Not so by need the traffic, we had a seizure

[dizzycatdance2]

Hi I'm hosp, ds 14 had a seizure this am, ambulance yo hosp, on children's ward.

What questions to no need to ask of Dr when they come ?

Ta

Ds had a seizure, not we

Oh for Pete's sake, need the traffic!

Demand and insist on proper diagnosis which is expensive. Do not be fobbed off with a px for Valium suppositories. Do not accept a clinical diagnosis without actual test results.

A private diagnosis?

What does p.x mean ?

px is a prescription - but its jargon in my view

I would be asking (I am lay not medical) what reason they think he had one
What investigations are they doing
What is it likely to be and the outcomes/impacts of that on DS
What referral is being made for investigations

The importance of not accepting a diagnosis without actual tests is that once labelled as epileptic it can impact your whole life including your ability to drive, being able to do certain jobs etc. Also the type of epilepsy is also important and this wouldn't be diagnosable unless proper investigations and tests are done

Thank you ,
I saw him have the seizure, he bit hid tounge which I think is a sign. He looked like a seizure , arms and legs ",going "

If it's not epilepsy what else could it be ?

try and get some oraljel available from chemists for his tongue as it will get more painful in the coming days before it gets better or salt in water

Push for a proper diagnosis

Toddler seizures are fairly common, they have a special name- can’t for the life of me remember what it is. They often come alongside illness and will be grown out of. They cause no harm at all. I can’t promise that’s what it is but it’s likely.

Causes of seizures can include:

Abnormal levels of sodium or glucose in the blood
Brain infection, including meningitis and encephalitis
Brain injury that occurs to the baby during labor or childbirth
Brain problems that occur before birth (congenital brain defects)
Brain tumor (rare)
Drug abuse
Electric shock
Epilepsy
Fever (particularly in young children)
Head injury
Heart disease
Heat illness (heat intolerance)
High fever
Phenylketonuria (PKU), which can cause seizures in infants
Poisoning
Street drugs, such as angel dust (PCP), cocaine, amphetamines
Stroke
Toxemia of pregnancy
Toxin buildup in the body due to liver or kidney failure
Very high blood pressure (malignant hypertension)
Venomous bites and stings (snake bite)
Withdrawal from alcohol or certain medicines after using for a long time

Please check heart my seizures were my heart stopping it's called syncope and atrial fibrillation

@Excited101 is probably thinking of febrile seizures but they don't tend to happen after age 3yrs. Can't imagine that's what it would be in a 14yo. I had them as a baby.

They may not be about to diagnose epilepsy on one seizure. Has he ever had "absences? Staring off into space, that sort of thing.

You'll expect to see a neurologist to discuss diagnosis and treatment options.

They may do an EEG (checking electricial signals in the brain) or an MRI. It's possible these will not be whilst he is on the ward, but he may be booked in for a few weeks time, especially if he has only one seizure and has come out of it ok.

My Ds was recently diagnosed with epilepsy after a prolonged seizure. They don't normally offer diagnosis until at least 2 seizures but he has a specific type that is easily recognisable.

Do ask what tests they are intending to do and how long before they do them. DS was given a head CT the same day but we had to wait weeks for EEG and head MRI

They’ll do a set of “first fit” bloods in A&E. If there is no immediately obvious reversible problem at the time then he will most likely be referred to “first fit” clinic which will get him seen by neurology and further investigations done if needed.

He isn’t going to get a diagnosis of epilepsy on his first attendance in ED with a seizure.

OP - as PPs have said, make sure everything is checked out thoroughly but, above all, don't panic. A friend of mine had one fit at around the same age and she was immediately referred as potential epileptic as it ran in the family but she never had another. She's now in her 40's. good luck

Oh I’m sorry! I read it as 14m but I see your ds is 14y. All the best op. x

you're in the right place, so at least he is safe. They'll rule out anything that means he needs to stay in before referring you on.

Try not to panic about being dismissed or un-diagnosed, we have excellent care pathways in the UK, people will tell you horror stories just like they did when you were pregnant.

Deep breaths, get some fresh air off the ward and have a think about what questions you need answered, write them down.

Good luck

@onioncrumble demanding things will do no good whatsoever. It’s rude and unnecessary.

DB had a seizure at 14 with no known cause. He injured his face quite severely (and recovered). The hospital put it down to hormone surge. He's quite prone to fainting from stress like after a dental appointment but never had another seizure. I also have a friend where psychological causes were thought to be the cause (no physical cause found, happened at times of stress, stopped when she had a baby - not a conscious thing obviously but she stopped having seizures once caring for her newborn). You should ask for blood work and scans to rule out other causes to.

Thanks for all the advice. We are off for a heart trace and then home.

Back for a scan and clinic visit in the new year.

Hopefully just a one off, well see.

I was terrified he'd hit his head and was having a seizure because of that. Falling over because of the seizure is far less scary.

sounds quite similar to what happened to DS when he ws 18. He'd had a history of febrile seizures as a small child but we'd assumed he grew out of them. Then at 18, BANG. Huge tonic clonic seizure while at home. out of the blue. Out for a good ten minutes so it was a longish one. Off to hospital where the duty doc told us he had epilepsy. However, as we discovered at future appointments with neurologist, and following an EEG, you're not classed as epileptic until you have a second seizure. DS was given option to go on anti seizure meds and did so because he said he needed to get on with life. Now, there've been no further seizures. But we don't know if that's because the meds are working or whether he would never have had another one anyway. However, 5 years down eh line his neurologist is suggesting he comes off the meds. I'm wary but DS is now a big married grown up and is inclined to try.
And by the way that single seizure was enough to have his driving license taken away. He got it back a tortuous 17 months later.
So - get an EEG done asap. DS's showed no photosensitivity, but did show some scarring probably caused by childhood seizures, and which may have been the cause of the short-circuit which caused the big one at 18. Then follow up with neurologist. The trouble is, its very imprecise, and like us you may end up with no real answers!

Interestingly DS used to get migraines (or what we thought were migraines, wit visual disturbances). The neurologist reckons they could have been seizures. Brains are funny things

Seizures can be caused by many things, not just epilepsy. MRI and EEGs are standard tests. Fingers crossed for you that it's nothing serious

DS had absence seizures as a child, controlled by Sodium Valproate.
He came off the meds successfully, but about a year later (aged 13 or 14 IIRC) had a Grand Mal seizure.
Hospital did basic tests which showed nothing, but a month later he had another one, so went back on the meds (Sodium Valproate again) and had no more seizures.
Had no issues getting a provisional license, and after a few years on the meds he came off them almost a year ago.
OP, if your DS has a second seizure, the best thing you can do (after clearing any danger from the immediate area) is film the seizure on your phone.
The consultant can get a lot more information from a video than from even a detailed description.