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Question:

> Tehe!  Thanks!  I know what you’re talking about!  I got a laugh out of your > ending….."at least the asthma is very well controlled now."….after all > the other……I liked it!

I’m glad you liked it > Didn’t you say that the Depakote gave you headaches?  

No, just the opposite. I used to have migraine headaches pre-Depakote. > It’s early.  Try a neuro, if you’ve already had a EEG than take > the results of that EEG to a new neuro……you won’t need a new > one….right?  Looks good in my book.  Have you told all this to a neuro?  

Well, no, I haven’t actually spoke with a neurologist about it myself. It was a neurologist who read the EEG and basically said it was inconclusive, and then sent the report to my psychiatrist, who read the report to me and she suggested I go to my GP and get a referral to a neurologist. It’s all just a lot of tedious beauracracy to me. > I > mean all that you put here…tell your doc!  Sometimes they listen…at > least when you make them.

I hate trying to make them. It’s all so confusing sometimes.

Response:

Tehe!  Thanks!  I know what you’re talking about!  I got a laugh out of your ending….."at least the asthma is very well controlled now."….after all the other……I liked it! Didn’t you say that the Depakote gave you headaches?  Or was that just me dreaming?  It’s early.  Try a neuro, if you’ve already had a EEG than take the results of that EEG to a new neuro……you won’t need a new one….right?  Looks good in my book.  Have you told all this to a neuro?  I mean all that you put here…tell your doc!  Sometimes they listen…at least when you make them. — Lisa Dapper Butts http://www.geocities.com/lisa_gail AOL-LizzieAnon ICQ-8684104 yahoo-lisa_gail http://www.allexperts.com/displayExpert.asp?Expert=12513 I suffer from C.R.S…..can’t remember shit!

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I’m lodging a complaint with anyone who will listen > SNIP> > My psychiatrist, who got the EEG report and read it to me, suggested I > go to a neurologist. After listening to what that report said, I thought > it might be a good idea, but I’m tired. I don’t think I want to bother. > I think I just want to chuck the Lamictal, go back to the old level of > Depakote and forget about the rest. I mean, hey, if Depakote mostly > fixed the seizure problem, then what’s the point trying to prove I have > it or having a specialist tell me I have it then turn around and tell me > to take Depakote anyway? Seems kind of dumb and needlessly expensive, > doesn’t it? God only knows how much that EEG is going to cost, only to > have had them tell me they don’t know what it means exactly. Sure I have > some medical insurance, but there’re deductibles and co-pays. > Sigh, rant over. > On a more positive note, at least the asthma is very well controlled > now.

Response:

>Hope everything turns out well for you. I see my new pdoc on the 20th. >Wish me luck. >Hop

Good luck Hopps. "That’s it! Now the past is over but you are not alone Together we’ll fight Sylvester Stallone We will not be dragged down in his South China Sea Of macho bullshit and mediocrity" —–= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =—– http://www.newsfeeds.com – The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! —–==  Over 80,000 Newsgroups – 16 Different Servers! =—–

Response:

> Well I understand that, it is just that the doctors I have seen so far > since my regular doc left are incredulous of the fact that the doc I > had would do this. Not SOP for the US.

Probably depends on where you are and the type of insurance you have. > It does interfere, very much so.

Then it’s probably a good idea to get it checked out. For me, this seizure business is old news, and I’m still not sure whether it’s worth the bother since nothing terribly bad has happened in the last few months. But my GP called me today and said she agrees with the psych doc that I ought to go to a neurologist. She’s supposed to get me a referral to one of all of two neurologists within a 250 mile radius… > I get dizzy first. Sleepy as a result I think.

Sounds like the same problem I have. Did you ever pass out completely? I did once, but very briefly, so briefly in fact that I didn’t think much of it. > No I think that he wants CAT scans.

Oh, well I don’t think those are that big a deal. Never had one myself, but I think it’s not too bad, maybe a little uncomfortable b/c you have to hold still for a while, but otherwise not bad. > I’ve been keeping track of how I feel for years and know that they are > connected. What I don’t know is what part my bad habits like caffeine > and cigarettes play into this. I am very committed to stopping, but > then I have been before.

I don’t smoke, but I know that even a little caffeine has a very strong (mostly negative) effect on me. I try to avoid it, but sometimes I’m just *so* tired and feel I need it to wake up at all. > I’ve been in and out of this bleak depression for the last few days. I > thought I had it licked, but now it is back, and I got the leg ache > back too. The damn leg ache is horrid. It’s not just the legs really.

I’m sorry to hear that, it sucks > Does the sound of scraping fingernails down a blackboard make you > shudder?

Nope. I was one of those rotten kids who did the fingernail scraping I *think* I know the feeling, though, I heard a piece of metal scraping on some ceramic tile once and didn’t much like it. I felt sort of shiverish all over, inside and out,  but it wasn’t very intense or anything. > I just took a muscle relaxant. They seem to help a lot. Suppose to be > non addictive.

Is it working? > I think I will turn in early. I just can’t face the world right now. > Thanks for the interest.

I hope things get better for you Hopper, I’ll be thinking of you.

Response:

> I wish I were where you are at. I have all of this to look forward > too. Start from scratch.

What’s up Hopper? Are you saying you don’t think you have Bipolar and do have something else? Or something in addition to Bipolar? > And you sound like you problems are very similar to mine.

Do you have these dizziness spells? > I hope that you end up getting what you need with the minimum of fuss.

Me too.

Response:

> I have never been formally diagnosed with BP, but I know that I am. I > have been seeing a general practitioner, who was very up on BP for > some reason and decided to treat me himself.

Well, if he was treating it then you were diagnosed! It doesn’t necessarily take a psychiatrist to do that. > He was straight from Canada, where doing this is common, but it is not here in the states. > Now he is gone and I must go pdoc shopping. I have no idea what I will > be getting into.

Be careful about the ones who just won’t listen and want to demand you take this drug or that drug and do this or do that…most of them I’ve met are like that. I feel pretty glad to have the psychiatrist I have now. She’s very smart, very nice, always listens and figures things out with me and not in spite of me. > As far as having something else too, I am pretty sure that I do, but > what that is, I do not know. ADHD, OCD, or a little of all, I really > don’t know.

I think we all have a little adhd and ocd, it’s just the intensity that matters. That is, whether it inteferes with your life in any way. > Yes, I have times where I get suddenly very dizzy and sleepy.

Sleepy right away or after the dizziness? If right away (remember I’m not a doctor) it *could* be narcolepsy, and you’d have to go to some sleep specialist to rule out that. The dizzy spells I have are not the sleepy type, they tend to make me feel confused and sleepy afterward, though. It could also be, like you said, side effects from meds. That’s one of my problems too, I think I need to stop taking everything to really find out what’s going on. > I fear that I will have to go have a long series of test to rule out > other possibilities, and even though I have insurance, there is the > copay and the loss of work time.

Yep. Plus just getting sick of tests, tests, tests. And some of them are very uncomfortable, like that EEG I had, god I don’t want to do that again. > My new mdoc wants to have some tests > done on my spine, because of the leg pains that I have.

Ack, do you have to do that thing where they stick the needle in and extract fluid? ~~shudder~~ > I am pretty > sure that this is being caused by Fybro or IBS. The flare ups that I > get correspond to mood crashes that I have. I will crash for two day > after having a bad bout of IBS. Non of the docs that I have talked > with even consider the two being related.

Maybe they are, maybe they aren’t. I guess I wouldn’t know. > Hope everything turns out well for you. I see my new pdoc on the 20th. > Wish me luck.

Best of luck. Be well.

Response:

Jen; I started taking Depakote a few years back for my bp. When my cancer spread to the brain and one of the effects of that was seizures, they increased the Depakote (often used to treat seizure of any cause) This has worked to lesson the seizures but hasn’t completely taken them away. And it is still helping with the bp. I am glad that you are taking the seizures seriously. They are nothing to mess around with. And as a consumer you have the right to more opinions and the right to another test if you feel you need them. Nobody knows better than I what a pain the in the butt it is to have to shuttle from Dr to Dr for test after test…but remember this….YOU ARE WORTH IT! There are patient advocates who might be able to help you coordinate info with all of your Drs and maybe even brings them together for a meeting. This is done very tactfully so as not to disturb each particular Drs sensitive ego <wink> The advocates are trained at the best way to accomplish this. The only gift is a portion of thyself                                                 R.W.Emerson Saya

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I’m lodging a complaint with anyone who will listen > Ok…first it was bipolar disorder, then it was adhd, then it was > bipolar disorder plus adhd, now it’s bipolar disorder plus adhd plus > *possible* seizure disorder. Oh, this EEG I had (terrible experience, > btw) had spikes on it but the neurologist says "gee, those are possibly > epileptic and they are possibly ‘artifacts’" Artifacts being normal > variants or something gone wrong during the test (improper placement of > electrode, movement, whatever). So, all I’ve really got to say about it > all is: > !!WTF??!! > Now, I could have told anyone who asked that I’ve been having some kind > of seizure-like problems for years and years. I could have told anyone > who asked that 1000mg Depakote/day made it mostly go away. I could have > told anyone who asked that Dexedrine fixed the hyperactivity/attention > problems yet aggravated mood/seizure problems. I could have told anyone > who asked that Ritalin helped with the adhd, but aggravated seizure > problems considerably. I could have told anyone who asked that 1000mg > Depakote/day helped mood problems but not entirely, and did nothing for > adhd problems. I could tell anyone who asks that a lesser dose of > Depakote plus a low dose of Lamictal (now) is actually making the > seizure problems worse (ironic isn’t it? Sounds dumb doesn’t it?). I > could wonder to myself, since there’s really no point telling or asking > anymore, what to think of Wellbutrin since it obviously helps with the > mood problems but is it aggravating seizure problems? It certainly does > little for attention problems (but I guess little is better than > nothing). > The problem with all of this is that the people doing the asking are > spread across specialties that think they have nothing to do with one > another and each doesn’t fully understand the other. Where does this > leave me? Tired as all hell of seeing doctors, of trying to adjust > medication, of wondering what the hell is *really* wrong, of wondering > if it’s all just a figment of my imagination, wondering if I should just > up and walk away from it all. But I can’t do that b/c I don’t want the > What to do? I just want to forget about all of it and live my life, > trouble is when I try that it tends to take over my life without much > warning. What is ‘it’ you ask? How the heck should I know? People with > medical degrees pretend to know, but I don’t think they do. I > describe/present the same things over and over and one doctor says it’s > this, another doctor says it’s that, and still another says it’s > something else. Arg. > My psychiatrist, who got the EEG report and read it to me, suggested I > go to a neurologist. After listening to what that report said, I thought > it might be a good idea, but I’m tired. I don’t think I want to bother. > I think I just want to chuck the Lamictal, go back to the old level of > Depakote and forget about the rest. I mean, hey, if Depakote mostly > fixed the seizure problem, then what’s the point trying to prove I have > it or having a specialist tell me I have it then turn around and tell me > to take Depakote anyway? Seems kind of dumb and needlessly expensive, > doesn’t it? God only knows how much that EEG is going to cost, only to > have had them tell me they don’t know what it means exactly. Sure I have > some medical insurance, but there’re deductibles and co-pays. > Sigh, rant over. > On a more positive note, at least the asthma is very well controlled > now.

Response:

>so the EEG needs to be repeated with a 24 hour telemetry to follow, if >necessary.

Ack, that was a pretty bad experience that I’m not bent on repeating :/ >and if it is true that you have a seizure disorder, odds are slim to >none that you have adhd (because the seizure activity can account for >the attentional problems).  You’d need to be seizure free and still >have documented deficits in attention that can not be accounted for by >another process in order to meet criteria for adhd.

Well, that makes some sense, although I had seen a neurophysiologist, and he and another doctor in his office diagnosed the adhd. I had some psychological testing done there, an "evoked potential brain mapping" (which was normal) and a sleep test (during which I only slept a few minutes and in that time everything was normal). Of course, none of the testing there involved hyperventilation or strobe lights. > The catch-22 is >that every anticonvulsant has negative effects on attention–so, if >your seizures are controlled by meds then it is the meds that the >diagnostician should look at in explaining deficits in attention.

I’ve had attention problems before I began taking anti-epileptic drugs. > sounds like seizure activity; how’d you get the Rx for depakote?

I have bipolar disorder, Depakote is used for that as well and my psychiatrist prescribed it because lithium didn’t work for me. > as would be predicted if you have a seizure disorder.

Some types of seizures are actually treated with Dexedrine, though obviously not the kind I have if I have any at all. > if anything, probably made them worse.

I don’t seem to have any side effects from Depakote. It makes me sleepy when I first take it (I take it all at night before bed), but in the morning that effect has worn off. It’s been a god-send for me because I have trouble going to sleep. >Try consulting with a behavioral neurologist. I’d also hope that a >neuropsychologist would factor these things together.

I believe the other doctor I saw at the neurophysiologist’s office was a neuropychologist.

Response:

> This is an eloquent description of how difficult it can be > dealing with doctors. Unfortunately, most people end up > feeling tongue tied when there is actually a chance to > talk to the doctor about it. > Writing it down and giving it to the doctor would really help > get the message across.

It would probably be a good idea to write things down because I *always* unintentionally leave details out or forget to mention something entirely that might be important. The other problem is that I’m pretty likable I guess and end up having conversations about bikes, sailboats in the bay, cars, the weather, any number of random things that come up. I keep trying to stop doing that because any doctor or therapist I go to ends up getting sucked in to my enthusiasm for whatever random thing is on my mind that day. Sometimes things get done, but it’s difficult for that reason and others. I’m usually not taken seriously by anyone (or don’t feel like I am) because I’m usually very reserved/aloof/whatever about problems I’m having. I know, that’s the whole point of going to the doctor, but I always chicken out on being totally serious because I’ve been accused of being a hypochondriac so many times (despite the fact that 99% of the time the problems I’m having turn out to be real and documentable.).

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> I’m lodging a complaint with anyone who will listen >Jenwolf, >I wish you would print this out and take it to your psychiatrist. >This is an eloquent description of how difficult it can be >dealing with doctors. Unfortunately, most people end up >feeling tongue tied when there is actually a chance to >talk to the doctor about it. >Writing it down and giving it to the doctor would really help >get the message across.

To both Christopher & Jen:  Yes, great idea! She captured it so well. Good job Jen! Btw Jen, your logic does sound logical to me too, but maybe you should run it by the next doc to make sure.  Hope you’re feeling better Jen, as I can see how you’d be bummin’ because of it.     Zero1

Response:

> I’m lodging a complaint with anyone who will listen > Ok…first it was bipolar disorder, then it was adhd, then it was > bipolar disorder plus adhd, now it’s bipolar disorder plus adhd plus > *possible* seizure disorder. Oh, this EEG I had (terrible experience, > btw) had spikes on it but the neurologist says "gee, those are possibly > epileptic and they are possibly ‘artifacts’" Artifacts being normal > variants or something gone wrong during the test (improper placement of > electrode, movement, whatever). So, all I’ve really got to say about it > all is: > !!WTF??!!

so the EEG needs to be repeated with a 24 hour telemetry to follow, if necessary. and if it is true that you have a seizure disorder, odds are slim to none that you have adhd (because the seizure activity can account for the attentional problems).  You’d need to be seizure free and still have documented deficits in attention that can not be accounted for by another process in order to meet criteria for adhd.  The catch-22 is that every anticonvulsant has negative effects on attention–so, if your seizures are controlled by meds then it is the meds that the diagnostician should look at in explaining deficits in attention. > Now, I could have told anyone who asked that I’ve been having some kind > of seizure-like problems for years and years. I could have told anyone > who asked that 1000mg Depakote/day made it mostly go away.

sounds like seizure activity; how’d you get the Rx for depakote? > I could have > told anyone who asked that Dexedrine fixed the hyperactivity/attention > problems yet aggravated mood/seizure problems.

as would be predicted if you have a seizure disorder. > I could have told anyone > who asked that Ritalin helped with the adhd, but aggravated seizure > problems considerably. I could have told anyone who asked that 1000mg > Depakote/day helped mood problems but not entirely, and did nothing for > adhd problems.

if anything, probably made them worse. > I could tell anyone who asks that a lesser dose of > Depakote plus a low dose of Lamictal (now) is actually making the > seizure problems worse (ironic isn’t it? Sounds dumb doesn’t it?). I > could wonder to myself, since there’s really no point telling or asking > anymore, what to think of Wellbutrin since it obviously helps with the > mood problems but is it aggravating seizure problems?

possibly, but unless the dose if very very high, improbable. > It certainly does > little for attention problems (but I guess little is better than > nothing). > The problem with all of this is that the people doing the asking are > spread across specialties that think they have nothing to do with one > another and each doesn’t fully understand the other. Where does this > leave me? Tired as all hell of seeing doctors, of trying to adjust > medication, of wondering what the hell is *really* wrong, of wondering > if it’s all just a figment of my imagination, wondering if I should just > up and walk away from it all. But I can’t do that b/c I don’t want the

Try consulting with a behavioral neurologist. I’d also hope that a neuropsychologist would factor these things together. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> What to do? I just want to forget about all of it and live my life, > trouble is when I try that it tends to take over my life without much > warning. What is ‘it’ you ask? How the heck should I know? People with > medical degrees pretend to know, but I don’t think they do. I > describe/present the same things over and over and one doctor says it’s > this, another doctor says it’s that, and still another says it’s > something else. Arg. > My psychiatrist, who got the EEG report and read it to me, suggested I > go to a neurologist. After listening to what that report said, I thought > it might be a good idea, but I’m tired. I don’t think I want to bother. > I think I just want to chuck the Lamictal, go back to the old level of > Depakote and forget about the rest. I mean, hey, if Depakote mostly > fixed the seizure problem, then what’s the point trying to prove I have > it or having a specialist tell me I have it then turn around and tell me > to take Depakote anyway? Seems kind of dumb and needlessly expensive, > doesn’t it? God only knows how much that EEG is going to cost, only to > have had them tell me they don’t know what it means exactly. Sure I have > some medical insurance, but there’re deductibles and co-pays. > Sigh, rant over. > On a more positive note, at least the asthma is very well controlled > now.

– Alas for religious people who know no world except the one they live in, and who have nothing to learn from the people they speak to.                                 — A. DeMello S.J. http://members.mint.net/mdmpsyd

Response:

I’m lodging a complaint with anyone who will listen Ok…first it was bipolar disorder, then it was adhd, then it was bipolar disorder plus adhd, now it’s bipolar disorder plus adhd plus *possible* seizure disorder. Oh, this EEG I had (terrible experience, btw) had spikes on it but the neurologist says "gee, those are possibly epileptic and they are possibly ‘artifacts’" Artifacts being normal variants or something gone wrong during the test (improper placement of electrode, movement, whatever). So, all I’ve really got to say about it all is: !!WTF??!! Now, I could have told anyone who asked that I’ve been having some kind of seizure-like problems for years and years. I could have told anyone who asked that 1000mg Depakote/day made it mostly go away. I could have told anyone who asked that Dexedrine fixed the hyperactivity/attention problems yet aggravated mood/seizure problems. I could have told anyone who asked that Ritalin helped with the adhd, but aggravated seizure problems considerably. I could have told anyone who asked that 1000mg Depakote/day helped mood problems but not entirely, and did nothing for adhd problems. I could tell anyone who asks that a lesser dose of Depakote plus a low dose of Lamictal (now) is actually making the seizure problems worse (ironic isn’t it? Sounds dumb doesn’t it?). I could wonder to myself, since there’s really no point telling or asking anymore, what to think of Wellbutrin since it obviously helps with the mood problems but is it aggravating seizure problems? It certainly does little for attention problems (but I guess little is better than nothing). The problem with all of this is that the people doing the asking are spread across specialties that think they have nothing to do with one another and each doesn’t fully understand the other. Where does this leave me? Tired as all hell of seeing doctors, of trying to adjust medication, of wondering what the hell is *really* wrong, of wondering if it’s all just a figment of my imagination, wondering if I should just up and walk away from it all. But I can’t do that b/c I don’t want the @#%#$ headaches back (another thing Depakote cured). What to do? I just want to forget about all of it and live my life, trouble is when I try that it tends to take over my life without much warning. What is ‘it’ you ask? How the heck should I know? People with medical degrees pretend to know, but I don’t think they do. I describe/present the same things over and over and one doctor says it’s this, another doctor says it’s that, and still another says it’s something else. Arg. My psychiatrist, who got the EEG report and read it to me, suggested I go to a neurologist. After listening to what that report said, I thought it might be a good idea, but I’m tired. I don’t think I want to bother. I think I just want to chuck the Lamictal, go back to the old level of Depakote and forget about the rest. I mean, hey, if Depakote mostly fixed the seizure problem, then what’s the point trying to prove I have it or having a specialist tell me I have it then turn around and tell me to take Depakote anyway? Seems kind of dumb and needlessly expensive, doesn’t it? God only knows how much that EEG is going to cost, only to have had them tell me they don’t know what it means exactly. Sure I have some medical insurance, but there’re deductibles and co-pays. Sigh, rant over. On a more positive note, at least the asthma is very well controlled now.

Response:

> I’m lodging a complaint with anyone who will listen

Jenwolf, I wish you would print this out and take it to your psychiatrist. This is an eloquent description of how difficult it can be dealing with doctors. Unfortunately, most people end up feeling tongue tied when there is actually a chance to talk to the doctor about it. Writing it down and giving it to the doctor would really help get the message across. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Ok…first it was bipolar disorder, then it was adhd, then it was > bipolar disorder plus adhd, now it’s bipolar disorder plus adhd plus > *possible* seizure disorder. Oh, this EEG I had (terrible experience, > btw) had spikes on it but the neurologist says "gee, those are possibly > epileptic and they are possibly ‘artifacts’" Artifacts being normal > variants or something gone wrong during the test (improper placement of > electrode, movement, whatever). So, all I’ve really got to say about it > all is: > !!WTF??!! > Now, I could have told anyone who asked that I’ve been having some kind > of seizure-like problems for years and years. I could have told anyone > who asked that 1000mg Depakote/day made it mostly go away. I could have > told anyone who asked that Dexedrine fixed the hyperactivity/attention > problems yet aggravated mood/seizure problems. I could have told anyone > who asked that Ritalin helped with the adhd, but aggravated seizure > problems considerably. I could have told anyone who asked that 1000mg > Depakote/day helped mood problems but not entirely, and did nothing for > adhd problems. I could tell anyone who asks that a lesser dose of > Depakote plus a low dose of Lamictal (now) is actually making the > seizure problems worse (ironic isn’t it? Sounds dumb doesn’t it?). I > could wonder to myself, since there’s really no point telling or asking > anymore, what to think of Wellbutrin since it obviously helps with the > mood problems but is it aggravating seizure problems? It certainly does > little for attention problems (but I guess little is better than > nothing). > The problem with all of this is that the people doing the asking are > spread across specialties that think they have nothing to do with one > another and each doesn’t fully understand the other. Where does this > leave me? Tired as all hell of seeing doctors, of trying to adjust > medication, of wondering what the hell is *really* wrong, of wondering > if it’s all just a figment of my imagination, wondering if I should just > up and walk away from it all. But I can’t do that b/c I don’t want the > What to do? I just want to forget about all of it and live my life, > trouble is when I try that it tends to take over my life without much > warning. What is ‘it’ you ask? How the heck should I know? People with > medical degrees pretend to know, but I don’t think they do. I > describe/present the same things over and over and one doctor says it’s > this, another doctor says it’s that, and still another says it’s > something else. Arg. > My psychiatrist, who got the EEG report and read it to me, suggested I > go to a neurologist. After listening to what that report said, I thought > it might be a good idea, but I’m tired. I don’t think I want to bother. > I think I just want to chuck the Lamictal, go back to the old level of > Depakote and forget about the rest. I mean, hey, if Depakote mostly > fixed the seizure problem, then what’s the point trying to prove I have > it or having a specialist tell me I have it then turn around and tell me > to take Depakote anyway? Seems kind of dumb and needlessly expensive, > doesn’t it? God only knows how much that EEG is going to cost, only to > have had them tell me they don’t know what it means exactly. Sure I have > some medical insurance, but there’re deductibles and co-pays. > Sigh, rant over. > On a more positive note, at least the asthma is very well controlled > now.

Response: