Maybe this was a relative hormonal deficiency akin to a woman's menopause, a reaction to the natural reduction of sex hormones because of aging." To treat his symptoms, the doctors recommended testosterone-replacement therapy. "Although his testosterone level was in the normal range, perhaps it was less than he was used to.
"Finally, they came up with an answer," Sanders writes. He spent two full days answering questions and undergoing tests. Then, Chelmowski referred the man to the Mayo Clinic. To determine the cause of the man's symptoms, Chelmowski tested him for a myriad of conditions, including malaria, HIV, tumors, hormonal disorders, infections, abnormal heart rhythms, and cancer - but everything came back negative. He was almost never sick." 'Have you ever heard of seizures characterized by profuse sweating?'
The only medication he took was an acid reducer for his heartburn. He ate a healthy diet and exercised regularly. "The pattern made the strange symptom seem even stranger," she notes. Worried the man was having a heart attack, the ED doctor immediately admitted him to the hospital.Īfter ruling out a heart attack, the patient was discharged and instructed to follow up with his primary care doctor.Įvery three to five weeks, the patient was still experiencing "intense episodes of drenching sweats and strange distraction, one after the other, each lasting only a few minutes," Sanders writes. A few minutes later, the episode stopped just as quickly as it began.įollowing a fourth episode, the man's partner took him to the ED, where he had another episode. However, his vital signs were normal, he didn't have a fever, and his blood pressure and heart rate were normal. He began sweating profusely and seemed to lose cognizance. Then, the patient experienced an episode during an appointment with Chelmowski. His heart seemed to speed up and then - pow - he was drenched in sweat," Sanders adds.įor five months, the man had been working with his doctor, Mark Chelmowski, to figure out the cause of these episodes, which occurred every three to five weeks.
"A vague prickling sensation spread down his face and neck to his chest and back. One day, the 58-year-old man was driving to the gym when he suddenly "felt intensely hot," Sanders writes. 'Intense episodes of drenching sweats and strange distraction' When a seemingly healthy 58-year-old man started experiencing "intense episodes of drenching sweats and strange distraction" every three to five weeks, his doctors were stumped - until a neurologist specializing in seizure disorders determined the cause of his episodes, Lisa Sanders writes for the New York Times Magazine.
0 kommentar(er)
