calliecritturs
Posted : 10/31/2008 8:17:32 AM
Not quite sure what you're asking --- at this point "epilepsy" has simply become virtually synonymous with "has seizures". It's not really diagnosed as a disease anymore (that information I got from the tw neuro vets up at the University of Florida at Gainesville -- Dr. Clemmons, head neuro-surgeon, and Dr. Chrissman, then-head of Dept.).
Why? Simply because the field has grown so broad -- they know they can't always "diagnose" anything specifically. Years ago they classified seizures as "grand mal" and "petit mal" and now even those have fallen away in favor simply of time. "A seizure that last ...." measured in minutes often tells the tale of severity. But they also realize that certain obsessive things (fly-catching, air-licking, obsessive repetitive movements) *are* seizure activity.
I've never had Kee Shu tested, but rather than put her on pheno or potassium bromide we control her seizury/obsessive stuff with herbs and acupuncture (and wow, there's a conscious DOG there and she has a personality!!!! WOW!). I'm not sure there is a point to testing at this point -- management is more the key.
Now Kee is not at all nervous and probably never was even when she was young. Abused? very likely. There are always lots of similiarities between certain aspects of seizures. But unfortunately in this case, "diagnosis" is likely only to lead to heavy drugs that have severe life-limiting side effects. It doesn't lead to a cure -- only to a label.