Abdominal Epilepsy

[Pnal]

Hi,
My little boy has complex partial seizures. He's on Trileptal, Keppra, magnesium and B6. For a year he's been waking up, once in a while, out of his sleep having a different type of seizure. His mouth is wired open, eyes wide, throat tight and his stomach tense but vibrating and making noises. It lasts 5 - 10 seconds. Could this be abdominal epilepsy? He says his stomach feels funny and he can't talk. It's not his normal seizure. He also suffers from bloating and stomach pain. One of his neurologists "thinks" this might be abdominal epilepsy, though one of these seizures has not been caught yet on an EEG. I have shown a video of this seizure to another neurologist, and she didn't know what it was.

Second question - if anybody does think this might be abdominal epilepsy, I've noticed these seizures only happen when he's had an abundance of sodium filled foods. These episodes happen in 10 - 30 minute intervals and I have him drink water after each episode, and they eventually stop. Has anyone heard of this or experienced it?

Any insight or information would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!!!

 

[Nakamova]

Hi Pnal, welcome to CWE!

My (unprofessional) opinion is that it sounds like your son is experiencing a variant of complex partial seizure, based on the fact that he is conscious but impaired in terms of being able to speak. I don't think abdominal epilepsy tends to involve impaired awareness. But I think a few CWE members have had abdominal epilepsy and may be able to shed some light. Below are links to some posts from the archives:
http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/forums/f23/abdominal-epilepsy-21042/
http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/forums/f23/anyone-get-stomach-pain-before-during-seizure-19337/
http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/forums/f23/abdominal-epilepsy-17825/
http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/forums/f20/severe-abdominal-pain-11205/
http://www.coping-with-epilepsy.com/forums/f23/abdominal-epilepsy-9586/

It's interesting that foods with high sodium content may be responsible. Are they also processed foods? Are there other ingredients in them that might be contributing (like gluten/preservatives/MSG)? Too much sodium can definitely cause bloating. It might also be throwing off his electrolyte balance, which can be triggering as well. Does he take the magnesium before bed? That might help.

Best,
Nakamova