc's. It's not 'til June 4th, though. Maybe I can call after the holiday and see about getting in sooner? I mean, not knowing feels really really weird.

Thanks!! I hope your brother is feeling well. :hug:

Mama wants her Provigil.
 

So I quit taking Provigil as of last Friday morning (last dose then), and now all I want to do is sleep. And sleep. And sleep. Like before I started taking it a little over a month ago. On the other hand, my hands aren't really closing themselves or feeling weak at all.

Provigil does affect the CNS, but it would be rare for it to do this. My theory is that maybe I already had ataxia and the Provigil was aggravating it. (MRI results in next Tuesday.) It's depressing though, because boy did I love that drug. But why would I need 12 hours of sleep a night anyway, and even then still feel fatigued? Maybe there is something wrong with my brain. I mean, I know I'm not depressed (no offense to depressed people), because I always have stuff I want to do, ya know?

Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

Himmmm,
 

Wish I could be of help. Why were prescribed the Provigil??
You might try calling the doctors office. They probably already have the results. If you talk nice; (like let it be known the stress the waiting is causing) the doctor's nurse might give you the results of your MRI before Tuesday. Worth a try.

Gerry

That's a darn fine idea. I begged for Provigil because I need 12 hours of sleep a night without it. Many times over the years I went to the gen doc who drew blood, told me everything (the fatigue) was in my head, and sent me home. So when my Internet research turned up Provigil, I went to my psych and asked for some. Finally I was living a normal life, for a whole month!... Oh well.

Yeah, maybe I'll call tomorrow. I'm just a little afraid to. :eek:

Hey, good news!
 

Hey, I have good news! My brain is fine. :) The doc says the only thing on the scan was the presence of a past sinus infection. (I did have a really bad one in the mid '90's. It lasted for two or three weeks and made my face hurt.) He prescribed me a drug called Antivert for falling off the sidewalk, I guess working the theory my dad had that there's an inner ear issue. (I was born with bad hearing for unknown reasons, so it makes sense.)

As for my hands closing, either Provigil was the culprit or it was psychosomatic. (Go figure.) I'll figure it out, either way. :wink:

Thanks for all the support! You all are nice!!! :grouphug:

Hi ~ You know, I also tilt to one side like that, and I've never been injured.

You know what my doc said was the problem? Osteoporosis!!! He said because my spine is in such bad shape, that I have to lean to one side to keep from falling over on the other side. Get my drift? Trouble is, I lean too far! LOL

Sometimes I look like I'm drunk -- and if any of my friends saw me, they'd start talking because I'm a recovering alcoholic!!! I haven't had a drink in 20 years! LOL Boy would the rumors fly then. LOL Guess ya gotta laugh (at least I do) The things we have to go thru. :rolleyes:

God bless and I hope whatever is going on with you is NOT SERIOUS! Take care my friend, and keep us posted. Hugs, Lee

Hi Lee!
 

Hey, Lee, you're funny? "Get my DRIFT?"!!! HA HA HA. Yeah, I look drunk too! I always seem to head straight for huge trees when I "drift" off the sidewalk! I started saying, "Big tree, little me!" and my dad and I laugh. (I'm a tad overweight right now, which makes it even funnier.)

Then I was telling this joke about how, at the MRI, the tech looked at me closely and said, "Hmm... it does appear that one side of your face is lower than the other." And I deliberately grimaced and raised an eyebrow. He freaked and yelled, "Oh my God, it's worse than I thought!!" HA HA HA HA HA HA. Still funny (to me, anyway) on its tenth telling! Hold on, gotta find the laughing guy... :ROTFLMAO: <=== There he is!

Yeah, I agree, humor is great! Probably even better if you're a recovering alcoholic! Congrats on your upcoming anniversary for that, by the way!! Late July, right? :) Yeah, I'll check in!! :hug:

I don't have any input on your condition, but I did want to pop in and say 'cool name!'

I have spent way too much time watching my son play Zelda games ;) and he loves his ocarina (on his second one now). And I hope I haven't flubbed majorly, missing out on a different Gerudo Valley somewhere...

Take me to Hyrule!
 

HA HA HA HA... No, you haven't flubbed, you have correctly identified Gerudo Valley, found in Hyrule! The music for that location is so rockin'! Actually, all the Zelda music rocks!

:partytime2: Let's get out our ocarinas and play some Zelda now! We must save Hyrule from the evil Ganon.

Woot! Cool mom for a nanosecond!

We just downloaded Majora's Mask on the Wii, his first ever Zelda game was Twilight Princess, then we got Ocarina of Time, Skyward Sword, backed up again to Windwaker and now working on the creepy moon one :lol He is actually pretty good with the ocarina. He starts middle school in the fall and is hoping to maybe learn the flute.

/end hijack

Btw, hope you're feeling better :D Being off kilter sounds like no fun at all.

Cool mom for a nanosecond? No, if your kid can play the ocarina, and he's going to learn the flute, and he plays Zelda, you're a cool mom all the time! That's great stuff! My brother and I tried to learn the ocarina back when the Ocarina of Time game came out (in 1998, I think), and we couldn't--it's harder than it looks! That's really cool that your son plays it. I personally like to play the Zelda music on piano. (You can find arrangements of the music if you know where to look.)

I'm stuck big time right now on Twilight Princess. It was easier to push through them when I was younger, but now my mind doesn't want to focus on trying to figure out how to get the next task done and finish the level!! You're more likely to find me replaying the earlier games, where I know exactly what to do to get through the game. (The creepy moon one--Majora's Mask--totally rocks! What atmosphere it has!! Have you seen the part where the cows get abducted by aliens? It's classic! HA HA HA HA!)

Yeah, I feel better, thanks! Still off-kilter, yes, but knowing my brain is healthy makes me none too concerned about it, I guess. :) I'll see what my psychiatrist thinks later this month! :)

Yeah, definitely get him the flute lessons!!

If you need help, just borrow a 10/12 year old :lol:

I swear, his memory is killing me. He buzzes through the levels of the dungeon (what color door? Why are you hitting that ice? How many levels do you need to bust through?) and I'm just left dizzy. But the 5 y/o and I enjoy watching him like going to the movies, we sit and shout NOOOO! Wait! Hit the jars! Get the arrows! Sloooowww dowwwnn! over and over and it's great fun for all of us. But I could never play it myself. I just can't keep track of the details of the puzzles, let alone the dexterity needed to complete the tasks.

Twilight Princess has cool graphics and a nice spooky sort of ambiance. He freaked out when we first tried it (gamefly) but a year or two later he was itching to start again and now here we are, Link obsessed. He had Grammy sew him a link costume for Halloween.

Here is a photo of him in a cloak I sewed for him as a Christmas gift (mods please move this to an appropriate place if needed, sorry I'm not up on all the ins and outs here) Pardon the comments, I need to get in and do some clean-up.

http://merlotsmusings.blogspot.com/2...s-snowing.html

He did have a 6-hole clay ocarina, but it broke, and he saved up his money and recently bought a 12-hole plastic one, so a new learning curve.

Kindness to cuckoos.
 

OMG, that's adorable. He looks just like Link! Great photo altering too!! He doesn't want to stop and get the arrows out of the jars? That's hilarious! I bet you all are a fun family! :)

Ooh, hey. When he plays the Ocarina of Time game, tell him to repeatedly attack the cuckoos(?) in Kakariko village. (And then watch him run. HA HA HA HA HA.) :wink:

Yeah, the atmosphere of the games is what makes them so great, in my opinion. It really is like a movie!! I think it's great you all sit around and watch him play as a family. When I was a kid, it was the Mario games: 1, 2, and 3. We played those together for hours! Looking for the warps and stuff. :p