NeuroTalk Support Groups - Chest Pain and Epilepsy

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- - Chest Pain and Epilepsy (https://www.neurotalk.org/general-health-conditions-and-rare-disorders/60156-chest-pain-epilepsy.html)

Chest Pain and Epilepsy

My problem is I have epilepsy, (controlled with dilantin)
and as of late(last 4-5 months) I get woke up with tingling in my chest, worsens to hard painful, hard to breath tingling pain, from start to end, lasts about 20-30 min. peaking about midway through. there's no clot, and after the stress test came back normal my doctor put me on icky anti acid b4 bed, telling me it was my tummy, today I again got woke up with it, so I took more anti-acid, it did nothing, and soon my arms were weak,
I was not 'upset' or 'hyperventilating'. I got up and walked toward bathroom thinking if i get up and walk some the pain will subside, I didn't get 10 ft, and had a seizure, aftr the seizure was over, the chest pain was gone. although my chest feels like I've been punched from the inside. my seizure type is rare, they stem from the part of the brain that controls blood pressure. during one, my BP gets dangerously low, and pulse can get down to 32bpm. I've researched, and found one site relating to "chest epilepsy" but no real info on it.. any one know of this? or what I should tell my doctor to look for? I'm also on Synthoid(hypothyroid) warafin(unknown clotting disorder) as well as dilantin(epilepsy.):Bang-Head:

Hello and welcome,
How long has it been since the thyroid has been rechecked?
could that be a part of it? maybe something changed there?

I'm not too familiar with epi or the meds for it - so i hope someone will have more helpful input for you soon.

there is such a thing as thoracic endometriosis....for those of you women who are of child bearing age......with chest pain.....
tried to search on thoracic+epilepsy......4 pages worth...biggest # where related to thoracic vertebral fracture related the the seizure....
i have heard of abdominal epilepsy....but it was confined to that area.....not resulting in generalized seizure.......perhaps this chest sensation is part of your "aura"....??
oh dear, i just went back and reread....had missed the part about feeling punched from the inside out......if i were you, i would be requesting a Holter moniter....to see what is happening to your heart during these episodes....

...I'm not sure if this will help you, but I have been on Neurontin (another anti-epileptic) for some years. Recently, I noticed that I have been having some cardiac difficulties which I have traced to taking the med. I have been looking for answers. Check out a link in the Medications forum on anti-epileptic drugs. I did a search on Dilantin. You might be interested in some of the side-effects reported. Good luck, I know how frustrating it can be.

I definately think the chest pain is a aura to a seizure. But also
remember that a aura is a seizure. So you are having one or two
seizures.

One thing I would do is give your neurologist or the person overseeing
your epilepsy a call. Explain everything to them. And also have
them see if they can maybe catch a episode of this with a AEEG
or a VEEG which of course is in the hospital. Not so much for
the video part, but for the EEG part while it is accuring.

Sounds like it mainly happens at night.

Donna

Quote:

Originally Posted by KixNgo (Post 411323)

I also have the chest pains right before I have a seizure, I have had the whole heart work up done everything came out fine. I'v had EEG (nothing). Cat scan(nothing), same as you after the seizure the chest pain is gone and I feel better, although my bp gets high, The chest pain get so severe that I can't talk or move. I also have pain in my teeth and my Right arm. My seizures have just started and are right before my period, I have endometrosis, and have found some web sites related to that . I am on Tompamax already, but am waiting on the result of a MRI. I also used to think it was heartburn related, the acid meds did not help.

First, I just want to say..I am not a doctor...I just feel that I have seen almost ALL of them. I was mis-diagnosed for 20yrs with epilepsy. Yeah bummer! I had about every test run under the sun. And I had the same problem you do. My pulse would drop way down and sometimes I would just black out.

They thought those were seizures. To make a long story short. I think EKG's are useless! Tell them to put a 24 hr to 1 week halter (sp?) monitor on you. They put a pace maker in me and I am fine now. Had my first regular EEG in 23 years. They had been testing my brain...it was my heart. I was on anti-convulsents all that time. And they kept increasing them! And they are the ones with the degrees??? Finally I went to MHNI Pain Clinic in Ann Arbor MI for Chronic Headaches and when I told them I didn't think I had Epilepsy...they listened and did more tests. Within 2 days I had a pacemaker. Good Luck!

~Bskilling