Trying to desperately find my diagnosis please help!

[dfowler1976]

Hi for 41/2 years I've been suffering from a myriad of symptoms and I'm still not satisfied with my diagnosis which I got 4 years ago. A neurologist at McLeans hospital diagnosed me as being schizo-affective mainly due to my psychotic delusions and audible hallucinations that I was getting at the time. Now I haven't got the delusions or voices for 3 years around, maybe due to Risperal Consta an anti-psychotic. Here are a list of my symptoms and perhaps you can tell me what you think. I think it could be a dual-diagnosis.

My symptoms



-terrible short, short to long term memory. (struggle with reading retension, remembering clearly past events, and in general information)

-learning deficit, (takes many times longer to learn new concepts and sometimes I never learn them)

-flat affect (I feel unemotional and uninspired. Nothing is fun or interesting anymore. Very rarely do I enjoy something.)

-feel blank mentally (like few thoughts are going through my head at given moment)

-feel like a copy of a copy sometimes

-2 dimensional

-low libido, (often can't ejaculate)

-little to know alcohol effect (I find this bizarre)

-feel disconnected from senses and often reality

-feels like something is 'blocking' my brain from operating correctly

-lots of anxiety!

-general uncomfortability (which is somewhat different than feeling anxious imo)

-few thoughts in head at one time (can't stress this enough)

-head feels like it's filled with concrete and only a small amount of thoughts are in use


Panic symptoms

-whole chest gets warm

-heart pounds

-a couple of times I got the terrible sensation of my whole brain dying. I got tunnel vision, everything went darker and felt like some force was trying to suffocate my brain.

also a few times when first in hospital it felt like a force was trying to kill my brain. Hard to describe but very painful, and very scary.


So those are my symptoms. I'm guessing I may have Schizo-Affective Disorder plus some medical/neurological/vit or nutrient deficiencies or maybe general 'brain fog.' Keep in mind it was getting better for a while and my cognition HAS made improvements, but for the past month or so I've noticed more flatness, much more anxiety, and overall feeling of uncomfort. And my brain feels more blocked than normal.

[Naominjw]

Gluten sensitivity (http://itsnotmental.blogspot.com/2009/01/brain-health-gluten-disconnection.html) / inflammation (http://itsnotmental.blogspot.com/2008/04/inflammation-of-body-and-brain.html) may be a part.

Also, you may want to get tested for sleep disorders (http://itsnotmental.blogspot.com/2008/07/sleep-critical-yet-under-addressed.html)and temporal lobe seizures.

Any chance you have Lyme from a tick bite?

[dfowler1976]

well I can sleep fine and I'm NOT tired just anhedonic and very flat. I'm not sure what the other two things were could you explain?

Devon

[Naominjw]

Sleep disorders can cause symptoms ranging from lethargy to irritability, to psychosis.

As can hormonal problems.

Lyme disease has been called the great pretender because there is a list of ... over 100 different things - including numerous psychiatric ones, that it gets misdiagnosed as.
Lyme is a micro-organism that comes from a tick bite.

Seizures are not always like what they show on TV (grand mals) - they can be subtle with mood changes and when continued can cause cognitive deficits as well.

It may be that you simply have some metabolic problem such as with methylation and could use things like methylated B12, methylated folate and P-5-P, SAM-e, maybe 5HTP, GABA, Glycine, Choline... You could consult an M.D. who has training in Integrative medicine to help with those things.

I also suggest the new book by Dr. Hyman about Fix your broken brain by healing your body first. That is essentially what happened to my child - while trying to help her feel better physically, her brain function improved as well.

[dfowler1976]

I sleep fine and am never really tired.

[macoutlaw@mac.com]

I agree completly with Naomi...'s suggestions, and may add,
that you may have, as you say dual diagnoses, but perhaps not in the common terms.

You may have multiple problems, as Naomi... suggests.
wether it is lyme, or something else, and something else on top, on top, and on top.

It could be side effects of your med(s).
Have your doctor titrate you down? (don't do it on my suggestion, ONLY with a doctor)!

And, I suggest when you look for a doctor, (I live in a big city), and am close to at a least three university hospitals. I took the time to get recomended to the CHEIF OF NEUROLOGY!
(I saw people fly in from other continents, to see this doctor!)
Wow, in 8 years, I saw over 100 doctors! None had a clue that I had RSD. (This was in the mid 80's. Now, doctors are starting to know what it is.)
Until a Chiropractor, who had another patient who had it, (had a few brochures in his office, of which he gave me one) This wonderful man, the chiropractor was devoting himself to finding a doctor who Could diagnose me! He sent me to the Cheif of Neurology.
That tied it!
I walked out with a diagnoses, but not without first breaking down in tears and hugging that neurologist! (I had fired so many, I found that neurologist's are the doctors who became doctors, but "didn't want to get dirty"). But, who weren't necessarily genius's either...

YOUR JOB,
IS TO FIND THE BEST DOCTOR YOU POSSIBLY CAN>

And, IMHO,
that' usually a "chief of staff".
Settle for no body less!
Even if you must wait, get an urgent note from another doctor, whatever it takes, beg, borrow, plead!
It will change your life!

P / AintSoBad