Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Pseudomigraine with Lymphocytic Pleocytosis

Because this tells me absolutly nothing. . . This is what the Neurologist decided that John had yesterday.

Pseudomigraine with lymphocytic pleocytosis

Pseudomigraine with temporary neurologic symptoms and lymphocytic pleocytosis is a self-limited syndrome of unknown origin characterized by headache accompanied by transient neurologic symptoms and cerebrospinal fluid lymphocytosis. Patients with this condition are between 15 and 40 years of age. The syndrome is more frequent in men. The clinical picture encompasses one to 12 episodes of changing variable neurologic deficits accompanied by moderate to severe headache and occasional fever. These headaches are described as predominantly throbbing and bilateral with a variable duration (mean, 19 hours). The average duration of the transient neurologic deficit is 5 hours. Sensory (78% episodes), aphasic (66%), and motor (56%) disturbances are the most common. Migraine-like visual symptoms are relatively rare (18% episodes). Patients are asymptomatic between episodes and after the symptomatic period (duration > 3 months). Lymphocytic pleocytosis (10 to 760 cells mm3) and increased cerebrospinal fluid protein are found with negative bacteriologic, viral, fungal, and immunologic studies. Brain computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging are normal, but an electroencephalogram frequently shows focal slowing over the symptomatic brain area. Single photon emission computed tomography reveals transient focal areas of decreased uptake consistent with the clinical symptoms. It is possible that pseudomigraine with temporary neurologic symptoms and lymphocytic pleocytosis could result from an activation of the immune system secondary to a recent viral infection, which would produce antibodies against neuronal or vascular antigens. This autoimmune attack may induce an aseptic leptomeningeal vasculitis, accounting for the headache and the transient symptoms likely through a spreading depression-like mechanism.

 - - No one dumbed this down for us, and yes just handed over a big bill. Ugh! But it's not a tumor and it's not an aneurism and it wasn't a stroke and it's not meningitis so whatever. John's MRI and MRA that he had done last night were clear too so apparently he does have a brain, but there is nothing wrong with it.

He's had to stay at the hospital until noon to get an EKG on his head to make sure his brain waves were okay and then they let him go home.

 As it stands there is nothing really wrong with john and he just likes to cause panic-attacks to his poor wife. There is no way to tell if or when this may happen again and because it hasn't done him any harm then it apparently isn't that important in the whole scheme of things. bah humbug. I find doctors to be completely useless. 

8 comments:

Lindsay said...

Holy crap! I'm glad "nothing" is wrong with John. Too bad the doctors still get to give you guys a bill.

Loran said...

You should have called or texted me I would have been there in a heart beat. Hope you are feelinhg better John. Don't ever do that crap again. That scared me. Thank God that you know what it is and that he will be all right. Love you guys!

Ker said...

holy crap guys! Glad everything is supposedly ok. Call us if you ever need anything!

Anonymous said...

Wow...I never thought i would find someone with this...we should talk. Or John and I should talk over email. I was diagnosed with this about 2 years ago, and have been on Depakote ER since then with great success. Hopefully we can learn something from each other...! My email, bulbhorn@yahoo.com (don't ask...its an antique car thing...) haha...

My best,
Shenton

Anonymous said...

How'd you guys ever make out with the pmp migraines that John was having" did he ever have another?

Shenton
Sking@kingindustries.com

Anonymous said...

Hi there, can anyone tell me the total number of episodes that they have had...does it ever stop? did any of the symptoms include confusion and stroke like symptoms like numbness and wierd speech?

Anonymous said...

I had this in 2008... Three episodes with the trifecta of symptoms every time. It was over and done within three weeks though. Nice to see others that went through something this scary. I was serving in Baghdad when it struck me and had to be medevac to the UK for diagnosis and treatment.

Anonymous said...

I think your comments on the way your doctors handled the situation is a little unfair. Of course I wasn't there and don't know the full facts but from the sounds of what you said they obviously tried their best to exclude nasty illness such as stroke and tumour. I'm sure your husband's symptoms would have been similar to these. If they had missed it, I bet you would have been complaining about that too.
It's upsetting that you have to pay bills where you are but instead of getting angry at the doctors who work their butts off to get where they are, why not get upset at your government that obviously hasn't set up an efficient health care system.

Best of luck.