Is diagnosis § treatment necessary after 1 seizure

[LaLuna]

My 3 year 11 mo. old daughter had a grand mal seizure at preschool 10 days ago.  It was during nap time and when they went to wake her they found her in the middle of it and aren't sure how long it had been occurring but it continued for approx. 10 min. more.  At the ER she had a temporary "paralysis" (my view - not any med staff)on her left side and was very disoriented and non responsive for quite a while.  The Dr.s didn't tell me if she was having more small seizures, but did give her a dose of a valium type drug. Her CT and toxicology scans were normal.  She is slightly developmentally delayed due to a chronic oxygen deprivation from VERY large tonsils which impeded breathing, eating and left her with SLeep Apnea.  They  were removed just over a year ago.  Since then she has been catching up really quickly.  My question is - What are the side effects of seizures - can she be permanently harmed by them should she have more?  Also, in doing research I read about a process called "kindling" where lab animals are put into seizures using strobe lights and they become much more suscpetible to seizures.  She has an EEG and MRI scheduled but I have concerns about them.  By using a strobe light on her during the EEG, can this reinforce any tendency she may have to seize, thereby creating even more of a problem?  Also, due to her age, she would have to have general anesthesia for the MRI.  Is it worth the risks associated with gen anesthesia to do an MRI after one seizure? What are the pros/cons of waiting to see if there's a 2nd seizure before initiating these test?  Thank you so much for your time.

[Kevin Kennedy, Ph.D.]

This Forum addresses questions about child behavior, social and emotional development, emotional and psychological disorders, parenting, behavior management, etc. It is not within my realm of expertise to address the questions you are asking. Perhaps you could post your question on the NEUROLOGY FORUM.

[DinaGrimes]

My nephew experienced the same exact thing at the same age.  He was about 3-1/2 yrs old.  My sister was out shopping with him when he had a Grand Mal seizure.  He was rush to the hospital where he had another and also had a temporary paralysis on his left side.  They ran all kinds of test and on the MRI found lesions (not sure of technical term) on his brain.  He was put on seizure medication for a full year, then taken off.  He is now 8 years old and has not had any more problems.  He is healthy and normal, doing well in school.  Good luck!  I don't think they ever really knew what caused the seizure.

[nurse12hr]

I am not a physician, but I can tell you that a grand mal seizure in a previously healthy 3 year old child deserves investigation.  See a pediatric neurologist if you aren't already.

You don't know if it could be something VERY serious causing the seizure, and the next seizure could be worse.  Sometimes people vomit and aspirate stomach contents during a seizure--which would put her life at risk.