Is this a seizure in 12 year old?

[Adviceonseizures]

Hi, today my 12 year old came downstairs and started wandering around aimlessly, he said he felt strange then started rambling about things that didn't make sense. He said his arms felt weird. When I was asking what was wrong with him he couldn't answer me properly, kept saying its because younger dc was asleep even though he was stood next to him and because younger dc had an airline now
He said his ears hurt. He was slurring his words and couldn't walk in a straight line, he kept walking all around the room aimlessly and his eyes looked vacant.

I rang an ambulance as I didn't know what was happening. By the time the ambulance arrived he was ok, although he couldn't even remember walking downstairs never mind what had happened. We went to hospital to get him checked over, everything was fine.

For the rest of the day he has been very sleepy, fell asleep twice and said he felt lightheaded.

He had a similar thing when he was five and the doctor said it was a seizure.

So can it be seizures without any jerking at all?

I'm going to make a go appt tomorrow for him.

Also should he go to school as normal tomorrow? Last time it happened his arms and legs were really achy the day after but if they are not tomorrow do you think he would be ok to go to school if I tell them what has happened?

Yes it can be a seizure simulate to an absence, I would speak to your gp re getting an EEG done seizures can become more frequent in puberty so it's worth getting follow up from your gp, glad he is better now start keeping a diary of how long it lasts what he does etc if it happens again

It may help his GP if you video it happening.

Try to think of what he was doing beforehand, was there a trigger? Maybe he got too hot, stressed about something.

Keeping a note of when it happens is a good idea, it may become more frequent or it may not happen again.

I will video it if it happens again. Hopefully it won't though. He said he felt like he was in a dream for the rest of the day. He's fine today though.

I'm going to ring school in a minute and let them know what happened. He's going to France with school in 3 weeks, I hope they will still take him.

Can't think of a trigger, he had just been to the shop and then had breakfast, no fever or anything. When he was five it was while he had been watching TV, no fever then either.

It sounds as if it could be complex partial seizures. There doesn't have to be a trigger. However you do need to get a referral to a paediatric neurologist for an EEG and possibly an MRI to see if a diagnosis of epilepsy is needed. Partial seizures are ones which are located and confined to one area of the brain. Generalised seizures (which is when you are more likely to see loss of consciousness and jerking) spread across the brain. Partial seizures can spread so it is important you have further investigations done to see if he needs medications to prevent further episodes. Been dealing with epilepsy in my LO for almost 2.5 years now so feel free to PM if you want to ask any questions.