Ethan's Diagnosis

Sorry to keep everyone in 'suspense' - obviously, it's been a busy week and I haven't had time to get back to my blog and write about Ethan's appointment with his pediatrician. We went in Wednesday afternoon. Dr. Hemsley examined Ethan - checked his ears, nose and throat. Listened to his chest and back and finally determined that Ethan probably did NOT have pneumonia. So if it's not pneumonia, then what was causing Ethan to stop breathing? We had come to the conclusion that his no breathing attacks were due to some sort of diminished lung capacity caused by the pneumonia. I explained the attacks in great detail - from when they started to what was happening before and during the times that he was not breathing and so lifeless. I made sure, especially, to go over the events of Monday evening that led to a 911 call and a trip to the ER. I think if we had been in Oregon, we probably would not have gone in to the hospital, but it was the fact that we were in southern California and knew we had a long drive ahead of us that made us want to be a little more cautious. Dr. Hemsley listened to everything I had to say, stopping to clarify a few things and then we got the final diagnosis. Ethan had suffered from something known as breath-holding spells or BHS. In fact, he said it was almost text-book and gave me an info sheet on it to read over. Sure enough, the circumstances surrounding Ethan's BHS were almost exactly as what was described on the sheet. So I asked the doctor, "Is this good news or bad news?" I was worried that this may be the beginning of worse things to come. He assured me that as bad as it sounds, it is actually good news. It means we know the cause of his not breathing and what to look for if he does it again.

If you're interested, here's what I learned from the info sheet about BHS (don't feel obligated to read it all) :
- preceded by an upsetting event (falling down, frustration, anger or being frightened) - E was usually frustrated or angry and always tired
- child gives one or two long cries and then holds his breath in expiration until lips are bluish - yep, this is exactly what he would do
- child then passes out - yes
- child resumes normal breathing and becomes fully alert in less than 1 minute - it's a very LONG minute, trust me
- onset is between 6 months and 2 years old - almost 14 months old
- attacks occur only while the child is awake
- cause: abnormal reflex that allows 5% of children to hold their breath long enough to actually pass out - it's not deliberate
- expected course: BHS usually occur 1-2 times daily to 1-2 times per month and are gone by the time they are 4 or 5 years old
- they are not dangerous and don't lead to epilepsy or brain damage
- attacks are harmless and always stop by themselves

Treatment-wise, you basically are just supposed to lie your child flat and put a cool, wet washcloth on his forehead and then wait it out like you would a seizure. You are also to remain calm (as best you can) and if possible, time the attack.

In the end, it is a sigh of relief to have an actual explanation of the attacks. Dr. Hemsley also reassured me that he was about 99% sure of the diagnosis. We were so worried that it was possibly neurological and maybe even an early sign of a mental disorder. He hasn't had anymore breath-holding spells since Monday evening. We're really hoping that it was just aggravated by the fact that we were in a new place, he wasn't sleeping in his own bed/room and his normal routine/schedule was thrown off. And also that he was getting sick. He had a 100 degree temperature when we left the doctor's office Wednesday evening and it spiked to 103.2 that night. By Thursday morning it was back down to 100 degrees and by Friday morning his temp was back to normal. Hopefully these attacks will not become too regular. Thank you all for your concern over our little Ethan. And if anyone else has any more info or experienced a child with BHS, please let me know.