Infant Spasms

[enduringplum]

On Wednesday evening Miranda had a very odd episode of twitching while she was sleeping in my lap after nursing. She didn't wake up during the episode (I was actually unable to wake her), and the spasms only occurred on the right side of her body, which caused her head, arm, and leg to twitch in unison in a downward motion and continued for about seven minutes. When the episode passed she still didn't wake for about ten minutes, only waking when I changed her diaper in preparation to bring her to the emergency room on her doctor's recommendation. She had been cranky, tired, and nursing poorly all day, but since Wednesday she has been perfectly happy.

At the ER she had a few more spasms shortly after we arrived, but it passed much more quickly. When she woke I nursed her and she was in a good mood the rest of the evening - she even performed cutely for some of the other people waiting.

When we were finally called back she had blood drawn and a CT scan (without contrast agent) performed, but all the results came back normal, which is a relief to a certain extent. The ER doctors described what I had described to them to a neurologist, who seemed to think it was an unusual form of a normal sleep episode, but he did not examine her himself or speak to me.

My mom and I brought her to her regular pediatrician's office today where she was seen by the young doctor at the practice as well as a resident. Both doctors agreed that what I described seemed unusual and could be indicative of an underlying problem that could be anything from infant stroke to a mild infection, so Dr. Dawkins gave me a prescription for an EEG for Miranda and called the infant neurologist's office personally so we can have Miranda seen as soon as possible; I'm supposed to call Monday or Tuesday to schedule the EEG.

Other tests she may require are MRI, lumbar puncture (aka spinal tap), and/or cardiac ultrasound.

Although the neurologist the ER doctor consulted over the phone seemed unconcerned, I'm still concerned because the spasms she had Wednesday night were very different from the little spasms she sometimes has as a normal part of her startle reflex, although the neurologist insisted that those can occur for as long as seven minutes at a time.


Otherwise Miranda is doing very well. She's grown another inch, she now weighs eight pounds and one-and-a-half ounces, she tracks objects well, and she pushes up with her arms often now and continues to lift her head well. Not to mention all the coos, smiles, and funny grunts she treats us to.

Comments

[whatgiraffe.livejournal.com]

That must have been a terrifying moment for you. I hope the spasms don't come back.