6 Month Old Had Seizure

I would seek a second opinion from another doctor right away, even if she hasn't had a second seizure. I don't know much about seizures but this doesn't sound like something to be brushed off. As a parent I would want answers - what type of seizure is it, what is causing it, what concerns should I have, how is it treated, what should I do if it happens again, etc. Best wishes to you.

First of all you have to be the advocate for your children. Don't always leave it up to the doctors. If you feel like they are not doing enough, go to someone else! Either change doctors or just tell him out right that you want your child to see a specialist. My doctor will write a referral every time. As a matter of fact, I don't even ask. I make the appoinment with whatever specialist, then call and tell then I need a referral and they just ask the questions to fill it out.

You may want to consider changing pediatricians if you are not happy with the level of care you receive. See a specialist for the seizure and the breathing problems.

The seizure could have been just a once in a lifetime thing, it could be the onset of a seizure disorder, or it could be something more serious. My son has seizure disorder althought they are not ery frequent so he is currently unmedicated.

The doctor should ALWAYS rule out anything serious before doing the "wait and see" approach. They should have done a CT or MRI to rule out any nuerological problem/tumors and did blood work, possibly even and EKG and other heart studies because that can also cause seizures if there is lack of blood to the brain, and they should do an EEG of the brain to see if there is any abnormalities in the electrical currents that typically cause seizures.

Do your child a BIG favor and atleast rule out anything serious. Then hopefully you all can be at ease for a while.
My oldest had 1 seizure not related to fever or anything. It must have just been a fluke. Then my son had a seizure a couple years later. I was hoping it was also a fluke or something. However, he ended up having 2 more about 1 1/2- 2 years apart. Seizures run in my family, so it's probably from that because everything else came up clear.

Hi A....Find another Doctor ASAP!! seizures and blue lips are nothing to take lightly! Best wishes & good luck.

I will pray for you. My oldest daughter had a seizure when she was 16, and didn't have another one until she was 26. She was diagnosed with epilisy at that time, but found out it was kinda a fluke. If shes keeps working and doesn't sit around with idle time on her hands - she is fine. She's been med & seizure free for over two years now.
By all means go to a neou. When she has a seizure - take her to the ER - don't worry about her pcp. My friend has a 16 year old daughter who has her fingers and lips turn blue and it has something to do with a valve in her heart. They said it should repair itself as she grows, and it has gotten better over the last few years. She goes back to dr every year nw just to check.
Be prepared when you go to dr or ER - start writing down what she is doing when this occurs.

Hi A.. My son had a seizure when he was around 8 months old. We immediately called the ped. They said that they wanted to see him the next day. Instead we immediately took him to CHOP. Before this happened he had no fever, was not sick, etc. But during/after when I found him, one side of his face was drooped down like he had a stroke (that was why we felt like he should've been seen immediately). They ran the tests; EEG, MRI-you name it. He also saw an ears, nose & throat specialist. They found nothing. The docs at CHOP ER said that they see kids come in with one seizure for their whole life. My husband and I have no history of seizures. So I am hoping it was a one time thing. I know how scary that can be.

Hi A.,

Take your baby to a neurologist.

Get a second opinion.

Better safe than sorry. Good luck. D.

Hi A.,
My gut reaction is to go immediately to another pediatrician and explain what happened and your family history. Too often we get stuck on feeling like we have to be loyal to our Ped. Not true. We have to take charge over our own health and guide the entire treatment and prevention process. I am sorry to hear about your father, and I can imagine this was a scary episode. Ask a friend in your area for referral on new ped.If not ask on Mamasource for recommendations. Best of luck to you.

Hi A.,

If you are uncomfortable with the care you have been receiving from your pediatrician, it might be time to get another one. Not everyone is right for your baby girls.

If your 5mo old had a high fever and a seizure following, that is what we call a 'febrile seizure' and really, it is not a big concern. If, however, she did not have a temperature, and with your father's history, I would highly suggest seeking an evaluation by a neurologist and a pulmonologist.

If you have another episode of difficulty breathing and blue lips, bring her to St. Chris ER and they'll handle the referrals and such.

Good luck,
C.

Find another doctor, yesterday. All of the issues you mentioned should be addressed. They are not 'wait and see' types of symptoms. Seriously, get in to see a new pediatrician today (and then a neurologist & possibly a pulmonologist, whoever can help with these things).

Good luck with everything!

I had seizures as a child. I know that there is always a possibility of a child 'inheriting' a seizure disorder, but we have been lucky that this is not the case for us. I would get her to a neurologist ASAP. They can do an EEG and see what is going on. If she is having seizures, they can be controlled with medication.
The lips turning blue worries me more, though. That is a sign she is not getting enough oxygen. I would demand a referral to a specialist (though I am not sure who you would see). At the very least, they should be giving you medication to try to stop the wheezing! Both of my kids had pretty bad wheezing issues when they were small (the baby is 1 now and still has issues sometimes). We have a nebulizer and a stash of meds if and when we run into wheezing problems again.
Seizures...there's not one cause. They never discovered what caused mine (although they suspect it was a result of delivery at birth). I luckily outgrew my seizures by age 8 and went off meds at age 9 and have been ok since. Good luck and be firm with the doctor.

HI A.,
I would find another doctor and neurologist ASAP.

Do not wait - call CHOP and ask for a consult with a pediatric neurologist. Also, change pediatricians. Any ped who would ignore symptoms as dangerous as difficulty breathing is not safe for your child to be seen by. See a neurologist asap. Seizures can cause brain damage if they are severe enough - do not wait for the next one to take your child to a dr. If it does happen before you get to see a neurologist, go to the ER immediately.

Best of luck to you and your child.

Get a new ped immediately & have all of this issues checked out by specialists! Lips turning blue should NEVER be ignored. Hopefully it is nothing, but gets tests to prove it. Don't wait for another seizure. Yes, some seizures can be mild, but others can be life threatening. My friends daughter's first seizure was so bad that her local hospital transferred her to CHOP b/c they didn't know how to stop the seizure (she stopped breathing & they had to put her on a ventilator & the seizure was not responding to regular meds). She is okay now, but it could have been horrible. She has a seizure disorder and gets frequent seizures. She is on meds to prevent them. She has no visible brain damage (that would be causing the seizures) so they are hoping she will grow out of them.
Don't wait, you don't want to have to bring your daughter to the hospital. Make sure when you have this checked out you go to a pediatric neurologist, not a regular neurologist. Young children have very different issues & medicines than adults. The neuros at CHOP are excellent.
Good luck. And please, after your daughter is checked out; let us know what the doctors say.

She definately will need to see a neurologist. I would recommend PA Neurological Assoc 110 Lowther Steet Lemoyne, PA 17043 ###-###-####. Generally you need to be referred by your PCP; however, sometimes if you call and explain the situation they may still schedule you. I would see Dr. Vivian Faircloth. She came from Hershey Medical Center and she is not only very smart, but she will explain things step by step with you and she specializes in peds. Good luck please get her seen ASAP.

A.,

The others are right. Get to a new doctor...NOW...your gut instinct tells you something isn't right. Don't ignore it. It may be nothing, hopefully so, but if not, you don't want to lose precious time your daughter could be in treatment. Many times children outgrow seizures, but sometimes not and I wouldn't mess around with it. Sometimes seizuers are genetic, sometimes not. There are a myriad of causes for seizures. A friend of mine has a child with severe seizures and she sees someone at Hershey Med Center and someone at York Hospital as well.

Good luck...hope it's nothing.

P.

I think you should take her to the doctor the next time it happens better yet the emergency room. you are her parent and you are doing what you think is best. it could be inherited from your father.

Hi A., I would call your doctor and demand that he do something about it or I would find another doctor. Seizures can be hereditary or they can be caused by something else. I had epilepsy as a child because when I was 11 days old I had spinal meningitis and it caused a scar on my brain which caused seizures. If she is having a difficult time breathing it could be causing a lack of oxygen to the brain. I am not sure if that would cause a seizure but I know it definitely wouldn't help anything. My first step would be to get her seen by a specialist rather she has another seizure or not. I know it is common for most people to have a seizure throughout a lifetime but it is better to get it checked and find out it's nothing or find out what it is and be able to deal with it. if you need to talk or anything just drop me a line. I will be here. You and your family are in my prayers.

D.

Sounds like you don't have a good relationship with your pediatrician-- you aren't feeling listened to or taken seriously. I'd find a new pediatrician. There are tons of options out there.

If you are in Pittsburgh, I can recommend the docs at Pediatric Alliance. Their phone number is ###-###-#### for the Squirrel hill office. They are also in the south hills...

dear A. ,
GET YOUR BABY TO CHOP OR ST CHRIST. hosp in phil. n-o-w- !
you have a family history , you watched a 5 month old have a seizure ! [ how upsetting is that ]
how much more R_E_D_ F_L_A_G_S do you need ???
as long as you hve medical coverage for your children , you have the right to have the b-e-s-t- dr. your $$$$ can buy .
make sure you have a ' board certified ' any kind of pedi. @ chob or st. chris for your child ....asap .
this is your future . you can control your destiny .
please ask your ped. to help you seek proper care [ he may not be savvy enough to treat your child ] ask for chop recomendations .
get a list off the web page too.
please ; drop what you are doing and help your helpless child .
t

Hi A.,
Here is how I would put all of it together. Lips turning blue means less oxygen to all parts of body. IF that happens to the brain you can definitely have a seizure. Put that together with heavy breathing, your baby might have a heart condition until proven otherwise. Seizures are serious. DO NOT WAIT. Please goto another ped. OR DEMAND a referral to a Univ hosp neurologist.
ACT NOW!