I wrote awhile ago about ds night terrors. The doctor doesn't think that they are night terrors because of his age and how infrequent they occur (1-2 times a month) but the "symptoms" are night terrorish. He will wake up screaming like he is angry or in pain and thrash around in his crib with a blank stare. He doesn't acknowledge me or dh being in the room and continues to scream and thrash. As he has gotten bigger, we can't hold him because he throws his head back and arches his back and he is really strong! So we just use soothing voices and pat him on the back until he starts to come out of it. Then we pick him up, snuggle him and soothe him back to sleep.
The doctor had him tested for seizures with an eeg and it turned out normal. We also video taped one and she said he is definitley not seizing. Whew! She also said it seems like he is in pain so we went and checked out to see if he had a hernia. Again, turned out normal. The dr also suggested reflux but she is skeptical because it is so infrequent and only at night, never nap time (although sometimes he does wake up really upset from naps).
Tonight he had a really bad one and was burping really "liquidy" burps and passing gas. The burping had a vomit smell. We calmed him down and offered him some water, which he didn't want and now he is sleeping soundly again.
I am so confused as to what is going on. I am really hoping that he is not in pain. Developmentally, he is above where he should be, cognatively and physically. I just wonder if there is anything else I could be doing or something I am missing...any advice? Has anyone else had kids with nighttime reflux or terrors? I am willing to try anything but I we are not into meds and I don't want to put him on a reflux medicine just to "give it a try." TIA!

I don't have any advice. Will keep your family in prayer especially ds.....It is hard to see your children in a situation and not know what is causing it or how to really help them. I pray God leads you to the solution of this and I know He will. At bedtime just pray over your ds for protection and a restful sleep and just continue to do this every night.......

I hate to say this but most of those symptoms sound like he is having seizures to me. I am not a doctor but our daughter has been through many of these things. We had to rule out night terrors with her also. I would definitely get a second opinion. We don't like meds either but if this is the issue, he will need medicine to get better. I hope & pray it is not! I will PM you when I get more time. [hug]

Praying for your ds Jill. A second opinion is wise, but I would also keep a journal of what takes place and when. The more info you have the more the dr.'s can give you an accurate diagnosis.

I agree with getting a second opinion. Also, has the ped suggested any elimination diets? Like diary, wheat, gluten?
I'd eliminate diary first & see if anything changes.
I'm so sorry for you & your little guy. I'll be praying.

Not a lot of advice to offer, but sending hugs and prayers your way. One of ours has what I've always considered to be night terrors, but it's more on the level of unreasonable crying and not waking up to acknowledge our presence, there is not a lot of movement involved. Hers used to happen more frequently, perhaps a couple of times per month but have not tapered off (on their own) to maybe 2-3 times per year. She is now six. I'd agree with the other ladies that a second opinion may be in order. The video and keeping a journal should be helpful.

I was really concerned about the fact that he may be seizing, too but because he often crawls around and moves so much rather than jerking, the doctors I have seen don't think that is the issue. Maybe I should get a second opinion. I just want what is best for ds (even if it means meds). Yeah, it is awful to see your child in what seems like pain and to not be able to do anything about it. I think praying over him at night is a great idea. I am sure that God wants me to turn to him through this...I think I better spend some more time in prayer! Thanks for all of your input, gals!

Eliminating dairy...hmmm...could dairy have that of effect? I am willing to try anything! These episodes started when he was about 9 months old, maybe around the time I started giving him cheese??? I can't really remember...

I'm wondering what the heck the frequency has to do with whether it is a night terror or not? That just doesn't make sense to me.

Ditto a second opinion.
Ditto checking into his diet.

And yes, dairy can be a trigger for a lot of things. I don't know about this personally, but dairy is really weird. And I wouldn't be one bit surprised if it plays a role here as well. (just my opinion)

Also ditto the journal idea. And praying over him at bedtime. :)

Praying for you. I can only imagine how scary this is with such a little one..it was frightening enough to see my Eldest suffer night terrors on occasion from age 6-10 :\

Tonight he had a really bad one and was burping really "liquidy" burps and passing gas. The burping had a vomit smell. We calmed him down and offered him some water, which he didn't want and now he is sleeping soundly again.

Have you considered Reflux/GERD/Heartburn? http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/gerd/ The reason I ask, is that my Grandma has had that for most of her life, and she actually only gets relief by sleeping on a big wedge shaped pillow so her head and shoulders are elevated when she sleeps. My Mom has it to a degree, and I've woken up more than once from a deep sleep with acid burning in my throat. It was REALLY scary the first time it happened, I didn't think I could breathe, and I was freaked out as an adult. I think it would be even more scary in a child who couldn't verbalize what was going on in the midst of a really heavy sleep. Some kiddos are such heavy sleepers, that they don't always wake all the way up when they're in discomfort....

As far as night terrors go, my DS#1 had those for several years. His were more frequent than you mention with your child. It was pretty nerve wracking. Shortly after our DS#1 turned 4, they went away completely. If you'd like to know more, I'd be happy to share.

Our DS#1 had night terrors at a young age and it was only a couple times a month. Someone told us to try not giving him milk after a certain time and that is what worked for us. No milk after 6:30 and he never had a night terror again (except for the one time that Grandma let him skip his nap and I wasn't around so I can't guarantee he didn't have milk) Also an irregular schedule the day/night before seemed to set him off. I really hope that you guys are able to find a resolution. Night terrors are awful.

This sounds quite similar to what we experienced with my dd when she was younger (she is actually now similar age to you ds and doesn't seem to be having the same problem anymore). She would also wake up screaming like she was angry or in pain and thrash around with a blank stare. She would not be comforted by cuddles (in fact this only made it worse) and would throw her head back and arch her back with incredible strength! At times I heard her digestive system gurging quite loud and I wondered if this was associated with her discomfort. Unfortunately, the doctor never offered any help regarding this - perhaps I should have sought a second opinion. I would definately recommend a second opinion in your case. In our case we never figured out what the problem was. We tried a couple of over-the-counter baby medications for wind and acid reflux - but never found anything that eliminated the problem. She eventually grew out of it. We had decided that it was probably some issue with digestion that she would grow out of - due to her imature digestive system. I would also experiment by eliminating some of the most likely culprits in his diet. I hope that you find something that will help your ds.

My DS had them when he was younger, starting around 18 mos or so and continuing till about age 5. The one thing that seemed to be the common thread among all the episodes was a lack of fluids during the day preceding the night terror. I'm not sure if that was officially it, but it was always the case whenever he got a night terror - a day where he refused to drink much of anything (not a problem anymore!)

Good luck your research and finding out if anything can help head these off.

I really can't thank all of you enough for your posts. This is really a tough issue and I just want to figure it out. I am going to look more into the reflux issue and check on some dairy stuff. I am so grateful to all of you!!!

You mentiones he doesn't have them at nap time, so Iwas wondering if he has a nightlight or lamp in his room. Dd was having "night terrors" and we just left her lamp on. She never had one when the lamp was on and she was ok pretty soon. I would second the reflux thing too. It never hurts to get several opinions either. You aren't paranoid for wanting to KNOW what is going on with him so never be afraid to question your doc.