I would greatly appreciate the input of
anyone with medical knowledge on this
question. Since childhood, I have been
having what I have called "attacks"
regularly. My parents thought it was a
heart condition, but after many
cardiologist visits and tests, there was
no ascertainable source for the problems I
was having.
The feeling I experience starts with a
funny sensation, which is not painful.
When I was younger, I found it kind of
enjoyable and tried to hold on to it, but
as I grew, this sensation would grow after
a short period into something very
painful. Now when I feel it I become very
fearful, knowing what is ahead. The
sensation is similar to deja vu, which
evolves into a very painful nightmarish
experience, in which I am short of breath,
unable to understand my surroundings, and
hurting in such a way that I am unable to
ascertain its source, except that it is
chest level and above. I cannot handle
people and events being around me,
because...this is going to sound
crazy...they seem "too familiar". Once
again, it feels like deja vu, only
excruciating. My arms tingle or go numb, I
stare fixedly or try to get away from
everyone around me, and I feel like I
can't breathe at all. The sensations come
in waves, and in a few minutes (or
sometimes, very rarely, it only lasts a
minute or so), it subsides. I'm good as
new, except for a slight jumpiness, a
slight wisp of the original feeling, and
hence, slight anxiety.
These have gotten worse and more frequent
through my teenage years, occurring in
series with gaps of time between the
series. I am now 20 years old, and they
have suddenly become very regular,
occurring in series a couple weeks before
my menstruation. My roommates are nurses,
and in watching me experience these short
attacks, they decided that they might be
seizures. This surprised me, because I
thought you had to convulse to have a
seizure??? They are still in training and
they are not doctors, so we are obviously
not jumping to conclusions, but we also
have a friend who is a diagnosed epileptic
and has a dozen seizures a day without
knowing it?
So...to anyone who takes the time to read
this (thank you
)
and knows what they are talking about...is
it possible that these weird attacks are
epilepsy? If so, what should I do about
it? Is it possible they will get worse?
Thanks
