My poor 19 month old :(

[Jenluv]

Hi guys.

My 19 Month old son has been showing signs of seizures. He has these weird eye movements. Not what Ive seen on youtube with seizures, he just looks around for a second, then his eyes go blank for 5 more seconds, then he's back to me again. He had a cluster of these on Sunday night with shaking. I took him to the ER, the kept him, put him on a 24 hour VEEG, nothing..no seizure activity. The shuddering that I explained were not seizures, though, which helped. Anyway, after 24 hours, the doctor suggested another 24 hours which I wanted to do. They found one episode. He said it was slight in the back on the side. I asked him what kind of seizures does he think ym son is having and he said Partial seizures. He then told me not to worry too uch about it, and then told me how slight the activity was on screen and said, my son was moving alot and he couldn't really get a good look plus my mother had my son on the floor walking a bit so he didn't get him on video to see any signs of a seizure.

I'm VERY confused.

Can artifacts mimic seizure activity? That was the ONLY thing wrong in 48 hours so I am lost

He doesn't do anything else when he had the episodes and he came too very fast!

 

[N Sperlo]

Jenluv,

We aren't doctors, so we cant give you a definite answer on weather an artifact can mimic seizure activity. I actually had to look it up to see what you meant.

One thing about EEGs are that you can't predict when a seizure will happen, so if it doesn't happen or happens when the video isn't on him, that is just how it will be.

Behavior during a seizure can be very funny. I have actually had two video EEGs and because of abnormal behavior (seizure related, not just my regular abnormal behavior that my wife likes to complain about) the doctors have requested to use the data for lectures they were giving. I could have a seizure and be back to normal within seconds. This is no uncommon.

Its hard to tell a parent in this situation to be patient, but unfortunately that is the best advice I can give you. Don't stress too much.

I hope for the best for you and your child. He is about the same age as my Godson.

 

[Cint]

I'm VERY confused.

Can artifacts mimic seizure activity? That was the ONLY thing wrong in 48 hours so I am lost

I'm very confused, too, as I'm not sure what you mean by "artifacts".

What you've described does sound like simple partial seizures. There are many different types of seizures, so make sure you are getting reliable info from YouTube. A simple partial seizure is different than a complex partial, although they are often confused and sometimes it takes several tests before the dr. comes to the right conclusion. Plus they are different for everyone.

Here is a reliable website regarding seizure activity:
http://www.epilepsy.com/epilepsy/seizure_simplepartial

 

[N Sperlo]

I'm very confused, too, as I'm not sure what you mean by "artifacts".

I was confused, too. Here is four pages. LEARNING TIME!

ftp://ftp.esat.kuleuven.be/sista/bhunyadi/BHunyadi_MimickingApproachForHESD.pdf
Page 2 Part C.

 

[Cint]

I'm very confused, too, as I'm not sure what you mean by "artifacts".

OK. I found the answer to my question. Here is what I found artifacts to mean:

http://www.epilepsy.com/epilepsy/eeg_where

How important is the skill of the person interpreting my EEG?

EEG interpretation is an acquired skill. Neurologists with extensive experience in reading EEGs can provide more accurate interpretations than those with limited experience. Neurologists who specialize in reading EEGs (neurophysiologists) read hundreds of them during their training so they can become skilled at interpreting them.

They learn, for instance, to recognize the many things besides seizure activity that can alter an EEG recording. Opening the eyes, mental concentration, breathing fast, or looking at flickering lights all alter brain-wave patterns. If you move (by closing your mouth, for example), that creates changes in the EEG called artifact.

 

[Nakamova]

Hi JenLuv, welcome to CWE.

If you're not happy with the information or care your son is getting from the neurologist don't hesitate to seek out a second or even third opinion, ideally from a pediatric neurologist. His current doc may well be right that you don't need to do anything at the moment, but it can' hurt to feel more confident that that's the right course to take.

In the meantime, pay close attention to your son's symptoms. If they seem to be escalating or progressing in any way, then you should get in touch with the docs. If you keep a diary, you may be able to note if there are particular times when his symptoms are more frequent. Sometimes the diary can help you find a connection to certain factors -- things like food intolerances or flashing lights or fatigue -- that may be triggering the seizure activity.

Best,
Nakamova