Question:
21/2 years ago I suddenly developed a coarse tremor down my right side. I was unable to walk without help and
my speech was very slurred. I was taken to a&e because my Gp wasn’t happy with my eyes. I was in hospital 5 days. I received an MRI scan and also a CT scan but nothing showed up. I was sent home to await an apt from a neurologist. It took me 9 weeks for it to settle back down. I attended my Neuro apt and had a radio active dye scan and again all was ok. Since then I still get a tremor down my right side but I worked out if I marched on the spot or swayed from side to side it was more manageable. It seems to come in attacks that are recurrent. In the last year things have been really bad. Each time an attack comes another symptom appears. It builds up in the same pattern. I get a very unbalanced head to start with then it feels very heavy, my ears become so sensitive to vibrations that I put cotton wool in them so it’s not so painful. I get a sensation of looking under water and also a kind of static in my eyes. My head gets so heavy wen I try to lift it it bobs up and down. The pain and pressure I feel at the base of my skull and neck also it’s extremely painful. Lifting my head up is very hard work. My speech then slurs n I become unbalanced when moving around. My body pulls to the left side slightly but if I don’t concentrate on moving my feet I end up walking against walls. I feel drunk. My right arm and leg drag. I get so tired I can’t move which makes it difficult to concentrate. It’s as if my head fills with pressure and fog. Under my ribs the tremor is at its worst. I feel as though I am being squeezed and struggle to catch my breath. In the last 4 months I think I may have been experiencing seizures. I get a funny humming noise in my head and ears but I also hear noises at the same time what I think are seizures happening. I have no warning of collapsing. I do hear everything that’s happening though. As if am dreaming. My partner says my eyes drift off before hand n when I hit the floor my back is arching and I shake uncontrollably for a few minutes then it’s a calm feeling I get. It has happened during sexual intercourse quite a few times now. Certain lights like the flickering tube lights make my eyes and head feel funny and I shake when exposed to it but the same is now happening with patterns on walls or if I look at blinds on a window. I am very forgetful and finding it difficult to understand simple things. My neurologist has now referred me to see a movement disorder specialist because my tests 2 years ago didn’t show anything up. I’m not sure if this has any relevance but a few months prior to all this starting I had a drunk feeling. I was admitted to hospital and had a lumbar puncture done. It showed an increase in protein but was sent home 2 days later with viral meningitis as a diagnosis. I’m sorry it’s so much to read but any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Answer
Tremors, shaking and seizure-like events can be caused by a variety of conditions : Parkinson’s Disease, Essential Tremor Condition, Multiple Sclerosis, Alcoholism and/or Drug Abuse, Huntington’s Disease etc. Consulting with a neurologist is the right thing to do. Your medical specialists should continue testing you for different conditions until they have discovered the problem. If nothing is found you should try experimenting with lifestyle changes and alternative approaches.