Expert: Claes-Gustaf Nordquist, M.D. - 2/10/2008

Question
There is something very wrong, and I don't know if it is physical or mental. I am extremely lethargic and have been for as long as I remember--regarless of the amount of sleep I get. I can sleep for 10 hours and then take a 4 hour nap 2 hours after waking up! I often get headaches; they are not very painful, but they happen almost daily. The strangest thing of all: Oftentimes when I am in bed getting ready to fall asleep, I feel what I can only describe as some sort of current or buzzing in my head, and I completely forget what I was JUST thinking about. I try to go back in my mind and remember what I was just thinking about, and my mind is completely blank. I had a CT scan (without the dye) that was negative. My doctor had me speak with a counselor for depression, but I don't feel depresssed. I am a 25 year old female. I have trouble staying awake, feel buzzin in my head followed by memory loss, difficult time concentrating and remembering things, and an overall feeling of not ever feeling well. Any ideas?

Answer
I'm sorry I'm a cancer dr. - a medical oncologist and radiation specialist - with experience in treating malignant brain tumors. In your case you have a negative CT scan of your brain so there is no evidence of any tumor there. Your symptoms are not associated with any higher probability for such a diagnosis either. So I must conclude that your case is outside my field of expertise here. I therefore strongly suggest that you direct your question to an expert of neurology or psychiatry here. Or both.