two weeks before Holy week, my daughter was playing on the second step of the stairs while i was doing my research on the internet. then she fell and got a big bump on the forehead and some bruises near her eye. i told myself not to panic. look for signs. vomiting, headache. loss of consciousness? none. but still my gut feeling was telling me, go get an EEG. that was my wake up call. the next day i called PCMC for an appointment.
after 1 week the result is out.
IMPRESSION: this EEG is abnormal showing focal epileptiform discharges seen to come from both frontal regions in sleep. The awake background activity is within normal limits for the patient's age.
my daughter doesn't show any signs of seizure yet the results revealed that she is having abnormal spikes in her brain during sleep. we were then referred to a child neurologist, Dr Jose Robles. According to him some seizures are so subtle they are hardly noticed. some looks like they have spaced out and some experience a small amount of jerking on their arms and legs. i asked him if it is possible to develop a full blown seizure when she grows up, he said yes it is possible that is why medication has to start early so as not to trigger the seizure and she has to be on it for 2 years.
i did my research on frontal lobe seizure and i found out that frontal lobe seizures usually last less than 30 seconds and often occur during sleep. signs and symptoms of frontal lobe seizure may include:
- head and eye movement to one side
- complete or partial unresponsiveness, or difficulty speaking
- explosive screams or laughter
- abnormal body posturing, such as one arm extending while the other flexes, as if the person is posing like a fencer
- repetitive movement, such as rocking or bicycling pedaling
My daughter is 3 and was diagnosed with epilepsy last year. About a month ago, she was also diagnosed with autism. I have been doing independent research as to how these two disorders coincide with each other. We had no trouble getting the epilepsy diagnosed as her EEG and MRI both came back with heavy activity. She has petite and grand mal seizures along with absence seizures. She also didn't start speaking until this year, her speech is improving, but choppy at times. It's a long journey, but once you start receiving the right help and correct medication, you will notice a BIG change!
ReplyDeletehi jaina64. did you see the improvement on your daughter's speech when she started taking anti seizure meds? my daughter started the med last week but i noticed that her eye fluttering has become for frequent than before. but im not quite sure if that's a seizure or not.
ReplyDeleteThat could be from a seizure, but I would ask your daughters doctor just to be sure. Since she only started the meds last week, you may not notice changes now, it usually takes about 6 weeks for those types of meds to show any improvement, but if you notice worse changes or worse behavior, then you should defiantly report these to her doctor. Be aware that most seizure meds will cause your daughter to be tired and cranky, these are normal side effects as her body is adjusting to the new meds. Just go with your "Mommy instinct". If you think something is wrong, then make sure you are heard. I hope she shows improvement soon! Take care!
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