Causes of seizures?

[coinkc]

My 13 year old daughter had some sort of seizure this morning during church. She said that her eyes went into a "tunnel vision" for a few minutes and then went all black. She lost conciousness for a split second and had some small convulsions. Her eyes were closed but her eyelids were fluttering.

It only lasted a few minutes and then she was okay although she is very tired today. It wasn't overly warm in the church. She hadn't eaten yet this morning but that is not unusual for her as she hardly ever eats in the mornings.

Any ideas what could have caused this? She has a check up with her doctor at the end of the month but I am going to call first thing in the morning to move that appointment up to this week.

I googled seizures but the internet is scary when looking for medical things!

 

[disneyfans95]

Honestly, this is not the area to be asking for medical advice.

She should be seen by a doctor asap. Really that simple. This is not something you post on a forum about hoping to get information back on it.

You go see a medical professional now, instead of sitting back and waiting.

 

[funkychunkymonkey]

You need to see the doctor ASAP!! My mom has a seizure disorder, her triggers are: lack of sleep, lack of food, doing way to much.

 

[figment52]

I politely suggest that you call your local emergency room or your dr's after hour's number and explain to them what happened. Let them advise you if you should wait until morning for further medical attention. Seizures are often symtomatic of other, more serious issues and you would never forgive yourself for making the decision to wait.

 

[NikitaZee]

Honestly, this is not the area to be asking for medical advice.

She should be seen by a doctor asap. Really that simple. This is not something you post on a forum about hoping to get information back on it.

You go see a medical professional now, instead of sitting back and waiting.

Ugh. I hate answers like these.

OP - since you are calling your doctor first thing in the morning, no harm in asking around for information while you wait. Why don't you call your DD's doctor today and run the symptoms by him? He may tell you it's okay to wait for an appointment this week, he may tell you to bring her into the ER today and have her looked at. Good luck.

 

[msmayor]

My 13 year old daughter had some sort of seizure this morning during church. She said that her eyes went into a "tunnel vision" for a few minutes and then went all black. She lost conciousness for a split second and had some small convulsions. Her eyes were closed but her eyelids were fluttering.

It only lasted a few minutes and then she was okay although she is very tired today. It wasn't overly warm in the church. She hadn't eaten yet this morning but that is not unusual for her as she hardly ever eats in the mornings.

Any ideas what could have caused this? She has a check up with her doctor at the end of the month but I am going to call first thing in the morning to move that appointment up to this week.

I googled seizures but the internet is scary when looking for medical things!

Precisely why you shouldn't even be asking this question here. No one can even begin to answer with any reasonable information when no one has access to your daughters current medical condition or medical history.

Please get her to a doctor for proper evaluation.

 

[focusondisney]

I politely sugget that you call your local emergency room and explain to them what happened. Let them advise you if you should wait until morning for further medical attention. Seizures are often symtomatic of other, more serious issues and you would never forgive yourself for making the call to wait.

Good advice except I'd say to call her doctor, not the ER. There should be someone on call, even on Sunday. The ER will probably not advise over the phone, except to say come in if you're worried.

If she had fallen in the last day or so, hit her head during the seizure or has ANY other symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting or headache, just go right to the emergency room.

Good luck. Please keep us posted.

 

[Kennywife]

My 13 year old daughter had some sort of seizure this morning during church. She said that her eyes went into a "tunnel vision" for a few minutes and then went all black. She lost conciousness for a split second and had some small convulsions. Her eyes were closed but her eyelids were fluttering.

It only lasted a few minutes and then she was okay although she is very tired today. It wasn't overly warm in the church. She hadn't eaten yet this morning but that is not unusual for her as she hardly ever eats in the mornings.

Any ideas what could have caused this? She has a check up with her doctor at the end of the month but I am going to call first thing in the morning to move that appointment up to this week.

I googled seizures but the internet is scary when looking for medical things!

She needs to be seen by a neurologist if possible. This dx can tell what caused it. I have Epilepsy (seizure condition) and mine are caused by stress and that time of the month. I overdid it in the heat on my last work trip (travel writer) and it brought one on.

Anna

 

[coinkc]

I should also have mentioned that the church that we attend is the chapel in a hospital. There was a doctor and 2 nurses there who helped us and they all agreed that since she was doing okay after resting that I should just take her home and watch her today then call her doctor first thing in the morning which I am planning on doing.

I wasn't looking for a diagnosis here, just some info about what could cause something like this to happen or other experiences people may have had that might be similar.

 

[focusondisney]

I should also have mentioned that the church that we attend is the chapel in a hospital. There was a doctor and 2 nurses there who helped us and they all agreed that since she was doing okay after resting that I should just take her home and watch her today then call her doctor first thing in the morning which I am planning on doing.

I wasn't looking for a diagnosis here, just some info about what could cause something like this to happen or other experiences people may have had that might be similar.

Big piece of info to leave out LOL!! Glad she was at least seen informlly by a doctor. But keep an eye on her over night.

 

[JoiseyMom]

Your DD probably has epliepsy. Go to your pediatrican tomorrow, and he will either schedule an EEG or will refer you to a neurologist. My dd14 was diagnosed with Petit Mal epilepsy when she was 7, thankfully it was a condition she has outgrown. The meds can be scary...but your doc will help you through.

Just take a deep breath... I would advise doing some reasearch on pediatric neurolgists that are on your insurance plan. Good Luck.

 

[Sarah_Rose]

I had a friend who had a viral infection that caused her to have a seizure. This was the first and only seizure that she had ever had and she just had mild flu-like symptoms the morning that it happened. The infection caused her to not absorb water (and she didn't have vomiting or diarrhea or anything) which led to extreme dehydration, and a seizure. She ended up spending a day in the ER getting pumped with IV fluids and treated with anti-virals.

I wouldn't wait until the next day to contact a doctor - I would call your doctor's after hours line, or take her into an urgent care clinic (or ER) today. The seizure can be a symptom of a much larger problem that needs immediate treatment.

 

[focusondisney]

Your DD probably has epliepsy.

This is why you shouldn't ask for help on the internet. As a nurse, I can think of several more reasons why someone could have a seizure. To name a few : fever, chemical imbalance, brain tumor, cerebral hematoma, low blood sugar.

OP, please do as you planned & see your doctor for medical advise.

 

[mickeyplanner08]

OK, so I'll be the voice of dissent here....doesn't really sound like a seizure, necessarily. The tunnel vision sounds like she fainted. The twitching, eyes rolling back often happens after someone faints. I give immunizations all day, and the ones that really faint out often have that kind of "seizure" after they faint. It really freaks parents out. Anyway, no one here really knows, of course, but I wouldn't jump right to an epilepsy diagnosis! Hope she's feeling better. Check in with your doctor as planned.

 

[focusondisney]

OK, so I'll be the voice of dissent here....doesn't really sound like a seizure, necessarily. The tunnel vision sounds like she fainted. The twitching, eyes rolling back often happens after someone faints. I give immunizations all day, and the ones that really faint out often have that kind of "seizure" after they faint. It really freaks parents out. Anyway, no one here really knows, of course, but I wouldn't jump right to an epilepsy diagnosis! Hope she's feeling better. Check in with your doctor as planned.

Good post!

 

[msmayor]

I should also have mentioned that the church that we attend is the chapel in a hospital. There was a doctor and 2 nurses there who helped us and they all agreed that since she was doing okay after resting that I should just take her home and watch her today then call her doctor first thing in the morning which I am planning on doing.

I wasn't looking for a diagnosis here, just some info about what could cause something like this to happen or other experiences people may have had that might be similar.

This can only lead to more questions...and feed fears. Again, why would anyone who doesn't know your daughter and her history or see what happened to her really have any valuable information? There is no way anyone here can determine whether they've had something similar happen.

It could mean she didn't have enough to eat for breakfast...or she has a brain aneurysm. Or something in between.

Asking for opinions here is no different than typing "seizures" into Web MD and seeing from soup to nuts what can cause it.

 

[doxdogy]

As someone with a seizure disorder (haven't had one in about 5 years), I honestly do not remember any sudden tunnel vision. Thankfully, I do know when one is coming (hard to describe) and with the last one I was able to sit down in my chair. Next thing I remember is my DH calling my name. So if she is describing tunnel vision it may not have been a seizure. I AM NOT A MEDICAL professional and I understand seizures differ from person to person. Just giving you my own personal experience.

 

[Val]

First, do call the doctor first thing in the morning.....if you are worried, call the after hours number tonight.

Second, it is most likely nothing, but it could be something. Please do have her checked out.

Third. Last September, when my DS14 got pneumonia (we thought) which turned out to be the swine flu complicated by pneumonia, we were sent to the hospital for blood draws. He had been running a fever for about a week, and wasn't eating or drinking much. The tech did the blood draw- and usually he has no problems. Unfortunately, this time he had a small seizure. They sent him down to ER and kept him overnight because it was unusual.....but in the end decided it was due to dehydration/being sick. He is just fine now! He had the tunnel vision symptoms you are describing. Was it hot in the church? Could your daughter have been dehydrated or overheated? That is ONE possibility.

I am so glad we did have DS checked out. Made sure it WAS nothing more serious (and you have seen how serious those can be by surfing the web!). Considering the worst possibilities, it is best to get checked out. My guess is that she will be just fine- but might use it as an excuse to get out of church!

 

[Debbie7452]

I know your getting your DD checked out by a Dr. as you should... My DD 18 had a similar experience a few weeks ago. She was getting blood drawn for some tests and fainted completely as she woke up she had the convulsions that looked scarily like a seizure. Her blood pressure was very, very low. We were still in the Dr.s office during all this so the Dr. had her lay down wiht her feet up for a while. The Dr. said she had a vaso-vagal reaction to the blood draw. She is really afraid of needles and has fainted before but never had the convulsions until this time...ugh...it was awful looking! She was very tired after but insisted on going to school. She has been fine since.

 

[DisGirlAllie]

Coming from someone who has epilepsy, it sounds like it's a possibility. But I am not a doctor and I do not have her medical records. However, I realize that you were not looking for a diagnosis just some possibilities.

The tunnel vision? I've had those types of seizures before. Very mild, but can turn into something more but since you've already called a doctor you're clearly smart enough to realize this.

Above all else, just watch out for her. You can't take something like this too seriously but don't underestimate it. Just stay calm and make sure she tells you everything about her symptoms. Because sometimes the seemingly small symptoms or totally random ones end up being the most important. But, again, don't be over obsessive.