Charlie, The Seizure and The ER

Sunday evening, Charlie had a a convulsive seizure brought on by a pallid breath holding spell. Pallid BHS are unpredictable. They usually occur in response to being startled, frightened, in pain, immunized, or injured, particularly after hitting the head. In a pallid BHS the brain sends a signal via the vagus nerve that severely slows the heart rate, leading to a temporary cessation of breathing and loss of consciousness. In Charlie's case, he was extremely angry and was in the middle of a temper tantrum when he threw himself backward, hitting his head. He immediately began having rhythmic jerking and muscle spasms. He had difficulty breathing and rolling of the eyes, followed by a period of drowsiness that is called the postictal period. This group of seizures is common with grand mal seizures. Charlie had a CT-Scan and we were happy to learn that the seizure was not shunt related. This marks the third visit to the ER for us since March and Charlie is actuely aware of what happens in the hospital and so our visits get more and more difficult and heart wrenching. Say a little prayer so we can steer clear of that place for a while.