Community Forum Archive
The Epilepsy Community Forums are closed, and the information is archived. The content in this section may not be current or apply to all situations. In addition, forum questions and responses include information and content that has been generated by epilepsy community members. This content is not moderated. The information on these pages should not be substituted for medical advice from a healthcare provider. Experiences with epilepsy can vary greatly on an individual basis. Please contact your doctor or medical team if you have any questions about your situation. For more information, learn about epilepsy or visit our resources section.
absence seizures
Wed, 08/08/2007 - 11:50Topic: Parents & Caregivers
I'm new to this, not sure how all this works. I'm a mom looking for others who have children with absence seizures. My son is 14. He was diagnosed last year.
Comments
Re: absence seizures
Submitted by eanj on Wed, 2007-08-08 - 14:20
Good Afternoon!
My six year old daughter was diagnosed with absence seizures at age two. She is now six and responds well to her meds. (She is on Ethosuxamide)
We also have grand mal seizures during viral illness that turn into status. I hope for this to be outgrown someday but I am not crossing my fingers yet.
My daughter is not in grade school yet, but as a former teacher I would encourage you inform your son's teachers of his condition, so that he is not brushed off as a child who "just doesn't pay attention".
Also do not be shy about requesting a 504 plan for your son if he does begin to have any school troubles. It is your right to have one as epilepsy does qualify under this plan.
Jean
Re: Re: absence seizures
Submitted by healinghope on Thu, 2007-08-09 - 00:02
Thanks so much. I wasn't aware of the 504 plan. I looked it up on the net and at least have some info to help, if that is needed. Last year, he did struggle in school. We thought it was partly because he was going from home school to public school. We worked with Sylvan and things got better. I am hoping that is because they taught him some organizational skills and not because they were keeping him in line. He is a very bright young man and I'm not sure he would be looked at as inattentive--usually, it has been the opposite. I wonder if adhd might be a part of this? At Sylvan, she said he had so much going on in his mind that she wouldn't doubt that he hears something and says, I've got it and moves onto something else. They said he needed to work on active listening. He is very verbal, to the point of taxing the patience of most and has difficulty waiting. He was getting about 3 F's in school last year (at mid-quarter) before we took him to Sylvan. He did well when he got the work in--but he would forget to bring stuff home or forget to hand it in or forget to do it. He got A's when he did the work. He also seems to be very forgetful at home. For the most part, he is a sweet, caring kid--but since his seizures started, he has been a different kid. I now know that right before a seizure, he gets totally unreasonable. It's hard to know when he is being a normal 14 year old and when to maybe give some allowance for medication/seizure side affects. His last seizure was the end of July. This was his 2nd or 3rd grand mal (we didn't see the start of the first seizure). I mentioned to my husband and friend that I was concerned because he was so irritable and he had said his stomach felt weird--same things that happened before the first seizure. I also wonder about sugar, as I have seen others mention on blogs. He CRAVES sugar and dairy. I have to remind myself that we have a lot to be thankful for--it could be worse. As moms/parents it is always hard to see your child go through difficulties. Thanks so much for your response. I will continue to hope and pray for all parents and children affected.
Re: absence seizures
Submitted by reifman on Mon, 2008-02-18 - 14:12
I was glad to find your post, b/c my son is almost 11 and he sounds exactly like your son. He was diagnosed at 3-1/2 (although he was having them at least since 2-1/2) and we didn't medicate until age 7, while we were trying alternative treatments. He started with zarontin (ethosuximide) with good results for 8 months, then stomachaches, etc. He switched to lamictal and the GI stuff continued but he was also more angry. We are back on zarontin and have never been seizure free. He also craves sugar and dairy and I recently discovered he has allergies to many foods (wheat, dairy, soy, peanuts, eggs, and many more) and a very high yeast count (too much sugar). (FYI, people often crave their allergens.) He also does not absorb and metabolize food and nutrients normally. I never knew allergies could manifest as seizures, but I have found lots of information supporting that. I also think vaccines screwed up his immune system, leading to all these allergies and making it impossible for his body to function normally. They want to switch to depakote, which scares me b/c of this, which of course, the neurologists don't accept/believe. He is a great student, just doesn't want to do work, but has a high IQ in everything but math - may have a LD here. We are working on the 504 - I was told it was not "automatic" but I am fighting b/c he loses time on tests, therefore affecting his results. Anyway, thanks for your post and good luck - I hope this helps you, too.