Hello all,

still looking for answers. Had a sleep study done two weeks ago, very mild sleep apnea was prescribed 9.0cm pressure, but it did not address my main concern of jerking awake at the moment of sleep. I also get a gross, cold, sick feeling, with a mild adrenaline spike every time I am about to slip into sleep.

My question is this - could a sleep study diagnose sleep seizures? When I spoke to the sleep tech, he claimed that the 'frequency/channels' they run are 3 times slower than a neurologist uses, and that they have far less electrodes hooked up than a neurologist.

One reason I did the sleep study was to see if my problem was not sleep apnea related - In general, do sleep studies test or allow for signs of sleep seizure to show up?

Thanks,
Matt

Hi Matt,

Not all sleep studies are created equal. I've seen quite significant ranges in #s of electrodes (6-24+), channels, and kinds of data collected.

I've recently read about one called a 'seizure sleep study'—which criteria may vary as well—that may help you focus/narrow your search (or give you a term to ask about/look into).

FWIW, I occasionally get similar symptoms (jerking awake, nausea/sick feeling) when I'm really exhausted or my brain chemistry is otherwise 'off'. I am not epileptic nor ever had a seizure—I just chalked the incidents/symptoms up to the exhaustion & (guessing) melatonin imbalance.

Doc

Dr. Smith,

I do appreciate your reassurance, however I also have daytime tremors and muscle twitches. I also am concerned b/c these jumps keep me from sleep and have been going on for a month and a half. If it is possible to put the vids up here I can show you -

I am pretty sure that my next step is to try to get referred to a neurologist. What can I expect at a neurologist appointment? Also would it matter whether I saw a neurologist that specializes in sleep disorders or in limb movement?

Thanks again,

Matt

If it were me, I'd ask my PCP for help figuring out which kind of specialist, and it may take more than one. I'm reminded of the old joke that a GP treats what you have, and a specialist thinks you have what s/he treats.

I've been to a few neuros for various reasons. Don't expect much the first visit (though you may get lucky); usually a discussion about what's wrong, and maybe a generalized workup that feels/seems more like a sobriety test. Then you'll get scheduled for some testing, and then a follow-up to discuss the results of the testing.

what to expect neurologist

Doc

"I'm reminded of the old joke that a GP treats what you have, and a specialist thinks you have what s/he treats. " - YES, EXACTLY!! I feel especially this way after my first sleep study when I looked over the report and it said that my apnea levels were almost non-existent, yet the spontaneous arousals that weren't related to apnea or periodic limb movement were 108 (which average out to something bit higher than 28 an hour) and were the cause of me getting the second sleep study, and the specialist recommended a CPAP (even though it did not prevent the sleep jerks on the night of the sleep study) with no mention of treating or pursuing the causes of the jerks at night! Reading what you said is very reassuring -

In any case, thank you also for explaining what goes on when I go see a neuro. I have been internally and on here waffling between spending more $$ (close to $3,000 already ) on doctors to try to get an answer, or simply living with my symptoms but I think I may cave and see a neuro.

This whole experience has been shocking, and a wake up call for me as I have never needed to go through the medical world outside of the routine flus, vaccinations, strep throat etc. It feels like a revolving door, or maze truly.

One other quick question if you don't mind - what other specialists could be consulted in this? I am guessing that it depends on the results of the tests that I have done?

I am ubber appreciative of the responses you and all the others have posted here. I would seriously be going crazy if it was not for this forum.

Thanks again!

Matt