Member
Posted 04 March 2013 - 06:47 PM
Are symptoms of cataplexy always the knee buckling? Has anyone been told they have cataplexy without that major symptom? I came across an interesting thread regarding cataplexy from 2008 on google where people shared their symptoms.
I was curious what yours were.
Member
Posted 04 March 2013 - 07:25 PM
I was just diagnosed with N. Today I was thinking about a bizzare symptom that I have that no one can explain. I haven't talked to my sleep doc about it yet so it may have something to do with N. I get this funny feeling in my head when I get angry or any other strong emotion. It is an electrical sensation that startes in my brain and goes to my eyes then travels through to the bottom of my feet.
I have tried finding another person with this particular symptom online , but I haven't found one yet. The best way to describe it is extreme dizziness with shooting electrical sensations. It only lasts about one second but it happens over and over. It makes it very difficult to drive because when I am like this and I move my eyes just a little bit, the dizziness is there. I've had and MRI and nothing showed up. Ever hear of anything like this?
Member
Posted 04 March 2013 - 07:41 PM
I was just diagnosed with N. Today I was thinking about a bizzare symptom that I have that no one can explain. I haven't talked to my sleep doc about it yet so it may have something to do with N. I get this funny feeling in my head when I get angry or any other strong emotion. It is an electrical sensation that startes in my brain and goes to my eyes then travels through to the bottom of my feet.
I have tried finding another person with this particular symptom online , but I haven't found one yet. The best way to describe it is extreme dizziness with shooting electrical sensations. It only lasts about one second but it happens over and over. It makes it very difficult to drive because when I am like this and I move my eyes just a little bit, the dizziness is there. I've had and MRI and nothing showed up. Ever hear of anything like this?
That sounds vaguely familiar, I have had times where I've been really upset, or experienced a sudden and intense emotion, where my eyes do a weird out of focus thing, and I just feel a lot of pressure behind my eyes. The dizziness kind of reminds me of that pressure I feel, because I don't feel dizzy - but it's more of a fast motion of my eyes being out of focus.
Dasikins-
No, symptoms of cataplexy are not limited to knee buckling. This is a general definition, or example, of what many will deem cataplexy. But those are people who do not understand what it is in it's entirety. Cataplexy, which is a temporary loss of muscle tone in part, or throughout the entire body (except the breathing muscles). This is associated with N because when we are asleep, the brain 'paralyzes' our muscles during REM sleep. So we don't act out our dreams. But, when a person with N, who has abnormal REM cycles and REM intrusion during wakefulness, has cataplexy, the brain is essentially sending signals to the body in the same way it would when we are sleeping. Usually it has a trigger, such as strong, sudden emotions (pleasure, fear, excitement, anger, etc).
I experience cataplexy ...in what I would call partial cataplexy. Because I do not collapse. My muscles, particularly my neck, arms, and legs feel weak. My head might roll to my chest, or my arms might slack a little bit, and my knees may buckle (usually only happens when I'm walking). When I laugh at something, and I experience C, I will bend at the waist, and close my eyes and fall forward a bit. I usually try to brace myself against a table or something, because it helps support me. But I only experience all of this in a moment. Unless, the emotion is prolonged. Like someone making you laugh, and then continuing to make you laugh even harder. I've heard a lot of different people who experience other things like tingling in their arms or legs, the inability to keep a hold of something they are carrying, or slurring their words. I have actually experienced that one - when I'm really excited or angry, my words come out all jumbled. Not really a drunk type slur, but just that I'm not pronouncing them correctly, or missing a vowel or two.
Member
Posted 04 March 2013 - 07:43 PM
You two might glance down the forums page, at the 'Cataplexy Times' section.
Have been getting into Cataplexy quite deeply there, today, within the post titled: "I Had My First Collapse Due To Cataplexy"...
To respond to basil44. That sounds unusual. I can not say it is or is not Cataplexy. If you're having road rage or something driving, or are in a big rush (stresses and anxieties are emotion) perhaps it's triggering..? Wish I knew what to say.
To respond to dasikins: No, Cataplexy is complex-icated (I know that's not a word but you can put it together). Cataplexy effects each and every person different. Read in that section and post, I mention above...
Best of Luck to you Both and All.
Member
Posted 05 March 2013 - 04:49 PM
Thanks! I should of looked in that section-my bad. Slurring the words is something I have. I noticed it a few years ago. Makes me think my fatigue is more from MS then Narcolepsy! But we shall see.
It was very helpful thank you!
Member
Posted 29 April 2013 - 05:49 PM
I think I have something similar, although I'm not sure if its related to my Blood Pressure, which is usually pretty low. My experiences, which occur on a near daily basis as I walk from my bed to the bathroom, are precipitated with dizziness that causes me nearly lose my vision and those same electrical shooting pangs that occur in my arms and sometimes my neck, causes me to jerk around for several seconds. My hands sometimes get numb too. This happens on such a regular basis that I usually don't pay much attention to it, but it does worry me, particularily the days I miss my door and hit the wall!
