Way Late EEG Update

So I have been really, really bad about updating this blog. We're busy. That's my excuse. I'll try to get better.

It turns out the neurologist is not entirely convinced that Isaiah is/was having seizures. In lieu of putting Isaiah through (potentially traumatic for him and quite expensive) tests, we have decided to monitor his staring spells. If we notice him zone out, we are supposed to pinch his finger. Should he respond, his staring spell is realted to his autism. Should he not responds, back to the neurologist we will go.

We're good with this decision. We have noticed so much progress with Isaiah over the last few months, with very few staring spells. It seems the time that he has them, he has a cold or is tired - and he responds when we pinch him (in a loving, yet please-respond-so-we-know-you're-not-seizing way).

- becky

EEG

Friday, October 8th - Isaiah's Early Childhood Special Education teacher, Barb A, called to talk with me about some concerns she and Isaiah's other teachers have about absence seizures.

Monday, October 11th - We took Isaiah to see Dr. Hunt, a pediatrician at Dr. Henry's office. (Dr. Henry is still on maternity leave, so we could not see our regular doctor.) The only way to know for sure is to have an EEG.

Monday, October 18th - I took the morning off work so that Tim and I could both be with Isaiah for his EEG. The prep was NOT fun. We were to keep him awake until midnight, if possible. Yeah, that didn't happen. Our child, who usually does NOT want to go to sleep was asking to go night-night at 7:50. Are you kidding?! We managed to keep him awake until 10:30 on Sunday night. The next step was to wake him up at 5:00. Yeah. He was NOT happy about that one.

Isaiah was quite squirmy throughout most of the 40 minute test. (He was still for maybe 1o minutes of it.) Next step - wait for a call from the pediatrician's office after a neurologist has had a chance to read the EEG. Hopefully, he was still long enough for the doctor to even be able to read the EEG.

Thursday, October 21st - Dr. Hunt called me herself. I always get nervous, but appreciate it at the same time, when the DOCTOR takes the time to call me. Isaiah has spiking at regular intervals in his left temporal lobe. (I have no idea what this means.) She explained as best she could, but I remained kind of fixed on the part of our conversation when she wanted to be sure that I understood that 1/3 of children with autism have seizures, but this is NOT that kind of seizure.

We could be looking at an entirely new issue. Yikes.

Now, we wait again. We wait for a pediatric neurologist's office to call us with an appointment. I let a week go by, but still had not heard anything. I called and left a message, but I am still waiting on a returned phone call.

I would bet money that if this were there child, they wouldn't have wanted this appointment made a lot sooner than it is taking for us to get our child in to see the neurologist.

- becky