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Epilepsy. Is it or isn't it????

Sat, 12/23/2006 - 08:16
Here is our story/frustration at having our son properly diagnosed. Winter of 2000 - Child male age 5 - No seizure history. Healthy Happy. Oldest of 4 children. No family history on either side of seizures, epilepsy, or any other neurological disorder. Spring of 2000 he becomes ill with e.coli/HUS. Suffers renal failure. While in Hospital altered consciousness observed along with irritability. When discharged following recovery from renal failure, altered consciousness observed, lasting anywhere from 10-30 seconds. Chewing observed, walking aimlessly through house, won't respond to verbal commands. When he comes back to "normal" is confused and very irritable, trouble with memory (i.e. math homework that he had been doing with no problem he will forget how to do it). Also starts bedwetting. This continues undiagnosed for appox 3yr years. He ends up being treated for "behavioural problems". At age 8-9 first couple of eeg's are "normal". Child then has one that shows epileptic spikes. Followup EEG confirms. Also has two sleep eeg's that show the spikes. Finally Diagnosed with complex partial seizures in 2004. Child is also diagnosed with a brain injury from e.coli that is causing cognitive and behavioural problems although some of those problems are blamed on the epilepsy. Child is put on tegretol. Condition improves greatly but not 100%. Bedwetting stops with implementation of tegretol. Has 2-3 follow-up eeg's that show epileptic spikes. Neurologist continues with tegretol. 2005 while on ride at fair child has a "major" focal seizure. Ride is stopped child has to be helped off ride. Complains of having a bad headache and being nauseated afterwards. EEG a few days after this still shows epileptic spikes. Neurologist doesn't seem to concerned with this latest seizure. Child remains on tegretol. Dec 2006 Parents notice symptoms appear to be worsening. Child has a follow-up EEG. Child's psychiatrist also feels that seizures maybe causing some worsening of the behavioural problems. On follow-up with Neurologist a day after EEG he states that the EEG was clear and that our child "never ever had epilepsy". States that the EEG's were showing a normal variant called a "psychomotor variant". When questioned about what we were observing Neurologist stated that our child probably has/had underlying "psychiatric problems" that were the cause of it. When asked about the "seizure" that he had at the fair the Neurologist said "well whatever he's better now". Neurologist also said that our son should be taken off his medication immediately. Naturally we are quite concerned and have elected not to take our son off the medication because of the issues we are currently seeing with him. We have been using the same neurologist throughout this who is an epilepsy specialist. We are in the process of getting a second opinion. Question: Are we crazy? We feel that the behavior of the Neurologist is simply bizarre. The diagnosis of never having epilepsy just does not make sense although we would be grateful to god if he didn't. The difference between actual epilepsy and a normal variant shouldn't take nearly 5 years to figure out, plus it doesn't explain what we have been seeing all these years. This is an experienced pediatric neurologist who specializes in epilepsy. If our child does not have epilepsy, what the hell does he have?? We are extremely confused by all of this not to mention the thought of having to do this all over with another is very upsetting. Any thoughts or suggestions?????

Comments

Re: Epilepsy. Is it or isn't it????

Submitted by carrieb on Sat, 2006-12-23 - 10:34
What kind of seizures was he having and what were they like? How often were they?

Re: Re: Epilepsy. Is it or isn't it????

Submitted by mcdonaja on Sat, 2006-12-23 - 10:44
Seizures were originally diagnosed by the neurologist as "Complex Partial". They would last anywhere from 10 seconds to as long as a minute. He would "zone out", wouldn't respond to verbal commands, walk in circles around the house, put his hands in and out of his pants pockets sometimes he would have facial grimaces. When he "came back" he would be extemely irritable, confused, poor memory function. He would have these prior to being medicated with tegretol up to 10 times per day. After medication they were reduce to 1 or 2. He also stopped bedwetting when he went on the meds and his sleep improved (not tired all the time). What sent us back to the Neurologist this time was an increase in his symptoms. We thought he needed an increase in his meds (no increase in almost 3yrs and he's grown significantly)

Re: Re: Re: Epilepsy. Is it or isn't it????

Submitted by carrieb on Sat, 2006-12-23 - 11:59
You know, I've had seizures for 13 years due to a mass of dead tissue in my right temporal lobe. The seizures started as complex partials but gradually over the past 3 years they have dwindled down to auras with a little bit of panic only. I have had 5 ambulatory (48 hour) EEGs, and all but one of them turned up completely normal. In fact, I was in the hospital in '03 preparing for brain surgery to have the mass removed when they hooked me up for almost a week for a video EEG. They took me off my meds cold turkey and didn't let me sleep for 3 days. I didn't have a single abnormal spike on the EEG! Not one! The doctors were dumbfounded, to say the least. My husband and I decided to not go through with surgery. I got a cold while in the hospital, so the doc gave me Benadryl and that did it. The Benadryl sent me into status. This is the only EEG record they have showing abnormal spikes. My point is: EEGs are not 100%. It depends where his seizures are starting and how deep into his brain they are. My seizures are occurring so deep inside of my brain that the surface electrodes aren't picking up where they start. My doc wants to do an intracranial EEG now. I don't think so. We've basically passed on the idea of surgery. The mass isn't growing or changing, and the seizures are just auras and maybe one day out of the month now, so we're going to pass on the whole intracranial thing. You're smart to get a 2nd opinion. It sounds like this guy doesn't know what he's doing. Has your son had an MRI? I don't remember.

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