ATTN Dr. Godofredo and Noops PLEASE

Hi, I have posted a couple times and here and have talked to Godofredo MD and noops01, but when I want to ask more questions I am not able to get ahold of them again, does anyone know how to?  I have a very important appointment coming up on Thursday and I want to be prepared with my questions relating to Epilepsy vs Febrile Seizures.  Please, if you can help me understand all of this, please email me (rcworking@cox dot net) or respond here with a way for me to respond to you.
Thanks
RC

[patsy10]

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[roxannec]

Can  you please help me?

[Godofredo MD]

Hi.

How can I be of help to you?

[roxannec]

Thank you for your time, below is my first post to you, but I wasn't sure how to hear back from you so started a new post.

This is my question:
Even though her EEG had both focal and non-focal abnormailites?  I can't get over that these are not febrile seizures and I don't want to medicate if that is what they are.  But I'm getting so much conflicting information, I just want to know what the chances are that these are still febrile...  I have been told that you can have an abnormal EEG and still not have Epilepsy.

roxannec

12/18/07
    I have a girl who will be 6 on Sunday.  From 7 months to 3 ½ years she had 9 seizures with fevers.  Did not have any more until September of this year and then had another yesterday.  Went to a Neuro and had EEG that showed abnormalities and MRI that was clean. My question:  can this still be febrile seizures?  One web site says epilepsy is described as 2 or more seizures without fever.  That has never happened.

Godofredo MD

12/19/07
roxannec  Hi.

If your daughter only has seizure during a fever, it is more likely that it is associated with febrile seizures than other types of seizure disorders. The fact that she has had several episodes in the past are evidence enough of her proneness to this condition which is why she still presented with this recently.

Knowing that your child is prone to febrile seizures, it would be best to try and treating fevers earlier than usual to prevent such seizures from occurring.

Hope this helps.  
roxannec

12/19/07
DrGodofredoMD  Even though her EEG had both focal and non-focal abnormailites?  I can't get over that these are not febrile seizures and I don't want to medicate if that is what they are.  But I'm getting so much conflicting information, I just want to know what the chances are that these are still febrile...  

[Godofredo MD]

Hi.

I am sorry that you are getting confused at all the information you have been receiving, both from the forum and your doctors. The information we can give you are only personal opinions, at best. Your daughter's doctors are still in the best position to examine and give advice on your daughter's condition.

Going back to your question, yes, it is indeed possible for an EEG to have abnormal results and not have an epileptic disorder. However, this has to be determined on a case-to-case basis.

EEGs are usually not done for febrile seizures as they are benign conditions and usually present with normal findings. However, slowing does occur after any type of seizure and sometimes an EEG done soon after a seizure can be misleading. To determine whether febrile seizures are present or not, it would be best to perform the EEG 1-2 months after the episode because by that time, an EEG should be normal in febrile seizures and is usually abnormal in epilepsy.

You should talk about this with your daughter's neurologists and see what they think about it.

I hope this helps more than it confuses you.

Good luck.

[roxannec]

Thank you again for your time.  When you say "information we can give you are only personal opinions, at best" - are you a doctor?  The EEG that she had was done within 1 month of her seizure and the 2nd one was done within 6 weeks probably.  But she has never had a seizure without a fever and one place I read it said that Epilepsy was 2 or more seizures after 5 years old not associated with fever.  I'm thinking I want to go have another opinion done before doing any medication, but the next place that I can go I believe would be Boston, MA and I guess I am just trying to convince myself it's worth the time.  Not that my daughter isn't but money is tight and the last thing I want to do is make a trip up there and get the sames answers.

[Godofredo MD]

Hi.

To answer your first question, yes, I am. However, since we have all been discussing symptoms and conditions over the Internet, without actual face-to-face interaction, and where we cannot perform any actual physical and neurological examination on your daughter, we cannot give you a very well informed decision as to what you should do, which is why our views should only serve as opinions for you to consider in making your own decision.

I understand your predicament and I know that you would do anything for your child.  I believe you when you mentioned reading about how epilepsy is 2 or more seizures after 5 years old not associated with fever. Unfortunately, some diseases do not exactly follow what is written in medical literature and sometimes, atypical presentations happen. It is also written in most medical books that febrile seizures last until about 5 years and yet there is a possibility that your daughter is experiencing them still.

There really is no certainty right now as to what your daughter may have been experiencing, whether they are only febrile seizures, or some kind of epilepsy triggered by fever. That leaves you with several options. One is to follow the doctors' advice for your daughter to take medication. A second option is to go for a second opinion. And another one is to observe your daughter's condition for the moment, taking great care not to let her have a fever (since her seizures seem to be triggered by them), and when around 2 months have passed from the last seizure, have an EEG done to check for any abnormalities.

But whatever decision you make, talk to your daughter's current physician about it to be able to make a more informed decision.

I really do hope this helps. Good luck.

[roxannec]

Yes and I do thank you from the bottom of my heart!