10 weeks ago my Mother was sent to the hospital b/c she was unable to walk, had double vision & slurred speach. She is 62 years old. Her symptoms lasted for about 4 hours daily during the same time period--in the morning from about 10 to 2. Afterwards she was fine, just exhausted. The first several days the symptoms seemed to get worse. By the 3rd day she was convulsing if upright. We started to turn down the lights and stay really quite during those times. She stopped convulsing and seemed to improve somewhat. She stayed in the hospital for 5 days and left after having one good day b/c she was simply tired of being in the hospital. She was tested for many things (supposedly the "million dollar workup") and had mris, ct scans, blood work, eegs. Everything came up negative. The neurologist said he ruled out ms and myastania gravis (which were concerns). He concluded that it was a neurological virus. Once home I took her her opthamologist during an episode. He said he could see the delayed reaction time of her eyes and could not explain it. He did say it was neurological in origin. We then got a second neurological opinion. I did not go to that appt but my sister said that the dr said it could be caused by stress. At home she took it really easy, stopped going into work early but continued to work the next week once her vision got better. She did say that she was really tired in the morning and that if she had symptoms that it was still during that same time period. Yesterday she was taken by ambulance to the hospital and she was exactly like she was 10 weeks ago. She couldn't support herself with her legs (although she can lift them if she's lying down), she had double vision, slurred speech and was "out of it". The ER doc said all tests came back negative but did order a spinal tap (which hadn't previously been done) for an MS panel. By 2pm she seemed fine (as usual) The ER doctor tried to send her home but we insisted that she stay and be observed in the morning for possible reoccurrance. Also, that would allow us to see the Neurologist on staff at that hospital and get another opinion.

history: My mother was diagnosed with epilepsy about 20 years ago due to descriptions of seizure like activity. She said she had "black out periods", which would last quite a while. She said she would "wake up someplace and not know how she got there". It is my understanding that the epilepsy was never substantiated with an EEG. She has, however, been on medication for the last 20 years. My mother told me she was told that she was having petit mal seizures. She also has been the sole caretaker of my grandmother who had alzheimers for many years. My grandma passed away this last December. She also works about 60 or more hours a week. She is a funeral director. She is an extremely kind soul and hard worker.

The neurologist who was following her for many years (not the one who previously diagnosed her) passed away suddenly. I don't think my mother had an eeg with that doctor. My mother is very defensive about her "epilepsy" as I believe she was happy to have a diagnosis, which is completely understandable.

SO, here we are now. She is so pathetic I can hardly stand her episodes. We love her so much and don't know how to help. We will try doctor #4 hopefully today. I was told by a work fried of hers yesterday that she appeared exactly as his son did right before he died. His son was a Chemist (I believe) at Bayer who could not find an answer to his health issues. They assumed it was a reaction to chemical exposure. It took the Medical Examiner 8 months post death to give the cause as "non-specific epilepsy".

All that being said, her episodes do seem like long seizures but her EEGs have been normal. She is currently taking Lamictal (300mg in the am and 200 mg in pm)& Carbitrol (300mg in am and pm)

I was also told by a friend that she was diagnosed with an anurism finally after being told by many doctors that they couldn't find anything. She searched for the finest neurological hospital and ended up in New York. They finally diagnosed her with an anurism. They said it was small in size and bleeding slightly and that it didn't bleed all the time which explained that her symptoms were reoccuring.

HELP please.