Aa
What kind of Dr. do I need??????
I've done a ton of research and believe that my son has SYDENHAM CHOREA.
What type of md should we see.
What type of md should we see.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Hi
It is kind of difficult for me to suggest a good neurologist. Here is a link to start with: http://www.healthcare.com/find/neurologist/AR/texarkana/71854/
Maybe you could use this as a guide and ask around. Hope this helps. Do let me know if there is any thing else. Good Luck!
It is kind of difficult for me to suggest a good neurologist. Here is a link to start with: http://www.healthcare.com/find/neurologist/AR/texarkana/71854/
Maybe you could use this as a guide and ask around. Hope this helps. Do let me know if there is any thing else. Good Luck!
Thanks again!!!! The information you have given me has been very helpful. One more question if you don't mind.... How can I find a good neurologist? We do not have one in our home town. We have seen one at a children's hospital over 2 hours from here when all of this first started and he only evaluated him in 1 visit and ordered the heart test. After that came back o.k. there wasn't a follow up of any kind needed according to him.
I've given up on our pedi. he doesn't seem concerned. Actually he makes me feel like I'm TOO concerned and doesn't offer any answers.
I've given up on our pedi. he doesn't seem concerned. Actually he makes me feel like I'm TOO concerned and doesn't offer any answers.
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Hi
Thanks for the detailed history. One thing we have to understand. EEG has to be clinically correlated. A negative EEG does not rule out epilepsy. In epilepsy the movements are usually rhythmic. In chorea they are not. “The movements seen in Sydenham chorea are involuntary, jerky, and purposeless. They are not rhythmic and occur sporadically in different muscle groups. For example, a sitting child might suddenly have an arm jerk upward followed by a leg extension, then a head nod. The movements occur in such a way that the child is constantly in motion and seems to be twitching everywhere.” What is reassuring is that this chorea resolves after a few months. What is important is that your child must be tested for rheumatic pathology by ESR, ASO, CRP (C-reactive protein) and Streptozyme test.
Please note the sequence of jerks and movements when they happen next. This will give a clue to the diagnosis. Write in detail the movements as they happen, maybe take a vedio and show it to the neurologist. This should help.
Asthma is frightening but can be managed with drugs, exercise, healthy diet etc. Do not worry. Things will be fine.
Please let me know if there is anything else. I’ll be happy to help out in any way this forum can. All the best!
Thanks for the detailed history. One thing we have to understand. EEG has to be clinically correlated. A negative EEG does not rule out epilepsy. In epilepsy the movements are usually rhythmic. In chorea they are not. “The movements seen in Sydenham chorea are involuntary, jerky, and purposeless. They are not rhythmic and occur sporadically in different muscle groups. For example, a sitting child might suddenly have an arm jerk upward followed by a leg extension, then a head nod. The movements occur in such a way that the child is constantly in motion and seems to be twitching everywhere.” What is reassuring is that this chorea resolves after a few months. What is important is that your child must be tested for rheumatic pathology by ESR, ASO, CRP (C-reactive protein) and Streptozyme test.
Please note the sequence of jerks and movements when they happen next. This will give a clue to the diagnosis. Write in detail the movements as they happen, maybe take a vedio and show it to the neurologist. This should help.
Asthma is frightening but can be managed with drugs, exercise, healthy diet etc. Do not worry. Things will be fine.
Please let me know if there is anything else. I’ll be happy to help out in any way this forum can. All the best!
Thank you so much for responding!
He has been tested for epilepsy. 2 EEG's came back normal. This has been going on for 19 months now. He has the jerky movements . Sometimes he gets jerky and has what looks like tremors mostly on his right side that can last for up to 2 hours. This will happen at any time. What makes me think it is Sydenham's Chorea is he did have strep.
This is how it started>>> May of 2007 my son complained of a sore throat and a head ache. Less than 2 hours after he woke up that morning his fever shot up and couldn’t move his legs. We rushed him to the E.R. There they did a spinal tap. C.T., urine, blood, strep, and mono test. Nothing showed on any of those test. We were thin transported to a children’s hospital by ambulance 2 hours away.By the time we arrived he wasn’t as weak and could stand with help so they sent us home. The next day his fever spiked once again. His head started jerking and his arms were shaking mostly on one side. To me it looked like a seizure. Back to the E.R. This time his fever was 104.2 and he was having a hard time breathing and serious head ache. Once again more test with no answers. They admitted him and put him on antibiotics for strep. The doctors never mentioned that he had a spinal head ache but I figured that one out. He could only lay flat to even be somewhat comfortable. After an MRI and EEG were done 3 days later they took him off the antibiotics and sent him home. Three days after he was released he was back they told us it was strep (with no test) and put them himl on medication. However that wasn’t the end of it for him. The twitching behavior and the tremor like shakes have gotten worse. In August of 2007 we went to a neurologist that ordered an EKG because he thought he might have rheumatic fever. The EKG came back normal. That doctor said he should just outgrow the side effect in a few months.
They are STILL getting worse. Now he has been diagnosed with asthma. I don’t know if it is related or not. He also has severe spells that last sometimes for hours. He also collapsed at school and was sent back to the E.R. The E.R. dr. said he thought he had seizure and ordered another EEG. That test came back normal. The head aches, twitches, tremors, now blacking out or collapsing seem to be more frequent and interfering with his developing. He has grown much in the past year and a half.
What can I do for him?
He has been tested for epilepsy. 2 EEG's came back normal. This has been going on for 19 months now. He has the jerky movements . Sometimes he gets jerky and has what looks like tremors mostly on his right side that can last for up to 2 hours. This will happen at any time. What makes me think it is Sydenham's Chorea is he did have strep.
This is how it started>>> May of 2007 my son complained of a sore throat and a head ache. Less than 2 hours after he woke up that morning his fever shot up and couldn’t move his legs. We rushed him to the E.R. There they did a spinal tap. C.T., urine, blood, strep, and mono test. Nothing showed on any of those test. We were thin transported to a children’s hospital by ambulance 2 hours away.By the time we arrived he wasn’t as weak and could stand with help so they sent us home. The next day his fever spiked once again. His head started jerking and his arms were shaking mostly on one side. To me it looked like a seizure. Back to the E.R. This time his fever was 104.2 and he was having a hard time breathing and serious head ache. Once again more test with no answers. They admitted him and put him on antibiotics for strep. The doctors never mentioned that he had a spinal head ache but I figured that one out. He could only lay flat to even be somewhat comfortable. After an MRI and EEG were done 3 days later they took him off the antibiotics and sent him home. Three days after he was released he was back they told us it was strep (with no test) and put them himl on medication. However that wasn’t the end of it for him. The twitching behavior and the tremor like shakes have gotten worse. In August of 2007 we went to a neurologist that ordered an EKG because he thought he might have rheumatic fever. The EKG came back normal. That doctor said he should just outgrow the side effect in a few months.
They are STILL getting worse. Now he has been diagnosed with asthma. I don’t know if it is related or not. He also has severe spells that last sometimes for hours. He also collapsed at school and was sent back to the E.R. The E.R. dr. said he thought he had seizure and ordered another EEG. That test came back normal. The head aches, twitches, tremors, now blacking out or collapsing seem to be more frequent and interfering with his developing. He has grown much in the past year and a half.
What can I do for him?
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Hi
Thanks for the post! How is your son now?
Sydenham’s Chorea is a neurological disorder under the area of a Neurologist. If he is having jerky movements of upper body, it could also be epilepsy. Again this too is the field of a Neurologist. Please consult one. Do keep me posted. If possible please send the details of your son’s symptoms.
All the best! Please let me know if there is any thing else and do keep me posted. Take care!
Thanks for the post! How is your son now?
Sydenham’s Chorea is a neurological disorder under the area of a Neurologist. If he is having jerky movements of upper body, it could also be epilepsy. Again this too is the field of a Neurologist. Please consult one. Do keep me posted. If possible please send the details of your son’s symptoms.
All the best! Please let me know if there is any thing else and do keep me posted. Take care!
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