abnormal EEG
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| Tue, 05-17-2005 - 11:44pm |
Got Dave's results today. Don't know what exactly it means yet but it was mildly abnormal. I was at the therapists and Mike came out when I was talking to the nurse prac so she said she would call me back tomorrow.
All she did say was that we are not crazy. Dave's behavior, etc, has a noted neurological basis. There were no specific seizure files. It is possible that ritalin made symptoms worse. Beyond that I know nothing. And it is driving me crazy.
I just want to know if he could have had seizures on the stims so I know to never give them again if it did. And what does it mean? Is it a normal abnormal? In other words will kids with ADHD and such have abnormal readings like this and that is normal for ADHD or PDD kids or is it more.
Ugh, can't wait until tomorrow.
Renee


I'm sorry you have to wait. Vibes++++++++
Samantha
Hello,
As an RN it is possible that I can set your mind as ease just a little bit. Noone is ever reassured until they know for sure. However, abnormal heart rhythms can be normal in children. Sometimes their heart just hasn't got it down yet. For the most part, this is not an alarming finding. Without knowing what else is going on, I can't tell you for sure. HOwever, if you wish to post all signs/symptoms and other happenings, I would be glad to troubleshoot with you a bit and see what you may want to look into.
As for Ritalin, the most serious reactions on this medication include seizures and ventricular arrhythmia's, which could be the cause of the abnormal EEG. The more common heart related side effects are plain palpitations, where it feels like the heart is bounding, increased heart rate and angina or chest pain. It may very well be that you need to look into other medications with less side effects. You mentioned the possibility of seizures. Does this run in your family at all? If so that would make any child more susceptable to that side effect.
Anyway. Feel free to post or contact privately if you need any information. I will be glad to assist.
PJ
Pj: 31 Healthy Kris: 38, Wonderful husband, Vasectomy at 23, Failed reversal x1
IVF#1: ER: 05/11/10 ET: 05/14/10 HPT+ 05/24/Hi Renee,
Waiting must be really hard. Sending you hugs and positive thoughts.
Katherine
Renee,
Have you found anything out yet?? I hate waiting for results too....it's such a pain. And to have all those thoughts just swarming around wondering how serious or how not serious it all is!!!! Let us know what you hear!
Michelle
PJ
Thank you for your input but I think there might have been a slight misunderstanding. EEG not EKG. He actually does have an innocent heart murmur, but this time we were testing for seizures. He went to a cardiologist when he was about 2-3 for the murmer to check it and all was fine. I had one I grew out of too.
His sister has quiet an abnormal EEG and a diagnosis of partial seizures, possible epileptic aphasia. She has been on anti-convulsants for 4 years and it never cleared her EEG but she is not having any seizure like symptoms anymore so most likely we will be able to remove that diagnosis and the AED's soon.
Dave had a history of significant regressions as a toddler but he would always gain most of the skills back. This was particularly with regards to language. The most recent on on record was about a year ago when he was going through testing and the SLP noted changes in his language during one of these periods. He stopped using pronouns or something. It is harder to tell now when his langauge regresses than when he was little. He would totally loose language when a tot, not it is more subtle.
Recently, when on ritalin, Dave started to have what looked like Absense seizures. This was with 3 different people noticing at different times (DH, my mom when babysitting and his sunday school teacher) so we went to the neuro again. She ordered the EEG to rule out or in absense seizures.
This abnormal one I feel tells me next to nothing. On the one hand it doesn't totally rule out seizures because there is something there but at the same time didn't rule it in because he didn't have an actual seizure or seizure file while hooked up.
Thank you for your input.
What really helped was your noting that the biggest side effect of ritalin is seizures. Now I know for sure to stay away from that.
Renee
Well. That will teach me to read and respond without coffee or contacts in :) I am glad something I rambled about helped. Although Ritalin does not cause seizures in every child, it is a real, less common side effect. This is especially true since it sounds like forms of seizures may have familial natures for you. I have found that Discovery Health has a great drug checker. I of course own the nurses drug guide, and that has been a life saver for me. I always look everything up my family takes, even cough medicine, just to be sure. The change the warnings and interactions so much that even someone in the field has a hard time keeping up.
Maybe it's a form of simple-partial seizures, where they remain awake, have no recollection of it, etc, etc. Similar to abscence seizuresm but with more of a recurrance.
As a side note, and maybe something to consider when you are over this particular hurdle. I have often wondered if Asperger's/PDD children are more susceptible to reflex epilepsy. This would be recurrent seizures in response to a stimulus. YOu know, flashing light, noise, etc. HOwever, it can also be tactile, as a matter of fact, any sensation can initiate it. So, since many of our children are in fact overstimulated by their senses, could it be that this overstimulation causes seizures?
Ah, just a theory. That will probably be my doctorate thesis, since I am truly intruiged by the possibilty.
Pj: 31 Healthy Kris: 38, Wonderful husband, Vasectomy at 23, Failed reversal x1
IVF#1: ER: 05/11/10 ET: 05/14/10 HPT+ 05/24/