siezure

Eric had his first seizure yesterday at school. As many as half of kids with cerebral palsy (CP) have seizure disorders. I was optimistic and hoping that we would avoid this complication with Eric. So, although it’s not all that surprising, it is disappointing. I got a call from the school around noon-time that Eric had seizure activity that lasted about 3 minutes. He also turned blue and stopped breathing for several seconds; common with a seizure, but still very scary.

He was taken to UMass Worcester via ambulance where they started an IV and did a bunch of lab work. Once in the ER, Eric fell asleep, which is unusual for Eric, but again common after a seizure. The doctor also ordered a CAT scan. We ended up spending 7 hours in the ER, most of that time was just waiting to have the CAT scan. Every time Eric would get to the top of the list, a trauma case would bump him. Finally, his nurse decided to take him upstairs to in-patient radiology for the scan. All things considered, Eric was on his best behavior at the hospital, but I knew there was no way he would stay still for a CAT scan. So, they gave him Versed IV for the scan.

His labs were all normal and the CAT scan showed enlargement of the ventricular system, which is Eric’s base-line, but no other abnormalities. So the plan is to follow-up with Eric’s pediatrician and see a neurologist. He will need to have an EEG (electroencephalogram) and probably start on seizure medication. It is possible that this was an isolated episode, although I’m not getting my hopes up, since seizures are so common for kids with CP. I’ve also read that sometimes puberty can bring on seizures for kids with neurological problems who were seizure-free before puberty. So, one more diagnosis to add to the list…

We finally got out of the ER at 9pm last night. I will keep Eric home from school today and watch him. Here are a couple of camera phone photos taken at the hospital.