Managing Epilepsy in Lake Charles, LA
Epilepsy is a brain disorder that can result in your child experiencing seizures on a regular basis, so if you are concerned about seizures and epilepsy be sure to consult with our Lake Charles, LA, pediatrician, Dr. Rachel Chatters of Chatters Pediatrics.
Seizures
Your brain is made up of a multitude of cells that communicate with one another through electrical activity. A seizure can happen when something interrupts the normal signals that occur between these cells.
Causes
Seizures can be caused by different factors, or a combination of them, and these can include, preterm birth, congenital disorders, medication side effects, head injury, infection, or fever. But in most cases, there may not be a specific cause for seizures, and if your child experiences two or more unexplained seizures they may be diagnosed with epilepsy.
Diagnosing Epilepsy
Your child's doctor will typically rule out health factors by discussing with you your child's health history and will run a variety of tests, which can include, blood tests, imaging tests of the brain, a neurological exam, electroencephalogram, and lumbar puncture.
Seizure Types
There are two main types of seizures that can affect your child, focal seizures and generalized seizures. They are categorized into either type depending on the part of the brain that's affected. Focal seizures are localized to one or more areas on one side of the brain, while generalized seizures tend to affect both sides or parts of the brain on both sides at the same time.
Symptoms
Seizure symptoms will depend on the type of seizure your child experiences, but there are general warning signs that a seizure is taking place.
Some of the most common are, jerking movements and stiffening of the limbs and body, loss of consciousness, confusion, breathing problems, and rapid blinking, among others.
Epilepsy Treatment
Controlling the seizures is the main goal of epilepsy treatment, which means reducing how often they occur or stopping them if possible.
Medication is how epilepsy is most often treated, and determining what type of medication is prescribed will depend on the age of your child, the type of seizures they suffer from, and the possible side effects.
Outlook
Your child's medication may need to be adjusted to achieve the best possible results so it's important to check in with your child's doctor often. Discuss with your doctor about possible triggers so you can help your child avoid them as much as possible, not sleeping enough is a common one.
It's also important to reach out to your pediatrician if there are any side effects or if you aren't noticing a reduction in symptoms, but it's very important that your child continues to take their medication in the meantime.
Your child may not need to take medication forever, if it's been two years or more without symptoms you can talk to your doctor about possibly taking them off of it. Children with well-managed epilepsy and seizures may not need to follow strict restrictions.