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new born seizure advice needed

Mon, 04/05/2004 - 16:08
Our second child, a girl, started having seizures in the third week after birth. Our pediatrician noticed it similar to a seizure and subsequent follow up by the pediatric neurologist with video eeg confirned it as a seizure. Now we are waiting for MRI. It's a jerky head action with hands going towards the face. It used to be 40s - 2 minutes and the mouth not in control. Since we started giving phenobarbital, the number has come down but we still see once a day for may be 15 sec now. How long the medicine takes to affect?I would like to know what role does MRI and blood test play as her EEG seems to be ok. Also, I have read deficiency of vitamins as one possible cause. In that case, is polyvisol a good thing to start now?Please share your similar experiences.

Comments

RE: new born seizure advice needed

Submitted by tibet2 on Mon, 2004-04-05 - 12:58
(((asher)))i am so very sorry to hear about your little daughter's problems. this must be breaking your heart. was the EEG taken while your daughter was on pheno? that can make a difference in what shows on an EEG. the blood tests are very important - you need to be certain there aren't metabolic or disease related causes to her seizures. she should also have a spinal tap. the MRI shows the structure of the brain and can show if there are abnormalities in the brain structure. taking an MRI now can serve as a baseline for later on, to make sure your daughter is developing normally. are you seeing a pediatric epileptologist? if not, please push to see one. time is of essence with infants and a proper diagnosis is critical for getting the proper help for your daughter. i can't say this strongly enough - be aggressive in seeking a diagnosis for your daughter. get a second opinion just for safety's sake. there are some epilepsy syndromes that have specific treatments that need to happen when the child is an infant in order to obtain optimal results. here are some good sites for parents. http://www.epilepsyontario.org/client/EO/EOWeb.nsf/web/Seizures+Mainhttp://home.earthlink.net/~mchee1/episynd.htmlhttp://www.epilepsy.org.uk/info/parents.htmlvitamin deficiency can best be screened by a pediatric epileptologist and treatment would be iniated under video EEG monitering. you should also post on the MGH child neurology forum. http://www.brain.hastypastry.net/forums/

RE: new born seizure advice needed

Submitted by e_nuffofthis on Mon, 2004-04-05 - 16:08
I couldn't agree with Tibet more. It is important that a little baby especially be seen by an epileptologist, a pediatric neurologist that specializes in epilepsy. When it comes to this specialty, it is essential. Pheno usually takes three weeks to a month to get a good level. The levels, when you have blood drawn, should be between 15-40. I would like to add that she should be seen by a pediatric cardiologist and a pediatric hemotologist, many heart problems result in seizures and this needs to be ruled out. A pediatric hemotologist will go above and beyond the regular bloodwork and knows better what to test and to look for. Magnesium and B6 deficiencies are known to cause seizures. They say they can test for B6, but that is not always acurate. The only way to rule out B6 is to try it. However, you can't do this yourself. You need to question your doctor about how much, especially in a baby. Regular multi's are essential, but there is no magic. Your pediatrician should perscribe you a good vitamin for her. Best of luck & prayers to you.

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