sleep disorder

[Guest guest]

,

We did a 24-hour EEG with Finlay when he was just 6. When we were in the UK,

we never saw a neurologist. The paediatrician said there were no signs of

seizures, so it was not necessary.

When we moved to Belgium for my husband's job, they insisted on an EEG. It

showed continuous epileptic activity throughout the day, but with spikes at

night. No seizures were recorded. They then wanted us to medicate with

Depakine, but we refused. The spikes they recorded did not correspond with

the times he woke up. Also, he had exhausted himself so much in his panic

(hysterics) for being in the hospital with all those wires stuck to his head

that he slept better than usual.

Finlay also has a very sensitive stomach and we were worried that the

medication may cause more trouble when he was sick. We were told that once

he started the medication, missing a dose due to vomiting could bring on

seizures.

Some time later they suggested we try Frisium, just in the evening to help

settle the nighttime activity in his brain and it has largely done that. We

have added melatonin because he really hated going to bed. Now the melatonin

helps him drift off to sleep and the Frisium calms him down enough to have

reasonably quiet nights. We still have to get up a few times when he wants

to turn over or help him out of uncomfortable positions, but he sleeps so

much better now.

Annelies

Mum to Gregor (13), Finlay (10, BPP) and Rowan (5)

[Norton AntiSpam] Re: sleep disorder

Quinn will be 6 in January. Annelies, our experience sounds similar to

yours. Quinn cried some of the time at night, during those years he was

awake so frequently. But mostly he was just awake, uncomfortable, needing

entertainment. One weekend he'd only slept 6 out of 32 hours, and his

nights were only getting him about five hours at that point, and I called

the neurologist. Quinn had been sleeping worse and worse, and the neuro was

aware of it, so he prescribed Clonazepam. Quinn is still taking it, and it

works well. .5mg orally disintegrating tablet every evening. I am so glad

he has it. I think without it I would have lost my mind by now.

I'd be curious to know how the kids' sleep issues look on a graph or

something. It seems like there would have to be patterns and similarities.

Blessings,

(mom to 5)

--

Out of the Gray

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[Guest guest]

,

Night terrors; that is what they told us they were. But my eldest boy had a

few of those and Finlay's hysteria was really quite different.

It was only recently that a doctor told me that frontal lobe seizures are

often misdiagnosed as night terrors in small children.

I spent so many nights on the sofa downstairs with the baby because he would

not settle for any decent time and panic every time he woke up. I still do

not know whether night terrors is what he had or whether it was linked to

epilepsy which I was told he did not have at that time.

As he was diagnosed with continuous epileptic activity at the age of 6 - I

assume he had that since he was born.

When we saw Dr Dobyns in Seattle last summer, his colleague Dr Glass

recommended a new EEG, but Dobyns said that would not be useful because it

could not get much more irregular then what they had noted at age 6.

Finlay did outgrow those terror nights, but he has never been a good sleeper

and even with the medication he very rarely sleeps through the night.

Annelies

Mum to Gregor (13), Finlay (10, BPP) and Rowan (5)

sleep disorder

Do any of your kids have sleep disorders? What do you do for it?

Diane

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