HI guys, sorry, I have not been around, I will explain the problem and hopefully you can help.
I mentioned recently that my 11 year old son had a school accident and ended up with a very badly black and bruised eye, he ended up in hospital overnight with Amnesia.
Next came a grand mal first ever seizure, which put him in hospital again overnight, which we were told might never happen again and even if his EEG scan came back abnormal they would not medicate him unless he had another seizure. (we think he had 2 petit mal seizures a bit later but can't be sure and the hospital weren't too worried about this.
Yesterday we see the paediatrician for the results of the EEG and it is abnormal, showing lots of brain activity on the left side and because of this reading he would definately be having more seizures and is now an epileptic, we are very upset about all this and just want to do whatever it takes to make him ok. The paediatrician told us that herself and her senior colleague felt that Liam should be medicated asap. I don't know what to do as the meds have strong side effects and he seems fine now and I know Drs can be wrong after my own experiences, so would you or would you not medicate, they told us it was our decision and we could just wait and see what happens. I am baffled and worn out worrying about it all.
On top of all that I politely asked the school if they have school accident insurance we may need their help as it was a school accident, and we already struggle with my medical expenses (my GP advised us to get legal advice) as we don't know what his future is going to hold now, maybe unable to drive etc. We are not asking for anything unreasonable just for reasonable medical costs to be covered if necessary. But they are disputing the fact that the head injury caused the seizures, which my GP is sure it did. WHAT NEXT _ HELP please. kind regards Janie.
Edited by jane - forgot something.
He now has to have an MRI scan to look for further abnormalities, I am wondering if there is something they are not telling us?.
The accident should have been documented at school with an incident report. All schools would have accident insurance for their students I would think. Stand your ground and insist that they come to the party. Get your son's Casualty notes and insist on a copy of the incident report from the school. If they refuse to be helpful go over their heads to either your local member or the education department. Get statements from your doctor and copies of hospital notes to back-up your.
Definitely follow it up. If they refuse follow your GPs advice and get some legal advice. Sounds like he is in your corner.
Please keep s updated on your sons progress, my thoughts and prayers are with you
Thankyou so much everyone for your input, I really am confused, but that doesn't take much these days. I am praying like crazy that the Drs are wrong, the paeds thought it may have been the head injury but said it would never be proven, but my GP who knows Liam very well, said as far as she is concerned he was a typical healthy 11 year old until this accident at school happened and as far as she could see this is the reason for the seizures, saying that a lot of epilepsy is brought on in kids and adults after head trauma. I could post photos for you of his eye if I knew how, sorry. The pictures only show it on week 5, it was a lot more bruised and swollen prior to them being taken.
Janie, I am first of all so sorry...this is a mom's worst nightmare. This whole thing stinks.
1. Get the MRI, and find out more....there may be some things that they do not know for sure and they are not going to worry you needlessly. So, take care of your son. If he needs anti-seizure meds, then he needs them. I guess to me it is a lot like the meds for RA...if you need them...you need them.
2. YOu need to be seeing a lawyer ASAP...it is done on school property, and it needs to be covered by the school. They are not going to cooperate right out of the gate....WE teachers and administrators are taught not to take blame. YOu need the lawyer, and a copy of the incident report as well as your GP's formal statement and the statement of the other docs. YOur lawyer will know exactly what to do. Get a good one and sue for the coverage of the lawyer fees as well. School board will want to settle out of court. (if you have school boards in Australia).
Keep talking to us, b/c there will be a lot of emotions and fatigue caused by this. Take care of you, and try to sleep as much as possible. You will have to try to remain as relaxed as possible, b/c any tension between you and hubby can set off another seizure.
Oh Janie....I am so very sorry for this all. Gosh...I wouldn't want anyone to go through this. Lots of hugs and love, and prayers....shel
Hi Jane,
Oh, I'm so sorry this has happened. It must be terrifying for you and your family. I hope I can offer a little reassurance. My FIL was a life long epileptic. My husband never saw his father have a seizure, it was so well controlled by medication.
Right about the time we were making wedding plans, my husband's brother had a seizure - his first ever and it occurred when he was in his thirties. Within a year, both of my hubby's brother's children had seizures - his daughter began medication when she was only three.
My SIL was extremely upset about putting her children on medication, afraid it was going to make them zombies, or rob them of their emotions, and a normal childhood. But the good news is, once they got past the initial period where they had to try different medications and dosages to reach the perfect fit, they have all handled their disease with ease, and with little impact on their lives. The only times they have had seizures have been when they got sloppy about taking their medication, or ran out. Otherwise, they are all normal, healthy, successful people!
With regard to the school, I think it is time to get an attorney. You need someone as your advocate that can help you deal with the school, the school board, their insurance company, etc. Let someone who is familiar with this type of thing do the fighting for you.
Good luck to you and your son - I hope I helped put your mind at ease a little bit!
Karen
sorry but I know in florida they make you purchase insurance to cover your kids while in school or school activities I dont tnink they automatically get insurance. seems like its time for a lawyer. Can I ask what type of accident was it at the hand of another ?
Janie I am so sorry to read this. I will keep you all in my prayers.
I don't know if all schools work the same. When I lived in OH we would get this form every beginning of the school year. You can opt to buy the "school medical coverage" in case something happens on school grounds. If you did not then you had to sign that you refused and could not sue if anything happens on school grounds or field trips and the like. I remember that it was a must if not returned within the first school week if you wanted your child to stay in school.
Since moving out of state I have not had to sign anything like that here. So I have no clue how that works.
Good luck to you and your son.
I can't really offer any helpful information other than here, you don't have to sign anything for extra coverage unless your child is in after school activities or off school property, sports or a field trip, and then you have to hold the school harmless if there is an accident or death. I would think all school districts would have accident insurance for just the kind of thing that happened to your son. I'm hoping the seizure was a one time event caused by the concussion. I hope an accident report was made and if not, you should insist that one be done immediately, before both children forget what happened. I'm hoping for the best and happy birthday.Janie -
I sensed the number one question is what to do about the meds. I can't help you there. I have a friend who's son has epilepsy from birth. None of the meds helped him so she and I did a little research on the surgeries they are experimenting with. I am NOT saying that is happening to you - just that's all I know.
That and whatever happened to my brain with my stroke/adverse reaction. And I never did anything about that, just healed slowly over time.
I read your post and then thought about it as I was getting the baby dressed for school. My first response was "no meds". I know, that doesn't really help you...I'm just trying to put my gut feelings into something that makes a modicum of sense.
While I understand the ice could have helped - my question is...what have they done since? Is he on anti-inflamms? What are they doing to lower brain inflammation now? Because as we all know, inflammation takes a while to go away.
Does he have other symptoms other than the siezures? Trouble reading? Trouble finding the right word? Trouble following a complex thought and articulating it? Behavioral changes? Anything that points to continued brain trauma. This might be why they're considering the MRI.
The brain has remarkable healitive powers. I've read anything on strokes for a long time. Many accident victims heal - it just takes time.
So, I'd question the mechanism of the meds. For example - with us and the traditional meds - my thoughts were - it's covering a symptom. How do they say the meds work? Is it blocking an exzyme? Is it reducing swelling? Two completely different mechanisms. Get my point. Because, and I can't prove this, I worried that blocking any enzyme that my body made was the wrong way to go...what if my body needed that to heal?
For us, we see tons of studies that say...take meds now and you can get permanant remission. But I've never seen a post where somebody said that happened to them. To be fair, if it did work that way, they wouldn't be on one of these boards, but...I keep getting the feeling there isn't anybody. Kind of like the 'winners' in The Running Man or Logan's Run.
And most of the studies we do see are paid for by Pharma. What else are they going to say?
If I were you and it was my child - I'd find a forum like AI for epileptics. And I mean, LIKE AI. This is one of the only support groups out there dedicated to helping people heal...by any means necessary. You've got tradition meds people, APer's, diet and herb people. You can get a lot of info in one place. Know what I mean? I can't tell you how many times I've seen PR reports posted as science in other places. You don't need PR...you need facts. Find places you can ask questions. And follow links to other boards. See what I mean?
I think it's time to 'marry' your computer. When I was first sick I was obsessed by finding another way with RA. I used the science I was reading to lead me to where I was going to find answers. Since I was no scientist I had to reread things many times but it finally started making sense. I figured, rightly, that all I had to do was 'find a pattern' and look for 'common sense'. It worked for me.
I'm just typing out loud here. So bear with me. Running a quick search I've come up with a whole lot of nothing.
It sounds like he has a frontal lobe injury.
This is from someplace you can start a search at.
http://www.braininjury.com/seizuresandheadinjury.html
This is from a chiro website
http://www.erinelster.com/ConditionsDetail.aspx?ConditionID= 12
This is the govt - expect them to be totally traditional med.
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/tbi/detail_tbi.htm
This is a blog for the latest research. I'm hoping this goes on and functions like Bens' Stem Cell blog. But it's a place to start.
http://braininjury.blogs.com/braininjury/brain_injury_epilep sy/index.html
Pip
P.S. Recently there was a post on Minocin stopping the effects of a stroke if administered at the time. I haven't read the entire thing but you might do a search here and ask yourself 'why'. That's what I was going to do when I got some more time. There are (supposedly) no mycoplasma's in an injury. So, again, what's the mechanism?
Finally - if the link doesn't work - look for extra spaces and remove them and try again.
Janie, I don't have any good advice that hasn't already been expressed here with far more knowledge about it than I have.My school does have accident insurance. It is sent home with all those back to school papers. I was under the impression that insurance is not provided unless the paperwork is returned. OF course, I haven't really had to worry about it. I just turn them forms over the the front office. Actually, in my 9 years, I have never had a form returned!
You do need to talk to somebody at the school board or their central office. I can't believe it took that long for your son to receive attention. You have every right to be frustrated with the school.
Becky
Oh Janie, I am so sorry your son is going through this. Have you gotten a second opinion from a ped. neuro? I can't remember if I read that or not. The brain has an amazing ability to heal itself and like Pip said, it seems like the seizures might end when the swelling goes down. About the medication, it depends on what it does. I would do as much research as possible, and get him seen by the best doctors you can find.
I am not surprised the school is treating this as no big deal, but it is! I would be calling the school district's office as well as a lawyer who is familiar with these types of situations. Let them hash out that end of things to free you up to cncentrate on getting your son healed and better. I wish you all the best. I pray he heals quickly and never has another seizure.
During this difficult time, please try to remember to take care of yourself so you are better prepared to take care of your son. Rest when you can, and if you have to, have son's bed (or just the top mattress) moved into your room so you can keep an eye on him in the night. I may be over reacting here, but that is just me. I used to do it for every little illness or injury my boys had. rest, rest, rest.
Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, Happy birthday dear Jaaaaaaaanie, Happy birthday to you. ....and many mooooooooore! Hang in there sweetie!
deb
I hope this helps you. I do not know anything about Australia, so I am not sure.Dear janie, I'm so sorry to hear about your son. I wanted to give you some encouragement. My nephew had his first seizure at age 13 (grand mal) and was put on toprol, which effectively controlloed symptoms. His mom (my brother's ex) took him off the medication (against doctor's knowledge) and he had another seizure. He's back on meds now and has only had the 2 seizures. He is now 16 and is able to get his drivers license as he has not had a seizure in over a year. He hasn't had any side effects or problems with the medications. I hope your son makes a quick recovery! love, J
The epilepsy could be a temporary thing, related to the injury. Once concussion subsides (it can takes months) the epilepsy might clear up. Still follow it through with the school. Medicare should take care of most of it but the specialist bills should be taken care of. It happened at school and has lasting repercussions. WOW. how can I begin to thank you all, you really have stumped me with your kindness, and patience and generosity in finding out about and then typing all the info. You are all very special people and now I really know why I love AI.Janie,
The first order of business should be an appt with a pediatric neurologist. He/she should evaluate the tests and determine if indeed medication is warranted. I would get a second opinion if you aren't comfortable with the dx. Just remember, some people have a seizure and then don't seizure again for days, weeks, months and even years. That doesn't mean that they don't need to be on meds.
I hope he has a speedy recovery!
Phats
Dear Janie, I'm sorry I haven't written sooner. I am so sorry about Liam's accident and resulting seizures. I am amazed that the teacher noticed such a difference in his behavior and did absolutely nothing! That should have been a red flag for her.
I absolutely agree with the majority of posters. Liam's health is your main concern, of course. I think I agree that taking the meds is probably a necessary step. I know it's hard to start medicating your little one, but I really think that now is one of those times when you really need to try it. It may be that he won't need the drugs later, but for now, his symptoms seem to warrant it. Poor little guy! I hope he is not to scared by all this.
Also, I absolutely agree that you must see a lawyer. He will know how to proceed. You must have something like our American Bar Association. If you call your local chapter, they may be able to give you the name of an attorney who specializes in the type of thing you need. The school really should be held liable for a child injured during school hours. Of course I don't know the laws in Australia, but ours even vary from state to state.
Be sure you get enough rest, Sweetie. You have to take care of yourself, so you can be there for Liam. You are both in my prayers.
Hugs, and much love, Nini
So sorry about your son's accident. I don't know anything about the med, etc. But just wanted to share with you what happened with my son last week at school. I got a call from the school nurse saying that Jared (he's 10) hit his head hard outside at recess. He fell playing football and his head hit the ground. (grass) She said,"I've done all the neurologic (SP?) tests on him ( like hand grip, asking questions, looking at the eye chart, etc.) and I don't suspect a head injury, there's no apparent bump on his head." She had him lay in her office with an ice pack on his head. He did complain once back in class that he was having problems seeing. His teacher sent him back down to the nurse and that's actually when she called me. She said, " Again, I don't suspect an injury."
Now, you know your son well enough to know that he wasn't acting "normal." Well.....my son tends to blow evey injury he has WAY out of proportion, so I was guessing this is what was happening. I asked her point blank, "Do you think he's ok- or do I need to come and get him?" ( school was going to be done in 45mins) She said, " I'm very confident he's fine." So I did let him stay at school- when he got home, checked him- and he was perfectly fine. She did send a report home that listed the injury and the tests she performed on him.
It sure doesn't sound to be like your son's school acted in his best interests at all! I'm SO sorry for you and your son!! I do agree with the others that you need to get a laywer just to make sure your best interests are covered.
Take care- and let us know how Liam is doing.
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