6YR had seizure and now has no reflexes in arms and legs

[lookatmystealth]

Aaron is 6yrs and had a febrile seizure when he was 4yrs.old. That seizure was like a grand mal type with jerking and foaming at the mouth and such. This time he was at school and the school nurse said that he just walked in and said that his eyes rolled back so she picked him up and laid him down and his back arched back and he stiffened allover. This lasted about 10sec. and he seemed to come out of it after she placed an ice pack under his neck. He did have a fever of 103.3deg. at the ER. While we waited to be taken back to see the doctors in the ER I think he had two more seizures. He would just get a blank stare and you could just tell he was slipping away but it would only last about 5-10sec. or so. This happened on Tues. and he saw his doctor on that Friday.  She examined him and he has no reflexes in either of his arms or knees. His calves have been bothering him and his right leg is very week.  He can walk fine for short distances but when he had to walk from the parking lot to the hospital his leg was really hurting him. They did say that he didn't have menangitis (meningitis) and that he has a viral infection. They are going to do an EEG, MRI, and he will be seeing a neuroligst. My question is what happened to his reflexes? Is it due to the seizure or maybe his temp. was a lot higher than 103.3 and it fried some nerves? I have read so much and found that maybe brain tumors can cause seizures and loss of reflexes among other things. I know someone can't tell exactly what's wrong just by reading this but maybe you could let me know what types of questions to ask. Thank's!

[CCF-Neuro-M.D.-JT]

Loss of reflexes following a seizure or a flurry of them is not unusual.  In the immediate period after a generalized seizure, the body may be weak with decreased muscle tone and reflexes.  Within a few hours, things should get back to normal.  BUt if they're on heavy meds e.g. high doses, combinations of several meds, valium/ativan, etc..., this can also lead to depressed reflexes.  Another possibility is that the neurological exam especially in a child is best performed by a neurologist with special tools/reflex hammers.  Sometimes, the types of reflex hammers used by primary care physicians are not adequate or not heavy enough, etc... and just because the PCP can't get the reflexes, they may not really be lost. I can understand your concern for your son, but the depressed reflexes in this particular context do not appear to be the most concerning problem nor do they seem predictive of one, especially if he was able to walk from the parking lot and the "loss" was symmetric. Now if the primary problem were a muscle or nerve problem (which ti doesn't sound like) then the loss of reflexes would be significant. So, would not worry too much about the "loss of reflexes" at this point.  

Based on the brief report that you provide, it does sound like it was another febrile seizure. Usually with brain tumors (depending on where they are), the patient may have increased reflexes on the opposite side of the body from irritation in the brain rather than decreased reflexes. It seems that your docs are pursuing the cause of his seizures in an appropriate manner. Once your doc has more information from the diagnostic testing, then more questions may arise, but for now the important thing is for your to ask what should you do in the event he has another episode.  Should you give him medication preventively or only with seizures. Good luck.

[dizz]

do they know the cause of the seizures? Have they investigated if these seizures are the result of an adverse reaction possibly from a MMR innoculation?

[lookatmystealth]

Well, Aaron had a CAT scan and it was negative! He is scheduled to have a MRI and also an EEG this week. He is complaing that he has a pain when he walks that runs from his foot, up his arm, up his neck, and ends like half way on his head on his right side only.  I think this is what was going on when his right leg and arm when he said it was hurting.  I asked him to show me where it hurt and he just traced a line up his right side and stopped in the mid-section of his head. He also doesn't eat much of anything and sleeps alot.  The seizure happened a week ago today so if it was just a febrile seizure wouldn't the symptoms have passed by now?  He has to wait untill May to get into the seizure clinic. That's the neurologist that will be seeing him.  Is this to long to wait to have him looked at?  Also if there is anything abnormal will someone contact me before his appointment with his neurologist, which is 2mos from now? I am trying not to be paranoid but, he is my baby after all! Oh, one more question! I know the doc said that the CAT scan ruled out tumors and bleeding on the brain. So, what could the MRI and EEG pick up? What's the difference between the two? I know the EEG measures brainwaves and the MRI is will have a 2 and 3 D image of his brain. Is there anything I should make sure they do when they run the tests?  Thank's for the info!

[c.light]

You might want to try to post your questions to the doctor on the forum.  It is very unlikely that he will see and respond to them on the thread.  I am not a doctor, but I can tell you that an MRI is a test that gives a much better picture of soft tissues, like the brain, and the doctors can see and diagnos many more things on a brain MRI than a CT scan.  I hope that your son gets better soon, I have 3 little kids and can only imagine how worried you must be.

[casey29]

usually febrile seizures are of the grand mal type, they come as the onset of a fever that spikes quickly.  most children outgrow this affliction, in the mean time it can be treated with anti-convulsants.  few children with febrile seizures ever experience epilepsy later in life.  febrile seizures have been linked to genetics.  i have an interesting note to add...

my father experienced one as a toddler, never receiving medical diagnosis or anti-convulsant treatment.  he never experienced another, though was prone to fainting through his teens.

i experienced febrile grand mal types seizures throughout my infancy and early years.  i was treated with phenobarbital, which somewhat controllled my seizures until i outgrew the condition.  medication was stopped in elementary school and i never experienced another grand mal seizure until last week.  it was actually my 29th birthday.  my husband had to call 911.  i lost conciousness while washing my face in the bathroom mirror, striking my forehead onn the mirror, then falling backward into tight convulsions.  when he heard me fall, he opened the door to find my eyes rolled back, mouth foaming, tensely jerking.  i bit my tongue as well.  i turned blue before the paramedics arrived.  he rolled me on my side and pried open my jaw.  he said i began to regain color and awareness moments later.  i don't remember anything.  i was severely queasy and fatigued.  i spent three days in hospital, being admitted from e.r. on the chance of a dialated blood vessel that was spotted on an e.r. catscan.  i had an mri/mra (the mra is similiar to mri, though iodine is injected through an iv cath to provide further detailing through contrast.  this test ruled out the blood vessel being at fault.  you definitely want to ask about this test, as the next one scheduled for me was a spinal tap to determine if i had hemoglobin in my spinal fluid.  after having an eeg, i have been diagnosed with left temporal lobe epilepsy and put on dilantin.  the doctors have informed me that roughly 4% of those children with febrile seizures develope epilepsy.... but look at my case, you never know.  have your son receive an eeg asap and ask about seismic activity in the temporal lobes.  hope you get some answers soon, good luck!