"The Perfect Storm": The terrible triad of ADHD OCD Tics

[mrc109]

I have been diagnosed with the elements ADHD OCD and Tics, the so called “terrible triad” or as my psych. Dude says “The Perfect Storm”.  In addition, we also suspect that I have PTSD from early childhood sex-abuse traumas.

I have developed some physical symptoms over the past three years of dizziness, and just recently, I fell and injured myself because of a momentary “blackout” in consciousness.  I had a brain scan MRI and EEG three years ago, after I had a “nervous breakdown” on the job. Nothing “Abby-normal” was identified by either technique.

Since the blackout incident and leg injury I sustained from it,  my PCP wants me to go see the same Neurologist (group) that I saw three years ago,  and found nothing “mechanically wrong” inside my noggin.  My overall mental (and physical) condition I believe has deteriorated  since the investigations three years ago.

What I am wanting to know is this time when I go in to see the Neurologist, should I be asking for a PET scan in combination with a more detailed 64 or even 128 channel simultaneous EEG hookup? I know that I will have to pay a 20 percent copay deductible  with the remaining 80% picked up by my health insurance no matter what kind of $high dollar analytical technique is selected to be used.

I want to get the most “analytically powerful”, bang for my buck.  I am concerned that if I were to submit to the same kind of standard MRI procedure as before which was later followed by a routine 19 channel EEG testing,  then I would be putting myself into a situation where yeh, it would be “nice” to have repeat sets of data,  gathered three years apart, but to what end?

The first time around these two powerful “testing procedures”  basically informed me that to the extent these analytical procedures are capable of showing “problems” there was “nothing remarkable enough going on inside my head for them to be able to show”.

Now, a repeat performance of this same “negative result” might be comforting to a postoperative brain cancer patient following intrusive surgery, but I have not gotten better since the last go round of analytical techniques,  in fact, I think I have gotten worse.

It seems like its time to look into some other analytical technique, or combination of techniques. What do you think, and what other techniques and or combinations of techniques should I be asking for? Thank you very much for thinking about this request.

Sincerely,

mrc109

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[MarieAngell]

@mrc109, my son has ADHD and OCD (no tics though). I can’t say if a PET scan would be worth the money. Be direct with your physician and ask that question.  Fainting and dizziness can have causes beyond the neurological, but some things may need to be ruled out first, especially with your history.

For relief of the OCD and PTSD, though, you may have to try several things.  There is a cognitive therapy called ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention) that has been clinically proven effective for many people with OCD and PTSD. It’s possible that therapy could help your tics if they are worsened by anxiety.

The OCD Foundation has a lot of good links and info:

http://www.ocfoundation.org/CBT.aspx

You may have to try or adjust your medications.  It’s hard to go through all of that, I know. Persevere to get answers and improve your quality of life.  Try to take the long view.

 

 

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