What causes headache and twitching in body?
Patient: My sister has been very ill for over 5 months now. She had a baby on January 28th this year. And after maybe one month later, she started getting sick. She s had so many symptoms that it s been hard to diagnose. She said it all started after she drank some coffee/cappuccino from Bad Ass Coffee in Albuquerque that was sitting in her car all day. She started by having constant headaches and a pulling sensation in her head and mouth. She started having trouble sleeping. She keeps taking sleeping pills, not only to sleep. But also to try blocking out her pain. Her family has told her not to take sleeping pills. But she won t listen. She s been very weak, and says that she feels like her body is turning into stone. She can t even tell when she s hungry, or when she has to go to the bathroom. She s also been losing weight from not eating much. She s also been having a burning feeling in her stomach, and says it feels like her stomach is being squeezed. She keeps sending me text messages saying she s dying, and telling everyone she loves them. Her husband and 2 older kids (8 and 15) are at their wits end. She s been to several doctors, had multiple blood work and MRI s, and everything keeps turning out negative. Nothing is showing any problems. I can t remember if she s had a CT scan? What can POSSIBLY be wrong? She s scared to death, and she s been an emotional wreck. A recent doctor gave her some sort of antacids etc., but apparently they haven t helped. There s definitely some sort of neurological problem as well, because she always gets twitches and jerking all over her. She s always saying that it feels like something is pulling her down. Our whole family is at a loss for ideas, and we re all very worried. It s nearing 6 months now. It don t look like our family will be celebrating the holiday season this year. Doctor: Hello ! I read your question and understand your concern. In my opinion the symptoms you describe may be related to postpartum depression . It is a very common disorder affecting women after delivery. The repeated analysis and MRI are another argument in favor of this diagnosis. This is not a neurological problem, but a psychiatric one. I would recommend you to bring her to a psychiatrist , to examine here and to choose the best antidepressant for her. I am sure she will get better after starting an antidepressant. She has anxiety too, and here twitches in the body and the gastric pain are related to that. An antidepressant in effective against anxiety too. Hope to have been helpful! Best wishes, Dr. Abaz Quka