Question Title: 7 year old shakes at night

My seven year old son has had 6 night time shaking episodes in the last two
months. He awakes and calls for me and is shaking all over uncontrollably.
He does not complain of being cold and does not have a fever. He cannot
remember having nightmares. The first two episodes lasted between 15
and twenty minutes and he vomited, the first time durng the shaking episode
and the second time twenty minutes after. During the third and fourth episodes he
had a bowel movement but also complained of an upset stomach. The last
two episodes have only lasted about five minutes. He is alert during the
episodes and can answer questions and walk on his own. The shaking cannot
be stopped by holding him. When the shaking begins to subside he drifts
off to sleep. He is fine in the morning and shows no other side affects.
We have seen a pediatrician who has run blood and urine test to eliminate
the possibility of low blood sugar. She has also performed simple
neurological tests (closing eyes and touching nose, etc.) which have been
fine. There does not seem to be a connection with food he eats during the
day. The Doctor has recommended following the episodes, which have occurred
once a week for the last three weeks, and she will recommend a neurologist
if the frequency or severity increases. Any ideas that we could follow up
on??

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Dear Debbie:
The most important thing to rule out in this situation is a seizure disorder. Therefore, I would suggest that you consult with a Pediatric Neurologist (and preferably a Pediatric Epileptologist). Your son MAY need a full neurological examination, an MRI of the brain and an EEG.
You may be able to arrange an appointment at the Cleveland with one of our two pediatric epileptologists (Dr Elaine Wyllie or Dr Prakash Kotagal) by calling 1 800 CCF CARE.
Good luck

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