Info on Brain Scarring Please?

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donnajane

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My almost 13month old had his lattest appointment with his Nureo last friday. On the same day he had an event at child care while he was lying on the floor playing, eyes rolled back in his head several times and then they said it appeared that one arm stopped working, it was covering his eye, eventually he got frustrated and used his other arm to lift it off. The arm that hadn't been "working" came good a few minutes later.
Nureo said he is a bit concerned with the events my son has where he "disconnects" usually goes to the side or forward and then "comes back" dazed and also how he still pulls himself along the floor left arm tucked under and not using his left leg. He can though now pull himself to stand but again he mainly uses his right side. The Nureo asked had we noticed when he plays he uses his right arm and has not as much control of his left I said yes but isn't he just right handed. Of course I was told to early to be that dominant in one hand. Instead of seeing my son in 3months he wants to see him again in 4 weeks and on the same day he is scheduled for and EEG. He also has put him on and MRI list for the Children's hospital which he hopes will be done within 6months, in his letter from the appointment he says the MRI is looking for scarring on his brain.
Is there a good site I can look up re this. I thought if he had scarring on his brain wouldn't he permanently have disability all the time, I know he has problems constantly with his left side but how do his events/seizures relate with scarring on the brain?
Also any tips for his next EEG. Is it best to not let him sleep before? His EEG is mid morning and usually he would be due for a nap before hand. This is his 5th EEG and after the last one in Jan his Nureo said he probably wouldn't need another yet he has scheduled another 2months after his last.
Thanks
Donnajane
 
Just a tiny scar can be enough to "irritate" the brain and cause seizures, but not affect anything else. Plus, the neuro may be looking for other possible structural issues too, and just put down "scarring' on the MRI request as a first guess. I'm glad the neuro's taking things more seriously, and getting a move on this testing.

No guarantees that keeping him awake will produce results on his EEG, but worth trying anyway -- Fatigue is the #1 seizure trigger, so a sleepy boy might have more interesting brainwaves.

I hope you get some answers soon.
 
DonnaJane,
Scarring could also be from Mesial Temporal Sclerosis (MTS), if you want to do some research on that. Did he have any head injuries when he was younger?... just a few things to consider.
It can be a tricky one... MTS can be the reason for seizures, or seizures over time in the same spot can cause MTS (scarring/buildup of dead tissue). But that's what testing is for, an MRI would pick the scarring up. Good luck getting it all sorted out!!
 
Hi DonnaJane,

I used to take grandmal seizures quite regularly as a baby from 9 months - 2 or 3 years old. I went 21 years seizure free until 2002 when at the age of 24 I started taking seizures again.
I had EEGs / MRIs done & the MRI showed that I had scarring on my front left temporal lobe. The specialists think that the scarring may have been caused by the grandmals I had as a baby but no one knows why I went so long without having seizures.

Good luck with your babies tests & I hope you get some answers.
 
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