Is my son seizuring in his sleep?

Question

My so has these whole body jerking motions that happen when he is sleeping. He is 2. I don't want to go into his doctor sounding like a total nut, so I figured I would ask around. They aren't just small twitches, it looks like a bolt of electricity is shooting through him.

Answer 1

dont have any doubts if this is your first child and u are doubting dont feel like your stupid or nuts go and ask you may be surprised if there is sumthing wrong and you caught it

Answer 2

Show your DR the video, she will know. Dont worry about looking like a nut, it is a compltely reasonable question that should be addressed by a medical proffesional.

I just read the doll part...sounds like a seizure to me! Dont worry too much about it, most kids grow out of it by 5 or 6 years old. They look more scary than they really are, he is exhausted afterwards if he is having them, make sure he can wake up than let him go right on back to bed. When you put him to sleep, put him to bed with no shirt on so it doesnt become a strangulation hazard. Oh yeah, it is a myth to hold someones tounge, dont do it, they will just bite you!

If you are epileptic than it is likely, my daughter (22 months) has febrile seizures and the DR is watching her really closely cause I guess it is genetic (sucks doesn't it) You probably know what a seizure looks like cause you have them! Just check with the DR about what to do. I'm not sure that if he does have it if you would want him to be on medication right away, you know how badly they suck!

I just watched the video, I saw the jolt near the end, if it is a seizure it is a tiny one which is a good thing! He could be just dreaming though, because of the genetic aspects of epilepsy, show it to the DR and get him checked out just in case, better to be safe than sorry!

Oh yeah....cute kid! I love aodrable little babies!!

Answer 3

He is dreaming.  Boh my kids do that too.  Just remember one thing, if you are worried about your son, who cares if your doctor thinks you are crazy.  Just think...... better safe then sorry!!!

Answer 4

Bring the video to your doctor, or if you don't have to get a referral through your pediatrician, bring it directly to a pediatric neurologist. Since you have a history of it, they'll probably look at him more closely from the get go and not just wave you off as a nut. It could just be dreams, sleep twitches etc., but the only way to tell for sure will be through an EEG. Because it tends to only happen while your son is sleeping, they'll probably do a 48-hour hospital EEG. Definitely not fun with a baby, we did one when my son was 10 months for suspected sleep seizures,  but it willl either clear your mind of any fears or let you know there's a problem that you can work on as left untreated, seizures can cause additional problems (as I'm sure you know).

Personally, my son, two as well, has Sleep Myoclonus, a fairly benign sleep disorder that he should grow out of, and what your son is doing looks a lot like that. When he was a baby he would have much bigger "jolts" that happened repeatedly while he slept. Now that he's older, they've lessened to the little twinges like your son.

Seriously, if you're worried, bring it up to your doctor. No one knows a child like their parent, and if your doctor is a good one, they won't just dismiss your fears.

ETA: Try not to read too much on the internet -- I almost made myself crazy looking up stuff. Infantile spasms sounded exactly like what my son was doing too when we first realized there was a problem. Apparently, a lot of things much more benign can look like infantile spasms and not be related to West Syndrome. Plus, as my son's pediatric neurologist would say, your son is beautiful and doesn't show any obvious signs of having a serious, neurological disorder like West. When you go to the doctor, I would ask about the Sleep Myoclonus thing as he really looks like my son when he's having an "episode." His doctor described it as the following...

You know when you jerk awake as you're falling asleep, feeling like you're falling? That's what sleep myoclonus is, only in babies, it can happen much more frequently, up to 100 times in a few minutes, so it makes them look like they're having a seizure. It also, at least in my son's case, disrupts his sleeping. He only recently started sleeping through the night. His hands will also shake uncontrollably sometimes for an hour or two after he wakes up in the morning. The good news is that nothing electrical is misfiring in the brain and children with it should grow out of it by 5 or 6 years old.

Answer 5

Check this web site out  www.respironics.com

Yours son might have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)

They manufacturer of nasal devices for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and products for allergies, asthma, and jaundice to anticipate and solve cardiopulmonary problems.

I hope this help

Answer 6

I think they are more likely night terrors. If he drools, makes choking sounds or looses bladder control durring them, they are more likely then seizures.

Answer 7

it is quite possible your son is experiencing Night Terrors

My son had them and would get up and walk around screaming and crying. but the whole time he was asleep with his eyes wide open. He would jerk around alot in his sleep also. Best thing to do is try to wake them up so they are coherent and get them to fall back asleep. My son gets them when he overtired alot

hope it helps