New and have questions about my son

[strbw]

Hello Everyone, I am a mom to two boys. My youngest, who is now 10, did have febrile seizures as a infant/toddler but has since outgrown them and it's been years since he had one.
Yesterday he told me when he woke up he was going to get out of bed and was sitting up and started shaking. He didn't lose conciousness, was not in pain or anything, he said he just shook for he thinks about a minute. He also urinated. I had to ask him for him to tell me that. After he told me about the shaking I asked if he remembered everything, he did. I asked if he drooled, he didn't. And then I asked him if he peed and he got embarrassed and said he did and immediately said "please don't tell anyone". Poor little guy. I explained he couldn't help it and reassured him that it was nothing to be embarrassed of. He said he had to change his underwear. I've been doing a little research and am a little concerned that this may have been a seizure but I didn't think you could remember having it.
Does anyone have any thoughts?? I told him be sure to let me know if anything like this happens again. Not sure if I should make a dr's appointment. Any advice or thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[epileric]

There are a lot of parents here that I"m sure can relate to you.

Yes, it is true that during a seizure people often don't remember them but that is not always true. Even if it is true, you have to remember that if your son doesn't remember something he's not going to know he doesn't remember. I used to think I could remember everything during my seizures but as I got older I realized that there were holes in what I could recall. Some people don't even remember the seizure itself. I'm told that might be what's happening with me (as well as the ones I"m aware of) but I haven't been tested yet to find out.

It might be best when you see your son having a seizure to possibly keep talking to him & when he comes out of it ask what he remembers you saying. I think that would give you a more accurate idea of what he remembers during a seizure. Also remember that not all seizures are the same. With mine I sometimes remember & am aware of everything, sometimes I"m not & sometimes I think I am but I'm not. It is possible that your sons seizures vary as well.

Meanwhile, check out the site here and get comfortable.

I hope you don't mind but I deleted your copy of this post in the Nursery because we try not to double post.

[strbw]

No I don't mind and thank you for a response. I reposted here because it seems to have more activity.

I know you can't say for sure but does this sound like a seizure to you? Is it possible to just have one seizure and that he won't have anymore?? Would it be worth taking him to a doctor for testing? I dont' know if the brain always is acting up with epilepsy or if they just would see activity during a seizure?

Sorry for all the questions. I just dont' know what to do or expect.

[epileric]

Don't worry about all the questions.... it just means we're being useful and that's good.

What you described does sound like a seizure to me but I would suggest getting the opinion of a neurologist to be sure.

It is possible to have one seizure & not have another, I'm not sure how common that is though. From what I know most medical institutions don't define someone as epileptic until they've had 2 or more seizures. At least now you know to be on the lookout for more.

Personally I would ask my GP if s/he could refer me to a good neurologist.

[Nakamova]

Hi strbw, welcome!

You might want to ask your son if he's had any other "shaking" episodes, or any other unusual symptoms. It's possible that it's happened before and he didn't want to mention it. I agree with Eric, it's worth getting neurologist's opinion.

Best,
Nakamova

[strbw]

Thanks. I did ask him if it's happened to him before. He said no. I kind of wonder if maybe he just had muscle spasms or something. But that wouldn't be his whole body and cause him to urinate. I wish so badly I would've seen it. Also if it were a seizure wouldn't he be really tired afterward?? That's how it was when he was younger.

[Rae1889]

To me it sounds more like a Complex Partial Seizure than a tonic clonic. unless he woke up on the floor.

I am not usually super tired after a Complex partial. Just a little off for a few minutes to an hour.

[strbw]

Actually he never lost consciousness and remembers it. He said when it stopped he was just glad it did and didn't know what happened and had to change his underwear b/c he wet himself. So strange.

[Rae1889]

I have heard of people wetting themselves during/after Complex Partial seizures. and slightly less common with simple partial seizures, but it has happened. I guess I am one of the lucky ones and have only wet myself once after a tonic clonic.

Like Epileric said, It may have felt like only a minute to him, and he may thinks he remembers it all, but its very possible that it was longer and he blanked out for some of it. Our memories cannot be trusted during or after a seizue. Sometimes I think that the seizure lasted 30 seconds, when it fact it was closer to 3 minutes. I only really notice the time loss if the area around me has changed.

[strbw]

I hadn't even thought of that, him remembering just part of it. I guess I don't know how long he was awake before it started or if maybe it woke him up.

How long have you been having seizures?

[Rae1889]

Tonic clonic since I was 18-19 (im 21 now. almost 22)

unidentified and undiagnosed Simple partials, absences myoclonics and Complex partials since I was about 9

[valeriedl]

Alot of the seizures I have I don't know that I had it. Many times I'll come out of it and my husband will ask me if I'm alright now. I won't have any idea what he's talking about until he tells me that I've had a seizure. I spend most of the day at home alone so we don't know how many seizures I'm actually having. Sometimes I'll get tired after one and sometimes I won't.

I would suggest taking him to a dr just to see what's going on.

[Nakamova]

I kind of wonder if maybe he just had muscle spasms or something. But that wouldn't be his whole body and cause him to urinate. I wish so badly I would've seen it. Also if it were a seizure wouldn't he be really tired afterward??

His symptoms do fit with simple partial seizures. Simple partial seizures have four categories of symptoms: motor, autonomic, sensory or psychological. It sounds like your son is experiencing motor symptoms (movements such as jerking and stiffening.) and autonomic symptoms. Autonomic symptoms are ones that affect the autonomic nervous system. They can include things like a racing heart beat, stomach upset, diarrhea, and loss of bladder control.

[RobinN]

My daughter has severe loss of memory following a seizure. She loses hours of memory prior to a seizure. She only knows that she has had one, because of the people around her.

She use to have bladder issues, though never related to a seizure, and this was resolved when she was doing neurofeedback therapy. She has not had a problem since.

She also remains med free and seizure free since making important nutritional changes to her diet.

[momofthree]

STRBW, I think it is work a call to your doctor or a visit to the neurologist. I was told that there is a high percentage of people that will have just one seizure and that is it, on the other hand it may happen again and you never know what your son is doing or who is taking care of him at the time. My son is 7.5 and was just diagnosed with epilepsy, we left the hospital with a 60% likely hood of epilepsy but chose not to medicate, well three days later he had three grand mal seizures in a 90 minute period, it was the scariest moments of our life. Since being medicated he has not had any grand mal seizures, possibly some partial but nothing like what we had experienced.
Good luck to you and your son and go to the doctor. You would hate for something like this to happen while swimming or eating or on the football field.