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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 8 of 8. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Shamim on September 4, 2003, at 7:41:22
hi, a friend of mine has come to me with these symptoms:
visual perceptual analysis
spatial perception problems
Fluorescent and neon colors, stripes, patterns and polka dots can create misperceptions, discomfort, and agitation
Visual perceptual problems The brain is unable to translate the graphical patterns the eyes are seeing into meaning.
eyestrain
discomfort with light
malfunctions in the eye/brain communication chain.
reading or writing problems through to major perceptual difficulties.
he does not want to go to a doctor in case anything negative ends up in his medical record that might have long-term consequences. neither does he have time to do any investigation himself as he is in a very stressful and demanding job and works all the time (temptingly for lots of money).
what i sent back to him after an internet search was:
"get your eyesight checked. vision loss is the most common cause. in which case the hallucinations will go away of their own accord and you don't need to do anything about them.
autistics, psychotics, people who commonly have hallucinations, tend to have problems with all their senses, e.g. seeing sounds, sensitivity to bright lights, aural hallucinations. they also have disorders of thought, which i think you would have noticed first. you're not paranoid are you? temporary psychosis can be brought on by stress, lack of sleep, trauma, drugs... if you are getting any disorders of cognition at all, my advice to you is stop whatever you're doing that's stressing you, plead illness or family circumstances before you go over the edge, relax NOW. you really have to sleep well. can't you cut down on your workload in any way?
i'll check out symptoms of other potential causes, e.g. blood clots. reassurance is key to recovery if the cause is the reasons above, so please don't panic about the danger of brain damage before ruling out the others."
what advice would you have given? is there any part of my advice that i should retract?
Posted by kid47 on September 4, 2003, at 16:55:23
In reply to visual hallucinations, posted by Shamim on September 4, 2003, at 7:41:22
You might look into Temporal Lobe Epilepsy (TLE).
kd
Posted by Liligoth on September 4, 2003, at 20:04:28
In reply to visual hallucinations, posted by Shamim on September 4, 2003, at 7:41:22
has he been taking any hallucinogenic drugs lately? sometimes some of the visual disturbances like he described can linger or return episodically for up to many years
Posted by Shamim on September 4, 2003, at 21:29:30
In reply to Re: visual hallucinations, posted by kid47 on September 4, 2003, at 16:55:23
thank you so much for that posting on temporal lobe epilepsy. it turns out my friend has been feeling dissociated from reality temporarily with other senses being affected, spells have been frequent (twice a day now) and happening for a long time (over 10 years) though getting worse recently, interfere with verbal memory, triggered by light, and he feels tired afterwards. i don't know about automatic motor movements, but am asking, if he can remember.
he is going to an eye hospital in a few months. i presume i also advise that he see an epilepsy specialist?
thank you so much for this hint. he was worried that he was going mad (schizophrenia), and although the possibility of TLE is hardly good news, i am sure he will be relieved nevertheless.
Posted by Shamim on September 4, 2003, at 21:50:18
In reply to Re: visual hallucinations, posted by Liligoth on September 4, 2003, at 20:04:28
in return to the question about hallucinogenic use, yes he took LSD and mushrooms in the past, and feels their use about 10 years ago worsened the symptoms which were already present in a more minor form. recently he has given up the use of drugs and marijuana, which he feels has helped.
but would flashbacks become more frequent with time? would the use of recreational drugs explain his other symptoms as described below? and if the use of hallucinogens were a cause, what is the solution? what medical department should he go to? do you think it is important that he explain his drug use to a doctor given his fear that it may be entered in his medical record? he cannot afford to be seen to do anything illegal given his profession.
to summarise his last e-mail to me:
"He has been to the opticians and they cannot help, he is going to an eye hospital in a few months
He is suffering from migraines too
He has disorders of thought, he is suffering from psychosis. He feels his body and mind are sometimes not aligned, they are not together. He feels he suffers sensory deprivation.
He has problems with other senses
There is deterioration when he is stressed or tired.
He feels the hallucinogenic use 10 years ago facilitated the problem, though he had the symptoms before then to a lesser extent. He feels stopping smoking marijuana and taking other drugs has helped.
Bright lights are very bad, especially unnatural fluorescent
He has had two attacks of hallucinations today, alleviated by taking a 15 minute nap
He has no history of schizophrenia in his family as far as he knows"
Posted by Shamim on September 4, 2003, at 21:59:45
In reply to Re: visual hallucinations, posted by Shamim on September 4, 2003, at 21:29:30
sorry about the number of follow-ups by me to this post, but summarising the symptoms of temporal lobe epilepsy i sent my friend the following list. any major misunderstandings that you can see?
1. Do you get a little warning before the spell telling you you are going to have it? E.g. anxious or nervous feelings, epigastric sensations (a butterfly sensation from your stomach or an unpleasant sensation that moves up into your throat), fear, and the indescribable feeling of a seizure coming on (the sensation of "it"). Other auras (warnings) may involve "special senses" include seeing, hearing, or tasting things that most people wouldn't see, hear, or taste. A sense of the room closing in or spreading out, a foreign noise, or a sharp, metallic taste. Other examples are feelings of derealization (feeling as if things aren't real) or depersonalization (out-of-body experiences), or maybe sudden changes in mood.
2. During the spell do you start by stopping, then staring and doing automatic things like chewing, lip smacking, mumbling and fumbling with or jerking the hands, then you feel confused?
To put it another way, as you may not be conscious of some of this, do you blank out momentarily and then come back again after the fit has passed? Maybe the blanks are so short you just seem to lose the ability to concentrate on things because loads of stuff is wiped out with every shock?
3. Do you sometimes lose consciousness, sometimes not remember what happened in the spell, fail to be able to react to the environment?
4. Do you feel confused briefly after the spell? Do you feel a general weakness, muscle weakness, and fatigue afterwards, maybe for up to a few days afterwards?
5. Does the spell last about 60-90 seconds, followed by brief confusion?
6. Are the spells repetitive and recurrent?
7. Do you have other hallucinations, as of odors, visceral sensations?
8. Do you exhibit impaired recall of verbal materials? Maybe impaired visual-spatial recall?
Posted by kid47 on September 5, 2003, at 11:30:05
In reply to Re: visual hallucinations, posted by Shamim on September 4, 2003, at 21:59:45
Your friend needs a complete medical workup. Although the symptoms you describe fit with TLE, there are a number of other illnesses/diseases/conditions that could cause similar problems. To get to the cause of his symptoms, it would be best if he were completely forthcoming with his Doctor. Most medical records are protected from intrusion, but if he is using job provided health insurance, there is a risk of someone who handles the benefits for his company being privy to some of the info. Good luck to you & your friend.
kd
Posted by Shamim on September 5, 2003, at 17:43:44
In reply to Re: visual hallucinations, posted by kid47 on September 5, 2003, at 11:30:05
thank you so much kid47. i have passed on your final comments about his needing a full medical check-up. he is so happy to know there may be a cause and a solution. i thank you so much myself for being able to help a friend. you're a star!
This is the end of the thread.
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