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I can't believe I'm here, but I am (Absence Seizures)

Tue, 06/26/2007 - 19:39
My daughter has just been diagnosed with something, I don't know for sure yet but assume it's absence seizures. She's 4.5 yrs old. Right after diagnosis on Friday the neurologist went on vacation so I won't hear the actual term until July 10th but she seems text book absence with multiple seizures during her EEG. She started on Topamax on Saturday and was taken off today due to bad side effects. We start on Zonagran tomorrow. I am so saddened by the side effects I've seen so far and am not hopeful at all at the moment. Has anyone decided not to medicate? I am so anxious to find the pro's and con's and learn all about this. Because I don't understand how the seizures are affecting her, It's hard to see why medication is necessary. But as I said, I am new to this and will learn a lot I'm sure in the near future. Susan

Comments

Re: Re: Re: I can't believe I'm here, but I am (Absence Seizures

Submitted by joi_128 on Fri, 2007-07-20 - 12:58
Try not to stress out to much. My daughter was having these seizures while in school. She has not suffered cognitively at all. She is one of the top students in her class (and not because I am the gloating mom). I have asked her numerous times what it is like and she says she can't see or hear anything. She only knows that she has done it when she comes back and something has changed around her. Like a conversation or we are looking at her. Sometimes during her spells she would keep walking. Almost walked into the street a few times. Very scarry. I really don't think that she is affected by it as much as I am.

Re: Re: I can't believe I'm here, but I am (Absence Seizures)

Submitted by Andi1422 on Thu, 2007-08-30 - 21:01
Hi this is my first time on here. On wed.Aug 29th 2007 my 7.5 year old daughter was diagnosed with absence seizures too and started Lamictal that morning. She has been having her "starring spells" since last school year and I was the only one who noticed them. They have gotten worse over the summer to the point where she has actully fallen over a couple times. My mom emailed me this sight and as I was reading some of the comments I started to cry. I am so glad to hear that there is someone else out there that feels exactly the way I do. I have been scared to death all summer and hopefully this medication will help and ease my fears and worries.

Re: Re: Re: I can't believe I'm here, but I am (Absence Seizures

Submitted by sugarsue on Sat, 2007-09-01 - 20:27
Hi, I'm glad you found this site and I'm glad that you got your daughter diagnosed. It is heart breaking but the best thing for them to get them treated. My daughter is now on 100 mg of Zonegran, recently increased dose from 50 mg. She is still having seizures that I observe. I hope we get another EEG soon so I can find out if they have decreased at all. She used to have hundreds a day that we couldn't even see. She just started school. Hopefully it won't be a problem for her. Hang in there.... Susan

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