Seizures

[Ortho_RN]

A friend of mines baby started having seizures this past friday, she was only 3 days old... And the Dr. at Arkansas Childrens hospital CANNOT find anything wrong.. All her tests were normal.. He has diagnosed her with Benign Neonatal Convulsions, is this just a diagnosis for him just to have something or what?? He said she may have the seizures for the next couple of years.. he is treating it with phenobarb...... Does this sound legit, and if so will someone please explain it to me.. :)

Thanks

[psychomachia]

try these web pages for some info: Epilepsy, Benign Neonatal

Benign Neonatal Convulsion

Generalized Epilepsy

E-medicine Benign Childhood Epilepsy

Pediatric Neurology

[Jolie, BSN]

I'm sorry for your friend and her baby. How terrifying this must be! I have never heard of the diagnosis you have listed, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Try a Google search and see what you come up with. In my experience, babies who have seizures that early in life have an underlying cause such as perinatal asphyxia, metabolic disorder, or infection.

While I have no doubt that Arkansas Children's Hospital is a fine institution with very gifted doctors and nurses, I would strongly recommend getting a second opinion at another Children's Hospital. I don't know exactly where your friend lives, but I'm sure she is within a day's drive of Tulsa, Dallas, St. Louis, or Kansas City. If it were me, I would seek a second opinion in one of those cities. Please let us know who she is doing.