how can I be certain that these are seizures

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kimberlyrknight

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My 9 year old daughter has been having these for about 8 months. At least 2 times a month, until the end of july then 2 times a week. They start out as blank stare, her face turns grey, she dosent/cant respond for about 2 minutes. She then begins to cry and says her head and stomach hurt she goes to sleep wakes up a couple of hours later and feels better. She was just started on keppra 250 bid, which had to be in creased to 500 bid. because she was still having them. We went to neurology and she said they sound like temporal lobe seizures. EEG wnl. She is scheduled for a 48hr eeg and mri. She was born with a Large Vascular malformation on her right shoulder and arm, I am so afraid that there is an AV malformation in her brain. I dont like using the keppra without confirmation that these truly are seizures. Can anyone give me any advice on this?
 
Hi kimberlyrknight, welcome to CWE!

I'm sorry your daughter is struggling with what may or may not be seizures. Perhaps the 48hr MRI or EEG will give you the confirmation you are looking for. For many people with seizure disorders, the EEG will come up negative, especially if the seizures originate too deep in the brain to register on the test. In those cases, doctors make the diagnosis based on the clinical evidence -- i.e. the actual symptoms -- as well as whether the patient responds to anti-seizure medication.

The symptoms you describe do sound like seizures. But don't hesitate to seek out a second or third opinion from a pediatric neurologist if you don't feel confident in a seizure diagnosis. Since not all medications work for every patient, make sure to discuss alternatives to Keppra. It could be that the Keppra just isn't working for your daughter and is making things worse. Another option to consider (if you haven't already) is diet -- the Modified Atkins Diet has shown success in treating absence seizures, especially in children.

Best,
Nakamova
 
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