EEG possible epilepsy?

[M0nkington]

The school has reported that my DC (5 years old) has moments of being vacant and not responding and has also had a bad fall in the playground requiring stitches. Our paed has referred DC for an EEG. Does anyone have any experience to share please?

Just wanted to share my experience with you. I had to have an EEG after an epilepsy diagnosis. I was about 13 though so much older than your little one. I was having tonic clinic seizures and the test was done after sleep deprivation (my seizures were at night.) They just put electrodes over my head in various places with some paste type stuff the worst bit is that it's just a bit cold! The electrodes were hooked up to a machine, lots of wires but nothing to worry about. I then had to sleep whilst they monitored my brain activity. I imagine your DC's would be done whilst they're awake, I only slept for mine because of the night time seizures! Not sure what they do if you're awake for it, I imagine there will be different toys or something to play with? It's not painful or anything like that so try not to worry, hope it goes well 🙂

My DSis had epilepsy as a child, she would have what they referred to at the time as 'absence seizures' where she which may be similar to what the school are talking about. She was diagnosed around 4 and it just disappeared overnight when she was around 8. I remember her having several EEGs, it was portable and she would wear it for 24 hours. she is now in her 20s and has no lasting affects.

My daughter has absence epilepsy, from age 6 she would go into a daze for about 30-60 seconds, and roll her eyes up into her head. At first I had just thought it was an odd face or a funny habit but it had happened one day when we were crossing the road and it clicked it couldn't be a habit or day dreaming. I took her to the doctors and they explained they thought it was a form of epilepsy and put her on some epilim liquid until she could get the proper tests done. We knew anyway as the doctor had asked her to sit down and take slow deep breaths and they would make her black out. She had all the tests done in hospital with things out on her head but that was fine, wasn't scary for her and didn't take long. She's now 11 and they've changed her medicine to a tablet form of ethosuximide and she takes one in the mornin and one before bed and she doesn't have any black outs at all, maybe once in a blue moon if she's got a cold or a bug and is run down. Hope this helps.

My dd has had a few, GOSH, they were not portable. One was sedated, is there anything you want to know in particular? Lots of toys and niceness and even my delayed dd was ok x

Thanks for the support, went in today and paed neuro tried to make him hyperventilate but he couldn't keep going for long enough. Actual EEG is tomorrow and they have asked for him to be sleep deprived and will try for some awake and some asleep. Not sure what I think now. The doc today seemed unconvinced that the school should be taken seriously. I don't know what to think.

At least if they do the tests they can have better idea of what's going on, if anything. I'm not sure that my EEG actually showed any flaws so to speak but there's no doubt with a tonic clinic that you're having a seizure! The sleep deprived bit is tough, especially for a 5yo, do they want him kept awake all night? I just had to watch awful night tv as there was no netflix or option to record programmes then! But I guess these days you could put some DVDs on good luck

Seizures can be brought on by stress, so it might be he's finding something a little tougher at school and that might be why he has them there or not at home. Or he has them at home but they're so short lived you miss them.

The majority of children who have epilepsy 'grow out of it' by mid-teens and are fully controlled by medication (although it can take time to find the right one).

I got it in my late teens so I'm stuck with it!

Good luck.