Expert: Claes-Gustaf Nordquist, M.D. - 3/30/2008

Question
Dear Dr. Nordquist,
I'm in my late 40s and was recently diagnosed, quite by accident, with complex partial seizures after a sleep-deprived EEG showed spikes in left temporal lobe. My neuro put me on Lamictal, and I will have an ambulatory EEG soon. An MRI showed incidental findings in the brain, but I won't get to discuss those with doc until we meet again in a few weeks. I experience headaches, sharp pains on the top of my head and on left side of my head. I also experience fatigue and generally feel rotten...When the seizures started, I figured it was perimenopause; epilepsy never crossed my mind. I'm not one to worry or to run to physician often. Years ago in my 20s, early in a pregnancy, I experienced a weird episode that lasted several minutes. Nothing I said made sense and I felt numb. I ignored my poor husband's advice and didn't see a doctor because I was young and wanted to tough it out. Could that have been a TIA? Could a possible TIA cause the "incidental brain findings" years later? Could it be hardening of the arteries? Could it be symptomatic of a brain tumor, or am I becoming neurotic?

Answer
This is something you should discuss with a neurologist, which I'm not. I'm a medical oncologist & radiation therapist with experience of brain tumor treatment. If your MRI has not shown any tumor there can not be any brain tumor causing your symptoms. For the rest though you have to discuss that with a neurologist, since that is outside my field of expertise here.
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