3

I have twins aged 14 months. Recently my wife observed that one of them while sitting on her lap was having a kind of seizure / facial spasm (I'm not sure how to explain it): His mouth was open for a while, kind of frozen with no other activity. Has both hands applied some strength.

We checked with doctor. He told us to try and take a video next time this happens. This again happened twice after this, first after a gap of maybe about a month and second after 1-2 weeks. But we were not able to record this as we were not prepared. We spoke to Doctor again who asked:

  • Was biting his teeth? - No
  • Was he conscious? - Yes

He told us this might be a behavioral disorder and may be an attention grabbing technique. Another possibility was Calcium deficiency which he was not suspecting. Basically he asked us not to worry but to record it next time.

I am yet to see this myself but yesterday while he was playing with Lego blocks, while trying to connect two blocks I observed that he was putting some effort. His hands were close to his chest and he was trembling a bit.

Any idea what this might be? This may be a bit dumb question, but how can I be prepared to record this if it happens again? There is a camera kept at the room where they spent most of the time. All knows how to record it.

Improve this question
2
  • 1
    I don't want to suggest any diagnosis based on your description, but I think trying to catch this on camera will be practically impossible because the spasm is over before anyone manages to notice + get camera + turn it on + start filming.
    – Torben Gundtofte-Bruun
    Commented Feb 4, 2013 at 11:39
  • 2
    Since a Ca deficiency got mentioned, were blood tests run? Spasms can mean anything from fatigue to very serious disorders. Go to another doctor for a "second opinion" and insist on follow through.
    – balanced mama
    Commented Feb 4, 2013 at 14:18

2 Answers 2

Reset to default
7

I would try to get seen by a neurologist. My daughter has seizures and a lot of people, even relatively trained people like special ed teachers or school nurses, don't realize that's what they are. Seizures are basically the brain misfiring, so there isn't a consistent way they manifest. Sometimes she gets the full shaking, but often she just spaces out with her mouth frozen open, sort of like you describe.

An EEG can sometimes record seizure activity even when there are no outwardly visible signs. I wouldn't trust any doctor who ruled out seizures without running an EEG, assuming they are readily available where you are located.

Improve this answer
2
  • Thanks Karl. Will check this. From what i described, does it look like a seizure?
    – rajesh
    Commented Feb 5, 2013 at 5:58
  • It definitely sounds like one to me, but I'm not qualified to diagnose one in other children. I only know my daughter's seizures.
    – Karl Bielefeldt
    Commented Feb 5, 2013 at 13:47
1

...how can I be prepared to record this if it happens again?

How about a dashcam? These are designed to record continuously but only keep the last few minutes before a button was pressed or a shock happens (i.e. hit it to keep the video).

These things are designed to work off car electrics, so you will need a 12 volt power source to run them.

Improve this answer

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .