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Monthly nocturnal seizures - is there anyone else like this ?

Sat, 08/26/2006 - 17:44
My 16yr old son has been having these strange seizures for the past 10 years or so. He has them during the night (1-6 attacks per night). They could be called epileptic or perhaps even 'night terrors'. He jumps up, screams, thrashing around, looks terrified, tries to escape some demon. He's never in a conscious state, although his eyes are wide open. He never remembers these ordeals the next morning. He has them for about 15 nights, then has a seizure free period for about the same period. He's not on drugs, we've tried lots of alternative stuff, still no change. We're now getting desperate, worried that these attacks will carry on indefinitely.... Is there light at the end of this tunnel ? Has anyone heard of this cyclical nocturnal rhythmn before ??

Comments

Re: Monthly nocturnal seizures - is there anyone else like this

Submitted by slhmurphy on Sat, 2006-08-26 - 20:05
Dear Steve, Hi. My name is Sam and I have some familiarity with this. My experiences w/ this phenomena has been with my two children, which it is my understanding that this is primarily a childhood phenomena. My eldest daughter, Alyssa, would do the same as your son, but she was only 2 or 3 at the time. We would do everything in our power to try to comfort her, but it only made it worse. Sometimes she would actually point out her bedroom doorway into the hall as if something was there, all the while screaming hysterically. Admittedly, there would be times in which I was afraid to turn around b/c I felt certain that something would in fact be standing there! Her pediatrician suggested a dose of antihystamine before bed, like benedryl. Can't remember if we ever tried that, but she did outgrow it. My son, who is now 2 and 1/2 has had a couple episodes, but nothing as bad. He wakes part way through a nap, or just after falling asleep, and he cries. Again, he is inconsolable, so we have learned to leave him alone. I have found that just going in his room and sitting in the rocking chair is enough. He "sees" me even if he doesn't see me, and he settles down quickly and goes back to sleep. I think a big thing is, if you touch them they don't know friend from foe, so they get even more worked up. Now, I have been experiencing seizure activity at night, but it is not like the kids do. I have a surge of fear, but not panic or terror. I also feel this total-body tingling inside, and I start to breathe faster. That is it. It dies down, and I fall back to sleep. This can wake me up several times in a night, but I am aware of everything when I wake up. I even remember the times I woke up the next morning. I go for a long-term study within the next month, and I will let you know if they term those nocturnal seizures. If I think of it while I am in there I will ask the specialists about your experience and see if they are considered seizure activity or not. Try the benedryl, and keep me posted! Good Luck, Sam

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