About 5 years ago, my then 92 year old mother had her first episode of this very infrequent condition. I have researched on-line as well as described symptoms to 3 doctors and no one has ever heard of this. It could be part of her Alzheimer's and there is probably nothing to be done for it. But it is so strange that I wanted to see if someone else out there has had this happen to their loved one. This condition usually occurs after my mom has eaten breakfast, maybe a couple of hours after. She will start by complaining of discomfort in her stomach. She may burp, move uncomfortably around in her wheelchair and press her hands to her stomach. Then she will begin to get very hot and break out in a sweat, particularly on her face. She may start mumbling incoherently, and will begin to breathe very heavily and have these exaggerated yawns, one after another. Then her body will become completely rigid and she will stare unfocused, not hearing or responding to me calling her name. Her mouth will open and it is like she is in a trance. It can last for 10 minutes or more. When she finally comes out of it, she will be completely exhausted and goes into a deep sleep. When she awakes, she has no memory of this occurring and doesn't appear to suffer any after effects.
She has had her blood pressure and blood sugar checked after this has occurred and everything is always normal.
Points to emphasize:
1. These occur very infrequently--she can go months without having one. In 2016 she lived with me for a year and probably only had about 3 the whole year.
2. She will have the same thing for breakfast days before and days
after one of these episodes, so food issues/allergies do not come into
play here.
Obviously there is a connection between the digestive process and these episodes but why they come one day and not another, or maybe not occur for months at a time is something that stumps everyone. I don't want her to have to go through any kind of extensive exam to try to explore the causes of this. While I can now recognize when one is getting ready to occur, it still is frightening and disturbing to witness and the inability to help her in any way is so frustrating.
Her caregivers in the facility where she now resides have witnessed this happening to her but they have never experienced this with any other resident.
Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.
As CWillie says, what you describe is "right out of the textbook" seizure.
I don't understand how any MD or RN could hear this description and not immediately think "seizure".
Have her seen by a neurologist.
The Hospice nurse said it was probably a Myoclonic seizure. And like your mom they were not frequent.
If this is what is happening the breakfast is unrelated.
But you might want to cut back on what she is having if she is having a large breakfast and break breakfast into 2 smaller meals about 2 hours apart. This would give her a chance to start digesting and get some of what she has had moving out of her stomach so she is not so full. Digestion is much slower in someone less active so if she is in a wheelchair it may take a while for food to move along.