Recurring Epilepsy? Possible?

[ourhometoyou]

My daughter had benign epilepsy of childhood from age 3-9. She is 14 now and is experiencing dizziness, lightheadedness, funny feeling in her face. She's had one fainting episode and one episode where she says she blacked out for a second and almost fell on the floor. Complete blood work up is normal. Could she be having seizures again?

[drgeroulis]

Thanks for the question. The symptoms you've described can certainly occur as "epileptic events" in children and adults. In fact epileptic seizures can masquerade in many guises. Especially what we call "auras" which are actually now known to be actual "ictal" events ( in lay terms seizures).

There is more than one form of "benign epilepsy of childhood" and depending on the diagnosis, the age can vary. Of course this is based on many things including but not limited to the EEG (electroencephalogram) your pediatric neuologist or adult neurologist may have ordered.

My questions to you would be the following:

1. Was an MRI of the brain done and if so how was it ordered? Meaning, was it done "seizure protocol" which looks at thin slices of particular areas of interest of the brain.

2. Is/was she on medications?

3. Has her routine recently changed (more stressors, sleep deprivation etc)?

4. Developmental history ok? Birth, delivery etc

5. Other children healthy? with seizures?

6. When she was actually having seizures, what was the description of the events?