Has this happened to you!

[Tamistwins]

Hi it's 2:30 a.m. And my 19th month old just woke up screaming like a lunatic. I could do nothing to console him. Usually when he wakes up he likes to nurse or have a bottle and goes right back to sleep. Anything I offered him he did not want. He is in my bed and he kept trying to get off the bed. He was fighting me so strongly. He kept standing up and tried to walk or get down. Finally with all his screaming he finally calmed down, nursed for 2 minutes and lied down. He kissed me and patted me and said nice. All this after he woke so frustrated and hit me. I don't get it. this was no night terror, he was awake, calling me by name and saying down. He clearly wanted to go down. This is 2nd night this has happened. Anything similar happen to anyone else?

[airial95]

This used to happen with both of my kids when they would get ear infections. Many times this would be their only symptom. It hurts when theynlie down because of the pressure. You might want to get his ears checked.

[monarchcat]

It sounds like it could be a night terror or confusional arousal. My son has had these off and on since he was a toddler (he's almost 10 now). They are very strange. I am actually going to post a question on night terrors today myself! When my son has one he will sometimes be aware enough to answer me or make *some* sense, but he'll also moan, thrash and talk/yell. Confusional arousals are similar to night terrors. My son will be very agitated for 5 minutes or so then it will suddenly end and he'll go right back to sleep. Needing to pee will often trigger an episode so I've learned that when he starts moaning, etc., I take him right to the bathroom to pee. He will cooperate and pee even while he's agitated and talking nonsense. It can help end it quickly. Sometimes a noise in the house, such as someone using the bathroom will trigger an episode as well. Here's a little blurb from google:

 

"Confusional arousal" is the term applied to a variant of night terrors in older infants and toddlers. These "arousal disorders" typically occur at the end of the first or second sleep cycle of the night, and reflect the fact that children often sleep so deeply that the normal awakening at the end of a sleep cycle is partially stifled or suppressed. The result is the child may groan and thrash around without actually awakening to full awareness.

 

As is the case with night terrors, confusional arousals happen in the first half of the night (although if there are several during the night, they may spill over into the second half of the night, too). They can last from 5 to 45 minutes, but usually subside after about 5 or 10 minutes. The episode may seem to subside, then start again.

 

If a child is having confusional arousals, he or she will begin with moaning, which typically progresses to crying, thrashing around, sitting or standing (as opposed to night terrors, which begin suddenly). A few recognizable words may be blurted out, but most of the child's utterances are unintelligible. When picked up, these kids arch and thrash around. With toddlers, the behavior can look a lot like a temper tantrum. Attempts to fully awaken the child are futile until the episode has run its course.

 

There is not much to do for confusional arousals. The child is asleep and not in any distress; attempting to awaken the child often makes the time needed to resettle to quiet sleep longer. If the child is overtired (and sleeps deeper as a result), the events are more likely to be triggered. Anything that upsets normal sleep rythmns (illness, travel, disrupted naps) tends to make arousal disorders more likely.

 

Ensuring adequate rest and regular sleep habits helps to reduce the chances of an attack. Behavioral waking episodes later in the night can aggravate confusional arousals earlier in the night, so elimination of these problem wakings can help reduce or eliminate confusional arousals. Medication can be tried if the arousals are very frequent and disruptive of family sleep. The tranquilizer clonazepam is most often used at bedtime for this problem (0.125-0.5 mg). It is given for a few weeks and then usually withdrawn without resumption of the attacks.

[thereishope]

It sounds like night terrors to me as well. My non-PANDAS son had these. They didn't happen often and he outgrew them. He's going to be 10 now and he occassionally will moan in his sleep like an extension of a dream. Moaning something like, "leave me alone or I'm sorry". We talk to him, he'll respond only a little, but we pretty much just have to wait for him to fall back asleep. He doesn't remember any of it.

[Tamistwins]

Thank you for your responses I will look up conditional arousal. I am happy to say that he went back to waking up just to drink and quickly back to sleep last night. I'm wondering if his behavior was related to a bicillin injection he got on Friday. He has never slept through the night, but acting up that way was unusual.

[Tamistwins]

Oops I meant confusional arousal.

[aidansmom]

There are some similarities what happened to us on Saturday night. My son who is 8 (verbal communication abilities much younger) came to my room at 1:00 am and seemed really agitated. He kept wanting to get up and go "down" (which meant get up and go downstairs - I think) He often wakes at night but usually goes right back to sleep. But he seemed really anxious and he did not seem that he would settle back down for sleep for anything. I think he kept pointing at what he thought was a dog in the room and then he seemed to think there was a kitty in the bed which made him panic (he is afraid of cats). He finally settled down after a snack and some motrin. The next day we saw ear drainage and he has an ear infection with a burst eardrum.

 

I was ready to attribute all of this behavior (including hallucinations) to PANDAS and/or Lyme but now I am wondering if it was just the pain. I didn't expect an ear infection as he is on azithromycin.

Elizabeth

[airial95]

Prior to our PANDAS dx, both of my kids (especially my non-PANDAS daughter who eventually had to have tubes) got a ton of ear infections. This was the most common symptom we had - it was always the first symptom, and sometimes the only symptom.

 

We constantly struggle with our 3 1/2 year old PANDAS son because so often we see things happening and immediately relate it to the PANDAS - when it may be something far less sinister!

 

Based on Aidan's mom's post, I wouldn't rule out something non-PANDAS related and I would have his ears checked.

[tantrums]

Also made me think instantly of night terrors. My son had them consistently from age 1 to about 5. They were the worst in the beginning when we didn't know what to do or how to handle them. All you can do is watch and make sure he doesn't get hurt. Talking, offering a bottle, etc... will only make it worse and last longer. It is VERY hard to watch, especially when they are calling for you seemingly unaware that you are right there with them, but they will remember nothing of it after its over.