Q: I have a five and a half year old daughter. She had her first fit early last month. During the fit, her lower jaw moved to the left side and a lot of saliva came out though she was in her senses and was trying to control herself. Her EEG and CT scan reports are normal. The neurologist administered her Tegrital syrup. But even after that, she had five more fits. The longest fit lasted for 15-20 minutes. Her weight is 16 kg. We consulted another neurologist who advised for MRI with some other tests like LFT, KFT, Hb, TLC, DLC, sugar, etc. besides advising the change of medicine as Encorate. I am very concerned, as she has just taken admission in class 1, and am worried whether or not she would be fully cured to continue her studies without any obstacles. How should I deal with the situation?

A:Your child is having Partial or Focal seizures arising from the right side of the brain. One might assume that they could be related to the birth asphyxia that she suffered at birth. An MRI brain is required to detect a structural lesion. The medicine Encorate is appropriate and safe in the doses that are usually prescribed. You will have to be patient as the medicines in epilepsy are started with a low dose and gradually built up till the fits are controlled. You must ensure that medicines are given on time and not missed. Your neurologist will like to get some blood tests for monitoring the side effects of the medicine. Your child should be treated at home as a normal child who can study and play as other children do, except that risky sports like swimming, riding cycle on the main road, etc. are restricted. Also, you must remember that 70% of children will become free from fits with proper medication.