TUESDAY, JUNE 15, 2010
Petit Mal Seizures
Kayla and Jeremy are living with us again, not that I'm complaining. I love especially waking up to Recker. Their house flooded last week. Hopefully, we can get the flooring back in this week so they can get home; I know they want to be in their own home.
Sunday night Recker was lying on my bed, and I was feeding him his bottle. He started to shake both of his arms; it scared me when I told Kayla about it; she said it had happened before. Yesterday she took him to the doctor was told her and Jeremy that Recker has petit mal seizures. He referred them to a pediatric neurologist. I researched these types of episodes on the Mayo Clinic website. Often, no underlying cause can be found for these seizures. Many children appear to have a genetic predisposition to them. Sometimes hyperventilation can trigger an attack.
In general, seizures are caused by abnormal nerve cell (neuron) activity in the brain. The brain's nerve cells usually communicate with each other by sending electrical and chemical signals across the synapses that connect the cells. In people who have seizures, the brain's usual electrical activity is altered. During a petit mal seizure, these electrical signals repeat themselves repeatedly in a three-second pattern.
Signs of petit mal seizures include:
Staring, without unusual movement
Lip-smacking
Fluttering eyelids
Chewing
Hand movements and
Small gestures of both arms
These seizures last only a few seconds and full recovery is almost instantaneous. Afterward, there is no confusion and no memory of the incident. Some children experience hundreds of these episodes each day, which interferes with their performance at school or work.
The good news is that some children grow out of this condition, and I expect Recker to be one of those children who will grow out of it.
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