Thought I had the answer

[Mandy]

I finally thought we had a concrete diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder for Little Bear last week and it all changed last night

He was qualified for services at school last Friday with a really good IEP that included transportation, sensory breaks, etc. which was really a HUGE stress reliever for me. However, he is still having meltdowns at school even though he has been better than ever at home.

Last week he had an "event" at school that concerned everyone. After a meltdown, he went into a complete unresponsive state (eye's dilated)that made the school nurse think he might have had a seizure.

Last night I get a call from our Dr. after waiting for bloodwork and she is stumped. She is thinking now he might have a neurological disorder so she is sending us to a neurologist or a developmental pediatrition for furthur testing. We are waiting today to see where and when. Thank goodness we have a great children's hospital here so that is were she is sending us.

Has anyone here went this route and what should we expect?? I really feel like we are on a rollar coaster ride.

 

[AnnieO]

Mandy... Having a difficult child is a roller-coaster ride. Of the highest magnitude.

I can't say I've been exactly where you are, but I can send you lots of hugs. You're doing great - sounds like, no matter what seems to be happening, you're on top of things. So - MORE HUGS!

 

[smallworld]

Definitely have a full neurological workup. Don't settle for a developmental pediatrician.

My two older kids have had neurological workups and still see a neurologist because they have migraines in addition to mood disorders. What specifically do you want to know?

 

[Mandy]

Thank you StepTo2 for the hugs... I need them

I kind of feel like I had this all figured out and now the rug has been pulled out from under me. We have never been to a neurologist so I guess my big questions are:

Has anyone else had their difficult child seen by a neurologist for behavior and mood issues?

Was there another medical diagnosis found that causes these same symptoms?

We have never went the medical route besides basic testing because his former pedi thought he was developing normally and it was just "terrible two's" etc. That is why of course we ended up making a switch in doctors to get some real answers. Up to this point we have only seen psychologists so that is why his Dr. decided upon more testing.

 

[BusynMember]

I have a mood disorder and have been on a lot of medications. I'm wondering if one of the medications caused that. You can have really strange and scary side effects on psychiatric medications (many medications for all issues, really). Depakote did some really bad things to my teenage daughter until she threw it out and refused it. It caused her both mental fatigue, cognitive dulling, sleepiness, and gave her ovarian cysts. Good luck!

 

[Mandy]

Thanks for the input MWM! He had issues before he started medications with speech, clumsiness, fine motor skills. which I mentioned to EVERY dr. we have seen. Everyone seemed to think it wasn't a big deal until recently when his behaviors improved and you could actually see the "symptoms" a little more clearly. Before he was so wild that you couldn't get a clear picture of anything with him.

I took him to his Dr. a few weeks ago and since he was behaving much better she noticed a strange movement with his head. Then the evaluation. at school confirmed that his fine motor skills are actually a year behind, and of course with his possible seizure episode which stumped his Dr. since he is on Depakote, a good anti-convulsent medication.

I think all these events, including his Depakote being at a good theraputic level and still having meltdowns at school, is what prompted his Dr. to seek other answers.

I think I just want THE diagnosis so I know where to go.

 

[smallworld]

Seizures, particularly in the temporal lobes, can cause behavior issues that look like bipolar disorder. Even though he's on Depakote, both Seroquel and Celexa could lower the seizure threshold and cause breakthrough seizures. Since he had an "episode," it's wise to rule seizures out because otherwise you're chasing after one diagnosis when it could be another.

A neurological workup would include a sleep-deprived EEG and an MRI. Since your difficult child is young, it is likely the MRI would be done under anesthesia (because it requires no moving for 45 minutes).

My kids actually see a behavioral neurologist every 3 months for migraines, but because he's really smart and up on all the medications they take, it's an extra set of eyes on them. I really like the exta quarterly check they get.

Hang in there. I think this is a positive step toward figuring out what's going on with your difficult child.

 

[Mandy]

Smallworld~ Thank you so much for that info! That helped answer a lot of my questions abt why he could have had a possible seizure while on Depakote, and my concerns about testing

This is why I always come here for info because someone always has good advice and answers!!

 

[JJJ]

We been there done that and they couldn't figure it out and stuck with bipolar. He likely has temporal lobe partial seizures but apparently they are hard to diagnosis and not all docs agree on them/their symptoms.