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Finally found out bout my sons seizures
Fri, 03/31/2006 - 04:15Topic: Living With Epilepsy - Youth
i posted a story about my 5 year old son having absent seizures afew months ago, i was awaiting at the time on results of his sleep-deprived E.E.G. from the hosptial, i got the results shortly after and his neurolgy doctor told us he had both beneign rolandic seizures and simple partical, i now realise i was totally lost with all these types of seizures and had written my last story without doing much research, i now am constantly on the internet,finding out more about his epilepsy. the doctor explained that my son has only a small indication of beneign rolandic and most of it is simple partical, he decided to put him on Tegretol, twice daily and i believe it will be for the next two years!! hes back to the doctor in May to see how its going, ive noticed some changes in my child which im putting down to his meds, like mood swings, sometimes tiredness then been hyperactive, which he was never like before. hes a quiet child who like any child his age finds the simple things in life a great joy. it took nearly three weeks for the seriousness of his meds to kick in as you believe that its like any other meds when in reality its not, ive been reading up about people been on tregretol for twenty years or more and that really frightens me, he saw another bottle of tegretol in the cupboard the other day and ask why he was to take another one,as he pressumed like other meds you're finished with them after the one bottle is empty,so i told him he will be on it until hes 8,which he replied, wow,til im 8, in total amazment!! he doesnt know the word epilepsy as hes only 5 but i told him the medicine is for when sometimes he cant talk properly or as he inform me before the meds,"sometimes mammy my eyes wobble when i look at you", so now his meds is for that aswell, i do hope he grows out of it as i dont want it to effect his life,for instance,it might be difficult for him to get a license for driving,etc.. i supose im like any parent in the world, all we can do is hope and pray
Comments
Re: Re: Finally found out bout my sons seizures
Submitted by Shar on Wed, 2007-04-11 - 15:45
Hi Michele,
Wow does your story sound similar!!! My 9 yr old daughter is on trileptal also and she is sometimes unbearable. I feel so guilty sometimes, but there are some nights that I can't wait for bed time. We go to see her neurologist tomorrow so he may put her on something else. She has been having a very bad time in school, sometimes having to be removed from the class most of the day. Is your daughter having problems in school too? She had 2 grand mals two years apart before being put on the trileptal in March 2006. I'm hoping he does take her off trileptal because of how nasty and aggressive she has gotten, but then you have to worry about what the next med. will cause and if it will control the seizures. Please email me at shar61706@yahoo.com. Ariana would love to meet another girl her age that is going thru the same thing. She always asks why she was born like this and her brother wasn't.
Take care.
Sharlene
Re: Finally found out bout my sons seizures
Submitted by mmarie1010 on Sun, 2006-04-09 - 20:49
when my son was first dianosed with epilepsy, he too was put on tegratol. He did seem to control his seizures to some degree, but the side effects were horrific. His mood swings were unbearable, his anger out of control. He was getting upset about the little things, would cry at the drop of a hat, throw things without warning. He too was the most loveable child before the medication. as time went on, and we had to increase his dosage, not only were his moods worsening, but his acedemics were also in trouble. while he was in first grade, his grades were astounding, straight A student, but over last summer while we were having some problems and having to increase his meds, we sat back and waited to see the side effects. In september when he started the second grade, we found out really fast the side effects of this medication. he reading ability became that of a kindergarten student, and his grades in reading dropped from an A to an E.
We have recently taken him off of the tegratol, and now have him on lamicital. We are still struggling some with his reading grade, has come up quite a bit, but not where I would like to see it, or where I know his potential is. His mood swings are almost a thing of the past. He is mostly back to my loving boy again. mostly, when he starts to act out, we know to expect a partial seizure within a day or two.
I wonder if your son would be better off leaving the tegratol as well.
Re: Finally found out bout my sons seizures
Submitted by tchaide05 on Sat, 2006-04-01 - 16:15
My daughter is also recently diagnosed. She was having simple partial seizures and then had a grand mal. She is 8 years old. will be on her meds until she is at least ten. She has had two grand mals since. I completely understand what you are going thru. I am going thru the exact same thing. except my daughter is on trileptol. So far the only side effect she has had from that is that she has really bad mood swings. I want my loving little girl back. Now she has days where I really cant stand to be around her. But the only thing that keeps me going is knowing that it is due to the meds, Like you I have been reading up on this. and learning all I can. If you ever feel like you need someone to talk too please feel free to email me. MicheleLehman24@aol.com