Hi. I wasn't sure where to post this. My son is almost 18 now. I first posted it in Children's Health but then noticed most questions there are about younger kids. Thought maybe I should post it here, too.

Here's my son's story. He fainted, fell over straight like a log on his face, cracked his orbital bone and had a severe concussion at 15. This was at the doctor's office. The nurse who observed him jerking on the floor said it was a reaction to being knocked unconscious. He was a fainter when he was younger but hadn't fainted in years. However, we have had a lot of big stresses in our family and he was probably more stressed than usual.

About 6 months later he fainted at my sister's house when she was describing something disturbing she saw at work (she's a nurse and tells these stories a lot). I did not see that faint, but found him lying on her ceramic tile floor. He woke up quickly that time with no evidence of head injury. About a year later, he fainted after he got bit by our hamster. That time I caught him. He was stiff and I had a hard time lowering him to the ground. His arm jerked when he was lying there. He woke up in less than a minute feeling like he was well rested. He has gotten lightheaded on several other occasions related to stress, but not actually fainted. He said he thought he might, but he didn't. He says things go gray before he loses consciousness.

My doctor sent him to a neurologist who did a walking eeg. They did not find seizures on the eeg but the doctor said it was unusual to find an actual seizure on an eeg. He stressed this quite a bit. He found a few spikes of activity (refused to say how many) while my son was asleep that he said could indicate my son could have a seizure. But he also said that 3 percent of all people have these brief spikes while they are asleep and never have seizures. So I asked him, IS MY SON HAVING SEIZURES? He said, yes, he was having frontal lobe seizures. I asked DOES HE HAVE EPILEPSY? He said no, he wasn't calling it epilepsy. I tried to ask for more details about the eeg and some other things he said, but he did not like me to ask questions and basically told me to just listen. Because I had to tiptoe carefully around his ego, I did not get the information I wanted, just the answers to those two questions.

One other thing, my son has Asperger's Syndrome and has poor emotional regulation, but otherwise most people would never know he has AS. It's very mild.

Can anyone tell me what they think about what this neurologist was saying? Are these faints? Seizures? If they are real seizures, why is the doctor saying he doesn't have epilepsy? I have searched and searched online and it seems that if he really is having frontal seizures, then he has epilepsy. I just don't get it.

pepper999,

It is great to have you come and be with us. You will fine a great number of dear friends to listen when you are in need of ears. Please, just let us know how we can help you out. You will find out we are supportive and relaxing place.

Sad to hear what your son and you have been going through. I do have epilepsy, but I am under control now. There a great number of different kind of seizures. I was having petit-pal and I did have a few grand mal a few times. During having one a person is aware that you are there but able to talk. Usually I would take a short nap and wake thinking I had been asleep a good long time but it was a brief moment of time.

You should see an Epileptologist (Dr. specializing in epilepsy) at an Epilepsy Center which are usually at University or big hospitals. Your need to cut out the carbs and starch foods because they will trigger seizures. Start keeping track of your seizures by writing them down on a calendar, by doing this the Dr. may see a pattern in your seizures. Get yourself on vitamin B12 500 mcg. once a day. Also avoid very bright light, like at a theater, the flashing can bring on a seizure. Just close you eyes and turn your head at that time.

Please keep us up to date on his condition. Again welcome, looking forward to seeing you around. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

Hi pepper,

Welcome to the forum! I have both temporal lobe and frontal lobe sz. and what you are discribing sounds like a possible drop sz. or grand mal (tonic clonic sz.) your son is having. Stress and lack of sleep are the 2 main things that can trigger sz. for a person. Darlene is correct take your son to an Epileptologist and have them do a series of tests on him like a video e.e.g. , MRI, CT scan, SPECT scan, and PET Scan. These tests will show what's going on with good detail, another thing the Dr. should do is admit your son into the hospital while doing the video e.e.g. that way they can get his possible sz. on camera and see what's really going on. Hormones changing, low pressure in the weather and sometimes cell phones can trigger sz. for people also. Get a calendar and start writing down what time of the day/night your son is having any sz. along with a discription of the sz. by doing this the Dr may see a pattern in your sons sz. It's possible that your sons sz. started after the concussion. I had a concussion a few yrs. ago and it made me have more sz. I wish you and your son only the best and May God Bless You Both!

Sue

Pepper,

As one who has had injury induced seizures since 1965 when I was 10, there are a few things to consider. His brain is still maturing until he is about 25. With proper care, he may grow out of these episodes. His concussion history is likely adding to his problems. My seizures are all related to my concussions.

His fainting problems sound like vasovagal syncope. Check out wiki at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasovagal_response
It is easier to read that the Mayo info on vasovagal. Note the trigger of medical procedures. I was very sensitive to vasovagal during my young years.

My biggest concern is his reaction to stressors and startles. His head is put at great risk by this situation. The fall on the tile floor may not have cause serious concussion symptoms but likely did impact his brain in a bad way.

There are biofeedback and neurofeedback therapies that may be able to help him with vasovagal syncope. Teaching him to tolerate startle and stress will allow him to be much safer in his life. He needs to not be driving until this is resolved. I had to delay getting my drivers license until my condition was under control. If he volunteers to not drive until this is resolved, he may be able to avoid having his license pulled by a doctor's call to DMV. A walking EEG with attempts to startle him would be interesting.

Epilepsy meds will not likely stop vasovagal syncope. It would be quicker and less expensive to rule out vasovagal that test for seizures. The tests Sue lists can cost $10,000 to $15,000, especially if done inpatient. Even then, they can be inconclusive. I have had them all with an inconclusive result. The tests that were most valuable was a qEEG, quantitative EEG, using 18 leads and analyzed by a computer using the Lexicor database and later the Simpson-Heyrend database. There are plenty of good comparative databases used by qEEG clinicians. The challenge is finding a good qEEG clinician. My qEEG clinician could tell me how I was reacting to triggers before he knew/read my medical history. It was uncanny. qEEG uses triggers/stimuli that go beyond the classic EEG stimuli.

If you post the area you live in, I can research a good qEEG clinic for you.

btw, when I was his age, I was first put on Dilantin (phenytoin) that worked good except it messed up my gums so I was switched to phenobarbital which worked just as well. I was able to go off meds for 25 years then needed to start Neurontin (gabapentin).

Once you find the solution, whether it is meds or some other therapy for vasovagal, he should be fine.

Has your son undergone any changes in personality?

My best to you.