Odd new symptom ... any thoughts?

[Mom2Ava]

When Ava was at the ER on Monday, she did something odd as she was coming out of her sz. It looked like she was trying to yawn and smile at the same time ... or at least this is how the Er Doc saw it. I don't think she was doing either. It almost seems like an involuntary thing. I have seen this before in a pt, but not sure if it was a stroke pt, E pt or other type of disability. Anway, she has done this everday since Monday.

Any ideas what this might be?

[Bec]

You said she does this every day. Can you get a picture of it or is it a blink and you miss it thing? How long does she hold the pose?

[Mom2Ava]

Doubt I can get I pic. it only happens 1 to 3 times and only lasts a second or two.
Look at yourself in the mirror. Yawn all the way and smile at the same time for a second or two. this is what it looks like.

[fireweed]

is the "yawn" part of it just in her face, or does she breathe in big while she's doing it, etc?

[Mom2Ava]

No she does not breath in big. It is just her mouth ... don't think it is an actual yawn ... just wide open mouth.

[fireweed]

in dystonia and dyskinesia, there is a term that people use for faces that people make as part of their movement disorder - and that is grimace.

it may be changing, i don't know. but i have had someone say before to me that my child's grimace is a smile - so i think grimace just means the face made.

you can google dyskinesia grimace and dystonia grimace, and there is some good reading.

you'll see that grimaces and facial movements are rather common in tardive dyskinesia, (movements caused by medications), and so i might consider whether any med she is on could be causing this.

seizures can have dyskinesia movements too - just like they can have clonic or tonic movements. does that make sense?

hopefully it will fade away soon and never appear again. but as a parent of a child with severe dyskinesia, i would watch, review the list of meds she's on, and keep track of how many times a day she does it. and ask the doc about it - maybe even mention the word grimace and see how they respond. see if the ER doc will document it if they didn't already.

if you possibly can, try for just one day to keep the camera on all day and capture it, but as a parent of a child who has episodes and movements that need to be taped and are hard to catch, i do understand that's hard.



p.s. maybe something they had given her in the ER set it off?