Two seizures two years apart, is it epilepsy?

Hi ryansmom... Generally one seizure means nothing, but after two seizures it's time to start investigating. I had my epilepsy controlled for over 10 years, before it 'appeared' again. And I was even taking medicine to fight the E also. Yes I have heard of seizures years apart. And, I'm glad to hear Ryan is being taken for an EEG. But many people don't have their seizures show up on EEGs even with the deap breathing and lights flashing that is part of the test. My polite advice advice for anyone investigating E would be to see a epileptologist (= a neurologist specialized in epilepsy) as opposed to a general neurologist (who treats all brain and spinal illnesses). (To find the epileptologist in your area, go to epilepsy.com ..top of the page & 3rd from the right) And, please don't worry. If you must think about E please focus on the fact that the vast majority of people with E are completely controlled with meds. www.epilepsy.com is an excellent read too. Best wishes.. Pamela

Make sure things like blood sugar level, sodium, magnesium, calcium, bcomplex are checked. They can cause seizures if they are low. ANd it is not necessarily epilepsy. How old is your son? Is he old enough to go through puberty? Going through puberty can cause seizures for epilepsy patients. take care lisa http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/epilepsyapproach/

Hi Ryans Mom, It sounds like the way it started for my daughter and it is definitely alot to absorb and confusing. My daughter has a shunt for hydrocephalus (water on the brain) so you may not have the same issues as I did, but here is how it started. My daughter Ariana, had her first seizure in Feb. 2004. She had a cold and her fever spiked and she had a grand mal(tonic clonic) but they attributed it to the fever. Well then in March 2006 she had her 2nd while leaving the pediatricians office for a bad cough (talk about being in the right place). While in the hospital an EEG was done and it was normal. Her neurologist put her on Trileptal as a precaution and said he would see how she is and decide whether or not to keep her on it. She was doing fine up until about Nov. 2006. Then her behavior went off the wall and school became a nightmare. She would go from crying to throwing things to laughing. She went from being a giggly, loving child to nasty and aggressive. The neurologist increased her dosage and her neurosurgeon sent her for an MRI to make sure her shunt was not malfunctioning and required surgery. A month ago she had another EEG done, but this one showed some seizure activity. She also gets a "funny feeling" which he said is that aura before the seizure, which no one even realizes she is having. The neurologist increased her Trileptal dosage again and in a week her behavior at school and home has gotten worse so the neurologist will be calling me back today to change her medication. School is really tough. She is already receiving special education but the constant outburts and distractions are keeping her from doing any work. I also think they are losing patience and dont understand how a seizure or the medication can cause all of this and they want to move her to another school in the district and into a self contained classroom of 6 kids. I am not sure what will be better for her but it seems like most of this school year has been a waste. In the beginning I couldnt understand how seizures that far apart could be epilepsy either because whenever you heard the word you pictured someone having constant seizures but every case is different. If you have any other questions or just want to chat even though I'm pretty new at this too don't hesitate. Hope you get some answers and things work out.