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Syncope vs. Seizures

Sun, 11/08/2015 - 10:29
My son has had approximately a dozen episodes that resemble seizures in the last 3 years. He is four. They occur when he hurts himself. They last only 10 to 20 second. He typically cries, then goes silent. His eyes roll to the side and remain open. He stiffens and sometimes jerks. He has lost bladder control on some occasions. He comes out of these states slowly and typically cries very softly. He has had EEGs which have all come back normal. EKG was also normal. Has anyone had a similar experience? If it is syncope,it seems strange that he becomes incontinent and that they keep reoccurring. They typically occur when he has been sick. They also seem to cluster - happening 2 to 3 times in a few weeks, and then not for several months. Any thoughts are welcomed.

Comments

His eyes roll to the side and

Submitted by just_joe on Sun, 2015-11-08 - 11:02
His eyes roll to the side and remain open. He stiffens and sometimes jerks. He has lost bladder control on some occasions The EEG is a brain wave test showing the electrical activity commong from the brain. I had 20-25 different EEG's and all came back normal. I fell asleep in one which had abnormalities. SO by seeing 1 EEG being normal is not going to make a difference. The EKG shows what the heart is doing.I do know that syncope can cause seizures but these may not be associated with syncope. seem to cluster - happening 2 to 3 times in a few weeks  They typically occur when he has been sick.. When one is sick their system is draining energy.battling against the illness. Even taking medications when I get sick I watch myself closer knowing that that is when my system is lower then usual. So yes he can have a high threshold against seizures but once he gets sick it lowers which can cause these episodes. You do need to get him to a neurologist that specializes in epilepsy since they know more then a GP and know more about medications. The longe he goes without treatment the seizures will get more frequent and stronger. I am not a parent of a kid with epilepsy. I speak from what I have gone thru. I have been living and dealing with epilepsy for 50+ years I hope this helps and your son gets seizure free  Joe   

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