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Infant vertigo?
My 7 month old has had, since birth, odd "spells". It is always associated with movement - laying her down, picking her up mostly. When you lay her down, she "freezes" for about 2-3 seconds, and her eyes get unfocused. These spells happen for several days in a row, then vanish for weeks. The last time she had them was early March. Now, in May, she started them again, but the next day she added something strange. Instead of just the freezing, grimacing and unfocused stare, she also started snapping her head to the left when laid down. She has always had a strong leftward preference to her head, to the extent that strangers have commented on it. She does not have toncillis (sp?). When pulling her to a sitting position, her head would sometimes loll forward. This uptick in severity sent me to the ER at Dupont with her. An EEG showed no signs of seizure activity (she did do it during the EEG), and the neuro said it did not look epilleptic in nature, and was likely benign. We are doing a follow up 24 hour EEG next week. I am wondering, though, if it could be related to an inner ear problem, such as vertigo? The fact that it is always associated with positional changes made me wonder. And if it is not vertigo, and not seizures, what else could it be? Would an EEG show a brain tumor? Thanks for any input!
Hello. Same thing going on with my little one. Do you happen to have the case studies that were put together ?
Thank you
Thank you
Wow, that does sound like our situations! What baffled my doctors all the time was that her symptoms would go away and then come back. Like you, it was like clockwork--although mine was closer to a month apart, and lasted about a week, then vanished. I wonder if my daughter did have BPT. She is almost 5 now, and grew out her symptoms by the time she could walk (about 10-12 months). She has never presented with any notable motor skill delays, and is very intelligent. So if this is what she (and all our kids) had, thankfully it seems to have not had any lasting effects. My gal is doing great!
And by the way, prognosis is great with BPT. I was told there may be some mild gross motor delays early on, but overall they do great! I am just curious to see if you think this is what your children had and if they are all better. Also I think I read something about inner-ear problem, there are many people on the Facebook group for BPT who have said their child has had some inner-ear problems. Ok, that's all. Thanks!
By the way, our pediatric neurologists took a long time to diagnosis this as it is a rare (but benign) condition most doctors are unfamiliar with. That is why it takes all of us families with children affected by this so long to get a diagnosis and it feels so confusing and worrisome. Also they like to rule out a lot of things. We worried about it being seizures for so long yet we were baffled because tests (EEGs) kept coming back normal or non-specific. They thought some videos of her episodes "could possibly look epileptic" but thought most of them "did not look epileptic" so they were really baffled for months! Our neurologists had to really research this condition but we now have the official diagnosis. Again, I am amazed at how similar all our stories are.
Was it "Benign Paroxysmal Torticollis of Infancy"?? This is NOT regular muscular torticollis, this is different!!! My daughter has this. You and KGans could have described my daughter and our situation perfectly. It is a form of infant vertigo and is a migraine variant. It occurs during infancy and is basically similar to an infant form of "benign paroxysmal vertigo of childhood". My daughter's episodes started at 4 weeks old. They occur every 2 weeks like clockwork (like you both said about the pattern being predictable) and her head will tilt (sometimes severe and obvious, sometimes very, very mild and almost not noticeable) alternating both left and right sides, resuming totally back to normal and straight while not in an episode, (I noticed you both wrote about noticing maybe their head would seem floppy or tilted or they would snap it down to the shoulder during an episode) and she has the eye fluttering/blinking/rolling back upon movement (picking up and laying down). I can induce the episodes with movement and can calm and settle her during them in a dark, quiet room. In between episodes she is normal. We feared seizures for so long and like you did multiple EEGs and MRI (normal) and all sorts of bloodwork both metabolic and genetic (normal). We now have a BPT diagnosis. They outgrow it anywhere between 1-5 years old (usually around 2-3). My daughter is 8 months. Please let me know how your children are doing. Thank you!! I can't believe how similar all these stories are of babies who have BPT (there is a great Facebook page). I hope your children have grown out of it- please let me know how they are!
Was it "Benign Paroxysmal Torticollis of Infancy"?? This is NOT regular muscular torticollis, this is different!!! My daughter has this. You and hanahana could have described my daughter and our situation *perfectly*. It is a form of infant vertigo and is a migraine variant. Her episodes started at 4 weeks old. They occur every 2 weeks like clockwork and her head will tilt (sometimes severe and obvious, sometimes very, very mild and almost not noticeable) alternating both left and right sides (resuming totally back to normal and straight while not in an episode) and she has the eye fluttering/blinking/rolling back upon movement (picking up and laying down). In between episodes she is normal. We feared seizures for so long, and like you did multiple EEGs and MRI (normal). We now have a BPT diagnosis. Benign Paroxysmal Torticollis of Infancy. They outgrow it anywhere between 1-5 years old (usually around 2-3). My daughter is 8 months. Please let me know how your children are doing. Thank you!!!!
Thank you so much for getting back to me!!
Its so good to hear that the left handedness was something she basically grew out of - She can easily use both but often chooses her left. She also only puts her left foot in her mouth which is strange. She grabs both feet, but only suck on her left foot :) and she loves to face left most of the time - unless the tv or her sister is on the right side which is much more interesting, then she will turn to look!
We see a private neurologist next Friday and then a public hospital appointment two weeks later. She had a normal eeg at 3 weeks old but they are doing another one
I often feel as though its her balance thats playing a role in all of this, when she is on her back or tummy (no way of feeling off balance) she seems perfectly happy and normal, but gets very edgy and wobbly and frustrated when upright
she passed the newborn hearing test as well - I think I will def ask the neurologist about an ENT
Thank you, I feel reassured! so glad all is well with your little one!
Its so good to hear that the left handedness was something she basically grew out of - She can easily use both but often chooses her left. She also only puts her left foot in her mouth which is strange. She grabs both feet, but only suck on her left foot :) and she loves to face left most of the time - unless the tv or her sister is on the right side which is much more interesting, then she will turn to look!
We see a private neurologist next Friday and then a public hospital appointment two weeks later. She had a normal eeg at 3 weeks old but they are doing another one
I often feel as though its her balance thats playing a role in all of this, when she is on her back or tummy (no way of feeling off balance) she seems perfectly happy and normal, but gets very edgy and wobbly and frustrated when upright
she passed the newborn hearing test as well - I think I will def ask the neurologist about an ENT
Thank you, I feel reassured! so glad all is well with your little one!
My LO is now 4.5 years old! She is perfectly fine, no more incidences with vertigo. The older she got, and the more she could move around on her own, the less episodes she had. And even though she was VERY left-sided preferenced as an infant, she writes and draws right-handed now (which surprised me). But she still throws and does puzzles and such left-handed.
Your neurologist should be able to do some EEGs and definitively tell if there is any neurological issue. We did a 3-day in-hospital EEG study which cleared her of the possibility of seizure. That's when we went to the ENT (Ear Nose Throat) and found out she is virtually deaf in one ear and had a malformed inner ear which was causing the dizzy spells. I suggest seeing an ENT to rule out ear issues. My daughter passed the newborn hearing screening perfectly, yet was almost deaf in one ear. The screening is not foolproof.
Good luck!
Your neurologist should be able to do some EEGs and definitively tell if there is any neurological issue. We did a 3-day in-hospital EEG study which cleared her of the possibility of seizure. That's when we went to the ENT (Ear Nose Throat) and found out she is virtually deaf in one ear and had a malformed inner ear which was causing the dizzy spells. I suggest seeing an ENT to rule out ear issues. My daughter passed the newborn hearing screening perfectly, yet was almost deaf in one ear. The screening is not foolproof.
Good luck!
Hi Kgans & hanahana
I feel as though your original post describe exactly my daughter other than the eye sluttering episodes, though I wonder if she had some of these earlier on when she was much younger.
She too prefer to lie with her head on the left when on her back, but rakes toys in with her right first when on her tummy. When upright on my hip (she is 4.5months) she is steady on my right hip but loses balance when on my left.
I have been SO worried about Cerebral palsy with the side preference and assymetry - but some of the fact don;t seem to fit and other than the absense of eye fluttering this sounds exactly what you are describing and so I wonder about ear or balance problems. Her left pupil is sometimes smaller at times than her right too
How is your LO doing now?
We are booked in to see a nuerologist in July as she has central sleep apnea as well which further worries me about something neurological but they are telling me this is something she will grow out of at this stage. Nothing to believe it is anything more than that...
I hope everything turned out well for you both
I feel as though your original post describe exactly my daughter other than the eye sluttering episodes, though I wonder if she had some of these earlier on when she was much younger.
She too prefer to lie with her head on the left when on her back, but rakes toys in with her right first when on her tummy. When upright on my hip (she is 4.5months) she is steady on my right hip but loses balance when on my left.
I have been SO worried about Cerebral palsy with the side preference and assymetry - but some of the fact don;t seem to fit and other than the absense of eye fluttering this sounds exactly what you are describing and so I wonder about ear or balance problems. Her left pupil is sometimes smaller at times than her right too
How is your LO doing now?
We are booked in to see a nuerologist in July as she has central sleep apnea as well which further worries me about something neurological but they are telling me this is something she will grow out of at this stage. Nothing to believe it is anything more than that...
I hope everything turned out well for you both
Thank you so much for all this info you have posted! My 10 week old started doing the exact same thing as you are describing. She started doing this at two weeks, and it appears for three to four days about every 2-3 weeks. I just went to the nurologist and we are scheduled for the 24 hour EEG as well as an MRI. The dr. Seemed mystified and stumped. Luckily she was going through one of her phases where she had the events so the nurologist got to see it happen and she recorded it. When she goes through these spells it seems like every time i lay her back down she does the eye flutter and freezes then comes back. Could you please send me any info you have so i can share this with her pediatrician. She is very intrested in learning what this might be. My email is stephaniehale.***@****. I want to talk to her about the possibilityof it being something ear related as it seems to be what explained the incidents happening with your daughter. I feel a lot better after reading this and it gives me hope that there is a solution. Thank you so very much!
This does not sound like what our children had. It sounds much more like a condition called torticollis, where the head tilts or twists to one side. Please click the link below for all the details and to see if your child has more of the symptoms they list. It is not a dangerous condition and is usually easily remedied. I hope you find the cause - good luck!
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001757/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001757/
My son is 13 months old and he walks around with his ear on his shoulder and he keeps doing it and I don't know what to do. I called his doctor and they said they will check for an ear infection but that did that before and said he did not have one.
Thank you very much for your response! I am so happy to hear that your babies are doing great! Your experience with this certainly keeps us optimistic. I will definitely post an update to inform you of my nephew's progress. He hasn't had an episode in the past week. He is such a cute and happy baby! This Friday he has another EEG scheduled. We shall see what the doctor says, but I have a feeling that it will come out clear like last time. We are praying that these episodes go away like your babies. Thanks again!!
It certainly sounds like what our children had. Like yours, my daughter would have eye flutter when put down for a diaper change - but not all the time. Like the other person above, it seemed to happen for a few days every month, go away, then come back. Also like the other person, as she started to moved independently, the episodes became shorter and eventually vanished.
My daughter is healthy and happy, too!
I do suggest getting an ear doctor to check your child, as my daughter has mild hearing loss in one ear. This bad ear also has an abnormally shaped vestibular aqueduct, which may have contributed to her infant vertigo.
It is great that the EEG and MRI were clear (as were ours). As long as the eye fluttering not followed by a period where the baby seems lethargic or otherwise confused, then it likely is not a seizure. Keep watching your nephew and make sure no new symptoms come up or that it doesn't get worse.
If it is what our children had, it will happen less and less the more mobile your nephew gets. I know it is hard not to be concerned when you see it happen, but it does not seem to be a serious condition. My daughter is now almost 3, and she has no vertigo now - she loves the merry-go-round and swings!
Good luck and let us know if you find anything out!
My daughter is healthy and happy, too!
I do suggest getting an ear doctor to check your child, as my daughter has mild hearing loss in one ear. This bad ear also has an abnormally shaped vestibular aqueduct, which may have contributed to her infant vertigo.
It is great that the EEG and MRI were clear (as were ours). As long as the eye fluttering not followed by a period where the baby seems lethargic or otherwise confused, then it likely is not a seizure. Keep watching your nephew and make sure no new symptoms come up or that it doesn't get worse.
If it is what our children had, it will happen less and less the more mobile your nephew gets. I know it is hard not to be concerned when you see it happen, but it does not seem to be a serious condition. My daughter is now almost 3, and she has no vertigo now - she loves the merry-go-round and swings!
Good luck and let us know if you find anything out!
Hi,
Our baby had same. Doctors find nothing.
I am sure is it is a vertigo/dizziness "only". When you put him horizontal he will be dizzy for a few second...
Our baby outgrown when she was 9 months old and she started to rolling, creep etc. - when developed her balancing system.
Interesting: our baby had it every third week for 4 days, later only the fourth week for 3 days last 2 months we saw it only 1 times and gone.
Our baby beautiful and healthy :)
Please note: if you see the episode be calm and smile. If you be scared, your baby is be frightened to. If you smiling your baby think it is a fun and will enjoy it. Our baby enjoyed it in the last time. If she had not got episode she waved her head to start the dizzy and she smiled and enjoyed it when her had the nystagmus...
Our baby had same. Doctors find nothing.
I am sure is it is a vertigo/dizziness "only". When you put him horizontal he will be dizzy for a few second...
Our baby outgrown when she was 9 months old and she started to rolling, creep etc. - when developed her balancing system.
Interesting: our baby had it every third week for 4 days, later only the fourth week for 3 days last 2 months we saw it only 1 times and gone.
Our baby beautiful and healthy :)
Please note: if you see the episode be calm and smile. If you be scared, your baby is be frightened to. If you smiling your baby think it is a fun and will enjoy it. Our baby enjoyed it in the last time. If she had not got episode she waved her head to start the dizzy and she smiled and enjoyed it when her had the nystagmus...
Hello,
I have a 3.5 month old nephew whose eyes flutter rapidly for about 5 seconds when put in a horizontal position. It doesn't happen all of the time, however it is pretty worrisome when one witnesses it. It appears to be seizure-like, however, the two different pediatric neurologists that have seen him don't think it is seizures. He already underwent a 24-hour EEG and it came back fine. Also, the MRI came back clear as well. We are all so worried. My nephew had an appointment with the pediatric ophthalmologist today and the doctor said that it is not nystagmus and that his eyes are normal. Have any of you experienced this with your baby? If so, please share any treatments that your baby had. I would also like to know when and if it stopped. Any information or direction you can provide will be greatly appreciated. I look forward to your response.
Many thanks!
I have a 3.5 month old nephew whose eyes flutter rapidly for about 5 seconds when put in a horizontal position. It doesn't happen all of the time, however it is pretty worrisome when one witnesses it. It appears to be seizure-like, however, the two different pediatric neurologists that have seen him don't think it is seizures. He already underwent a 24-hour EEG and it came back fine. Also, the MRI came back clear as well. We are all so worried. My nephew had an appointment with the pediatric ophthalmologist today and the doctor said that it is not nystagmus and that his eyes are normal. Have any of you experienced this with your baby? If so, please share any treatments that your baby had. I would also like to know when and if it stopped. Any information or direction you can provide will be greatly appreciated. I look forward to your response.
Many thanks!
My baby has the same symptoms im so worried please call me at 956-434-1920 im from south texas my name is bella hernandez my baby is 3 months old.
Sounds the same as our story! I am so thankful for you. Enjoy your daughter.... Time sure does fly!
Thanks for checking in. My little girl is almost a year now and is also a very happy, thriving little one, praise God. We have not seen an episode since she was about 4/5 months old.
Last week we had a follow up appointment with genetics and they said that she was "perfect" and they discharged her. We have one more follow up with neurology in Sept. but I expect the same results as genetics.
Thanks again for these posts and all the support and hope it brought to us.
Blessings to you and your family.
Last week we had a follow up appointment with genetics and they said that she was "perfect" and they discharged her. We have one more follow up with neurology in Sept. but I expect the same results as genetics.
Thanks again for these posts and all the support and hope it brought to us.
Blessings to you and your family.
Hello Everyone!
My life has been BUSY this summer and I haven't had a lot of time to check in with everyone. I have thought about all of your babies many times and wondered how everyone was doing. I do not have the time to e-mail everyone induvidually, so if you have the time, would you mind posting some updates on any new test results, symptoms, recoveries, etc. Or if you would rather do so privately, feel free to send me a private message through medhelp.com. I am hoping to hear that maybe some of your children have grown out of this "infant vertigo" just as my daughter did. She is 16 months old and is so healthy and thriving. Please let me know how things are going. I would love to hear some good news!
Take care!
Hanahana
My life has been BUSY this summer and I haven't had a lot of time to check in with everyone. I have thought about all of your babies many times and wondered how everyone was doing. I do not have the time to e-mail everyone induvidually, so if you have the time, would you mind posting some updates on any new test results, symptoms, recoveries, etc. Or if you would rather do so privately, feel free to send me a private message through medhelp.com. I am hoping to hear that maybe some of your children have grown out of this "infant vertigo" just as my daughter did. She is 16 months old and is so healthy and thriving. Please let me know how things are going. I would love to hear some good news!
Take care!
Hanahana
That sounds more like what we experienced. I will stress though that if he does have ANY stillness AFTER the eye-fluttering, you must push your doctor to see a neurologist.
The strange sound may just be from his cold, as the doctors think, if it just started recently.
Yes, it is very scary to see these episodes, even when all the doctors tell you there is nothing seriously wrong. All of our children's episodes were intermittent - they would happen frequently for about 4-5 days, then suddenly stop for about a month, then start again for another 4-5 days. See if they stop in the next few days. If they do, then see if they begin again in 3 weeks to a month or so.
Also, all of our children started these episodes in the first few weeks of their life - yours is a late starter. It could be from the illness, if he has fluid in his ears. The fluid could make him dizzy (vertigo) when he changes position. See if the episodes stop when his cold passes.
Hopefully your doctors are correct and it is the cold causing his symptoms!
Keep us posted!
The strange sound may just be from his cold, as the doctors think, if it just started recently.
Yes, it is very scary to see these episodes, even when all the doctors tell you there is nothing seriously wrong. All of our children's episodes were intermittent - they would happen frequently for about 4-5 days, then suddenly stop for about a month, then start again for another 4-5 days. See if they stop in the next few days. If they do, then see if they begin again in 3 weeks to a month or so.
Also, all of our children started these episodes in the first few weeks of their life - yours is a late starter. It could be from the illness, if he has fluid in his ears. The fluid could make him dizzy (vertigo) when he changes position. See if the episodes stop when his cold passes.
Hopefully your doctors are correct and it is the cold causing his symptoms!
Keep us posted!
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