DEAR DR. GOTT: A friend of mine is 81. For the past several months, she has been experiencing flailing of the arms and legs, arching of her back and has no control of the actions. I thought along the lines of seizures, but she is awake through all the episodes and knows exactly what is happening. Would you have any idea what could cause these symptoms?

I read your column every day, and you have helped so many people. I hope you have an answer to this puzzling physical problem. Thank you.

DEAR READER: There are a number of medical conditions I considered when first reading your letter. The first was Tourette’s syndrome. This was easy to rule out, however, because diagnosis, in part, is confirmed in the presence of both motor and vocal tics that can but don’t necessarily occur at the same time. Then I put on my thinking cap and realized your friend is likely suffering from seizure activity. I will explain why. [Read more...]