Newly diagnosed- 5yrs old

WelcomeWhen they say the EEG came back with  abnormalities during the light test they know where they came from. Did you decide or the neurologist work with you in order to do the 24 hr EEG.  They said the spiking activity was the reason for the diagnosis. Abnormities are spikes, waves, and epileptiform or even seizure activity. ALL of those can cause an electrical impulse to hit wrong in the brain. The wrong hit causes a chain reaction which would be the seizure itself.If a test were done by his pediatrician  and they gave you a RX for blood pressure would you fill it?? The blood pressure is affected by the heart and strips are run on your heart. Even  your PC does them from time to time. Well those tests run on electrical impulses too. High blood pressure is controlled by meds that control the number of beats per minute. Seizure medications are a little different since they are to stop electrical impulses from hitting wrong. I have both issues. Epilepsy and A-fib. The A-fib had intermittent A-flutter. MEds keep the number of beats where the DOCS want them. Just like finding the right medication for seizures can lower the number of seizures one might have.

This was extremely helpful. Thank you so much for taking the time to reply to me, I really appreciate it. The neurologist offered the 24 hour study and I declined. Honestly, I was completely caught off guard with all of this and fully expected to go in to that appointment as a "precaution." I was not prepared at all to have abnormal results as all the other testing came back normal. I'm still trying to grasp all the information because of course I will do whatever is best for my child. I just want to make sure I'm making the right decision since I have absolutely no experience with this at all. I'm a single mom, so the decision falls solely on me. I don't want to mess it up. I'm sure you understand the fear I have! Now that I semi have a grasp of what's truly going on, I have decided to move forward with the 24-hr study to better understand everything. 

Welcome to the best site that nobody ever wants to have to go to.  Yes, AED's are scary.  My son has been taking multiple medications to control his seizures since before he was two (he's nine now) and the side effects have been (at times) awful, but we learned how to deal with it.  What type of seizure did she have (focal, motor, unknown onset)?  How long did it last?  Did it stop on it's own or did she need to go to the ER?What medications are they prescribing?  Many times the side effects will fade as the body adjusts to the medication.  Sometimes they don't.  Go to the "LEARN" page and look up the medication the neurologist suggested to see the possible side effects.  There is a ton of information available on this website.  Please go looking and educate yourself.Please understand, as bad as the side effects of an AED can be.  Uncontrolled seizures are usually much worse.