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Question about an 8 year old... Should I be concerned?

Sat, 07/10/2010 - 20:31

I am very new to this site, and am seeking input.  I have an 8 year old son with type I diabetes.  Last weekend, he seemed very unsteady on his feet, and told me his legs felt "shaky."  A little while later, while we were in different rooms, he began crying uncontrollably.  I called out to ask him if he was ok, and he did not answer, so I went to him.  He met me in the doorway, crying hysterically and confused/disoriented.  He was crying so hard, he could not respond to my questions.  I helped him into the couch, where the crying continued for several more minutes, perhaps as much as 8-10.  Then, he suddenly sat up, smile on his face, and seemed ok.  He asked me if he came into the couch on his own.  I asked him if he was ok, if he fell, and several other questions.  We determined that he really had no idea what happened, he didn't remember being upset or why, and seemed to have a bit of a memory gap.

I thought it odd, but we moved on.  That was last Sunday.  This afternoon (Saturday), he was trying to ask me a question, but couldn't complete the question after several tries.  Then, he led me into his bedroom, sat down on the bed, threw a handful of chips at me (he had been having a snack), and began again to cry hysterically.  This time, he initially tried to hold my arm, then didn't want any contact at all.  He lay in his bed, nearly falling asleep twice before resuming the screaming.  Then, after what I was told by someone else in the house was about 10 minutes, he rolled over wtihout warning, and was completely fine.  He smiled and wanted to know where his snack went!  Again, he has no recollection of what happened, or for about 5 or 6 minutes before it started.

 Last time, his sugar was firmly in the normal range, though he was hypoglycemic today.  I'm really concerned, but at the same time, I don't want to overreact.  The poor kid already has too much to deal with!  :)  I'm not seeking a diagnosis on a forum, I'll be talking to his endo about it in August.  I would just like opinions.

Thanks so much in advance for your input! 

 ~D

Comments

Re: Question about an 8 year old... Should I be concerned?

Submitted by phylisfjohnson on Sun, 2010-07-11 - 11:21

According to recent research, epilepsy and diabetes have more in common than we thought.

The key commonality is fluctuating blood sugar.  People with hyperglycemia tend to have focal or local seizures.  And those who are hypoglycemic, tend to have tonic-clonic seizures…

Although some patients and even some doctors disagree, there’s really not much difference between a diabetic seizure and other forms of seizures, such as those caused by epilepsy.

I would strongly suggest that you take your son to a neurologist for testing.  Your endocrinologist will probably agree and might be able to recommend one.  The sooner you get down to the reason for this behavior, the more comfortable you'll both feel.

Good luck and let us know the outcome.     Phylis Feiner Johnson   www.epilepsytalk.com

 

According to recent research, epilepsy and diabetes have more in common than we thought.

The key commonality is fluctuating blood sugar.  People with hyperglycemia tend to have focal or local seizures.  And those who are hypoglycemic, tend to have tonic-clonic seizures…

Although some patients and even some doctors disagree, there’s really not much difference between a diabetic seizure and other forms of seizures, such as those caused by epilepsy.

I would strongly suggest that you take your son to a neurologist for testing.  Your endocrinologist will probably agree and might be able to recommend one.  The sooner you get down to the reason for this behavior, the more comfortable you'll both feel.

Good luck and let us know the outcome.     Phylis Feiner Johnson   www.epilepsytalk.com

 

Re: Question about an 8 year old... Should I be concerned?

Submitted by corcorank on Wed, 2010-07-14 - 00:47
I would not wait until August, I would take him to your GP now, you need to find out what is going on.

Re: Question about an 8 year old... Should I be concerned?

Submitted by jtjmom on Wed, 2010-07-14 - 09:50

Thanks so much for the replies! 

 I talked to the diabetes nurse yesterday, who says he is pretty sure it's not blood sugar related, as it has happened when sugar was normal.  He is also not convinced that it was a seizure, but wants me to page the doctor if it happens again.  Our endo is well-connected, and excellent about making referrals.  We've had excellent luck this way. 

What is so confusing to me is that it's ony happened twice, though the more I read, I am not sure he's not having other tic or tonic-type issues.  He's also Asperger's, a very mild form of autism, and does engage in self-stimulation from time to time, so it's hard to tell what he's knowingly doing, and what he's not.

Thanks again for the advice, and I'll keep everyone posted!

~D

Thanks so much for the replies! 

 I talked to the diabetes nurse yesterday, who says he is pretty sure it's not blood sugar related, as it has happened when sugar was normal.  He is also not convinced that it was a seizure, but wants me to page the doctor if it happens again.  Our endo is well-connected, and excellent about making referrals.  We've had excellent luck this way. 

What is so confusing to me is that it's ony happened twice, though the more I read, I am not sure he's not having other tic or tonic-type issues.  He's also Asperger's, a very mild form of autism, and does engage in self-stimulation from time to time, so it's hard to tell what he's knowingly doing, and what he's not.

Thanks again for the advice, and I'll keep everyone posted!

~D

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