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Opinions please - seizures or just night terrors?
Tue, 04/14/2015 - 15:00Topic: Parents & Caregivers
My 3.5 year old has been really scaring me lately, and I just don't know what to think about it. I know it could maybe be night terrors...but I am also worried it might be some form of seizures. I was hoping for some opinions from people with experience with this, before he sees his doctor next Monday. Last night was the third or fourth time this has happened to him in the last couple of months. He wakes up in the middle of the night screaming and crying uncontrollably, and his crying sounds so weird and shaky and choking like, a cry I have never heard from him before. He is also shaking very hard all over, arms, legs, his body, even his teeth are chattering. His eyes are open but he won't look at me he just stares straight up or to the side blankly and he doesn't respond to anything I say or do, as if I am not there. It usually lasts a couple of minutes, and then he just stops, looks at me and wants comforted. Seems totally fine, talks to me and whatnot, goes back to sleep, wakes up fine the next day. The very first time it happened I heard him screaming and I ran in his room to see him doing all that I described only he was also covered in vomit, that was the only time he vomited though. After the shaking stopped I gave him a bath and he tried talking to me several times but I couldn't understand him (he is otherwise a great talker and always very easy to understand). But this was the only time that happened, and by the time his bath was over and I carried him to my bed he was talking normal again. Fine the next day. I'm just so confused and worried. My 7 year old used to have night terrors but I don't remember them being this crazy. Thank you in a advance for any opinions or advice.
Comments
I think what you are seeing
Submitted by sjowarner@gmail.com on Mon, 2015-05-04 - 17:07
I think what you are seeing is well worth pursuing with the medical experts. I would go straight to a center with expertise I seizures.,ie. don't start with a genral neuro. They are often worse than clueless and will delay actions far longer than a field expert would. Quick diagnosis, medication, and even possible surgery are critical in best outcomes long term. My daughter, now 30, had her first seizures when she was seven. One of the very first involved lack of awareness of surroundings, vomiting, unable to speak in the middle of night. I chalked that event off to "interesting, strange, hmmm". What followed was a series of (later to be diagnosed) seizures at school and home. Interestingly, the vomit side effect was present in the first several events, but for many years has no longer been a part of a typical seizure. We stayed with a general neuro for awhile (in retrospect, far too long -- lived in small city without pedi neuro or even better, a epileptologist) and it took a pediatric neuro and epileptologists to eventually find professionals who seemed to know what they were doing. The only real advice I would have as a parent who dealt with something very similar more than two decades ago: take it seriously, find your closest level four epilepsy center, book an appointment and report all you have seen. If able, a video clip would be worth more than the proverbial 1000 words. At worst, you will have cried "wolf" needlessly. At best, you will have quickly placed yourself where you are most likely to get competent and prompt care.
Oh, one more thing. I don't
Submitted by sjowarner@gmail.com on Mon, 2015-05-04 - 17:09
Oh, one more thing. I don't know about epilepsy centers in other areas, but here there can be a very awful waiting period of six months or more for that initial appointment. I'd book the soonest apt available AND also see a general neuro. Possible, that neuro can pull strings to get you into a center earlier if need be.
...but I am also worried it
Submitted by just_joe on Tue, 2015-04-14 - 16:40
...but I am also worried it might be some form of seizures He is also shaking very hard all over, arms, legs, his body, even his teeth are chattering His eyes are open but he won't look at me he just stares straight up or to the side blankly and he doesn't respond I gave him a bath and he tried talking to me several times but I couldn't understand him The first 3 could be parts of seizures and the last one could be postictal where the person is out of the seizure but not back to normal. Where talking is there is the words are run together or sounds like the person is babbling on about something others don't kow what. The vomiting is also what happens to some people in a seizure. This is not sleep terror because of the shaking which could also be considered convulsive where all muscles jerk . The day after will be just like other days he may get tired earlier in the day because of the energy lost while in the seizure. If this were my child I would first contact my doctorand discuss it with him. Ir I would be asking him for a referal to a pediactric neurologist. Another thing you might do is catch him in this state and video it and show it to the doctor. I hope this helps and he gets the assistance he needs Joe