The patient is a 13-year-old boy with history of occipital headache who, while practicing relaxation techniques for his pain, developed an episode of generalized weakness. At its onset, he reported a generalized painful sensation and within a few seconds became weak and unable to move his arms or legs. The entire episode lasted a few minutes. He experienced no loss of consciousness and was speaking coherently. During the event, he felt anxious and his breathing appeared to be labored, with shortness of breath, although he was not hyperventilating.
His heart felt like it was racing, but his family noted no change in skin color, and the patient felt no dizziness, tingling, nausea, or vomiting; he had no incontinence. After a few minutes, the tachycardia resolved and the patient began to move his limbs. He was taken immediately to a local ER where his exam was unremarkable. A basic…
