Has Anyone Ever Heard Of Pseudoseizures

[Cherie33]

Hi All,

Wow, it has been a tough 3 months for me. I was having about 6 seizures a day and was I scared. I was told that I have pseudoseizures and I was also told that I had an abnormal EEG. (Does that make any sense?)

I wonder what the VA would have to say about this diagnoses?

Anyway, has anyone ever heard of pseudoseizures or have been diagnosed with them?

Cherie33

[militarynurse]

Have you obtained a copy of your EEG test results? I'd start there.

[Pete53]

Pseudo seizures are emotional in nature. It seems that is is easy for the Docs to study. If you seize with your eyes shut it is psuedo

I googled it

[broncovet]

The word "psuedo" means false. So, that means one of two things:

1. The doctors dont beleive you are having a seizure, my guess is that your seizures dont show up in their tests. Remember there are psuedo doctors, too..they are called quacks.

2. The doctors believe you are experiencing something..but are puzzled your seizures dont show up in their tests. One explanation is that their tests were flawed, another is that you are abnormal in that you do have seizures, but they dont show up in "normal" tests, that is, your seizures have a very uncommon cause. Remember, diagnostic tests are not perfect..there is such a thing as both a "false positive" and a "false negative".

[Hoppy]

My concern is that you were properly diagnosed. Look into the following.

Panic attacks

Transient Ischemic attacks

Tonic Clonic Seizures

Hyperventilation episode

_______________________________________________________________________________

Bold type was cut and pasted from the internet

The spectrum of anxiety experiences ranges from a normal mild sense of distress produced by the concern of danger to severe, paralyzing fear with a massive autonomic discharge, e.g., hyperventilation, with lowering of arterial CO2, respiratory alkalosis, and carpal-pedal spasm.

A typical hyperventilation episode commences with peri-oral and stocking-glove paraesthesias followed by involuntary muscle contractions and loss of alertness.

In contrast, panic attacks are characterized by a massive impending sense of doom, sweating, tremulousness, and tachycardia. Some anxiety may also produce depersonalization experiences where the patient develops a subjective sense of not being real while de-realization experiences include a sense that the environment is unreal.

These anxiety symptoms can mimic TIA’s, seizures, or pseudo seizures. _____________________________________________________________________

My two cents!! TIA stands for transient ischemic attacks. Panic attacks are thought to be caused my many different potential factors. If this is what you are having treatment is strongly advised.

[luvHIM]

Hi All,

Wow, it has been a tough 3 months for me. I was having about 6 seizures a day and was I scared. I was told that I have pseudoseizures and I was also told that I had an abnormal EEG. (Does that make any sense?)

I wonder what the VA would have to say about this diagnoses?

Anyway, has anyone ever heard of pseudoseizures or have been diagnosed with them?

Cherie33

Yes, I was actually diagnosed in service; but my smr states that they were due to hyperventilation brought on by anxiety attacks. I will see how it is all relative soon enough. I have a claim that is being worked for chronic PTSD; MDD recurrent. In service I believe the "anxiety disorder" was actually what is diagnosed today as PTSD. But, like I said, we'll see.

[Hoppy]

If the episodes only occur when in high states of anxiety then they probably would not call them panic attacks. However, if the symptoms occur for no significant reason or develop for no reason and ar first and later develop a pattern based on the original episode then they are more likely to be called panic attacks.

Anxiety attack is an old term. I am not sure there is even any current diagnostic criteria for anxiety attacks. When were you in the service. I am currently assisting a veteran who was diagnosed in 1977 with an asthenic personality disorder under the DSM II. He told military clinicians that he developed symptoms of breathing problems, heart rate problems, dizzy, tingling, felt like he was about to die. He told the military clinicians that these symptoms occurred for no reason. He told them he could be sitting and watching TV when they hit. This was all noted in his SMR. The same symptoms he reported to military clinicians and noted in his SMR meet the DSM IV criteria for panic attacks.

I have had TIA's, a clonic tonic seizure and panick attacks and been treated and diagnosed for these by doctors. I have never heard of the term pseudosiezure prior to this post.

Edited April 24, 2009 by Hoppy