5 Month Old Rolling Eyes in Back of Head

Is he on any medication? There are some medications like Reglan that are given to little ones with reflux etc. that can cause seizure activity as a side effect or an adverse reaction, a freind of mine had that happen to her dtr with Reglan.
I would definately take him to be evaluated by a pedi neurologist. He could still be having what is called petit mal seizures (little seizures) that don't necessarily make you pass out and are localized as shivering or twitching muscles, eyes rolling back etc. that don't necessarily mimic the "true" seizure pattern of grand mal seizures (big seizures) like passing out, fogginess when you wake up, sleepiness afterwards, whole body twitching while passed out and usually the release of the bowels or bladder. The petit mal seizures can be the twitching of a finger and can still be considered seizures. I would have him evaluated by a pediatric neurologist. The eyes rolling back would be enough of an indicator for most to think that was a red flag. Not to panic, just to have him evaluated.
Good luck,
L., RN

C.,
Is your son sick with a fever? Does sound like a seizure. Lots of kids have seizures, especially related to fevers. I agree you should see a neurologist.....not that anything terrible is wrong. If this is the problem there is a good chance your baby will grow out of it, but a pediatrician may miss what is going on. And....we mamma's are not doctors so you need a real expert. The answer may just be dosing your baby with tylenol to fend off fever, but you should get yourself set up with a neurologist you trust. Roy Elterman at Medical City took good care of my son.
Don't panic, but call the doctor this morning.

I noticed my grandaughter did the same thing when she was about 7 months old. We mentioned it to her ped, and it was not until she was about 2 yrs. old that I decided that it was time to find out why she was doing this. She would just roll her eyes, sometimes she would do this 3 times in a row, other days went by without this happening. The ped referred her to a neurologist in Dallas, he ran an EEG? (electro-encephalogram). This showed that there was nothing wrong up there, he said that this would go away with time and on her own and not to TELL her not to do it because she cannot help it. Also, it would make her self-conscious. She is 6 now and I notice that she rolls her eyes less and less now. We do not want to get her on medications for this unless it is extremely necessary.
Just to be on the safe side, have him checked now.

I agree with Laura - trust your gut and get him checked out. Better to feel like a fool than to miss something important. Way to go for beeing observant!

i have never experienced this but if it were me, i would take him to the hospital just to be on the safe side, you're right from your description it doesn't sound like normal behavior. If he's OK then you can relieve your mind.

Hi C.,
As a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, I would suggest you take you sweet 5 month old to the pediatrition to be evaluated. Little babies do some interesting things, but I think this would evoke an evaluation just to be sure nothing is going on with your little person. Best of everything to you and your family.
S., PNP

C.,
Did he have a fever? I would take him to be checked out by a neurologist! You will probably have to get a referral by your pedi first! My daughter has had 3 of these type seizures. The last one was 10 days ago! Long story short, we have had test after test and they are not certain if they are petit mal seizures (looks like they are just staring off into space) or febrile seizures b/c she develops a fever right before they happen-but the symptoms do not fit their "box" for a simple febrile seizure! Just to be safe I would get that checked out! Hope you find an answer! Good luck!

Take him in to be checked. You can never be too careful. I would not wait.

I would take him to a doctor. I would want to make sure that it is not seizures. Try to keep a video camera handy and get it on tape. It will be very helpful to the doctor if he can see what is happening.

My son had seizures when he was 2 days old. It just looked like he was waving his arms and legs, but it was not normal for a newborn. It turned out that his electrolites were out of balance. He had 4 seizures that day, but none since.

Good luck to you! I wish you the best!

Just so you know you typically have to have a referral to see a specialist, so you may have to see your pediatricion anyways for the referral. Just call and find out. Hope you little guy is okay!

i would take him to the pediatrician.. we made an appointment for my son to see a neurologist in january - we got a june appointment time.. they book VERY FAR OUT!

good luck, hoping its just a behavior!

Hi, C.,
did he just get his vaccination shot???

I would get to a Neurologist ASAP... just to be sure. Better safe than sorry, right? Good luck.

C.,

My hubby is a nurse and said it sounds like Petit Mal seizure-type of activity. The long nap is one sign because of the extreme exhaustion that people/babies can have after a seizure or after several small seizures. I would have him evaluated by a neurologist.

Good luck!!!!

Something like this happened to my daughter (who is now 7 years) when she was almost a year old. One night (yes, just that ONE night), all of a sudden, she would start shuddering in a weird way. This would happen every few minutes. A friend was with me and we both wondered if she was having seizures. After about an hour, we called her doctor, who told us to take her to the ER to have her checked. Well, by the time we got up there, her shuddering stopped. And after a thorough evaluation from the ER doc, he said she was fine...
It was just a one day thing, never knew what it was. But apparently it wasn't anything serious.
I just wanted to share this with you, as maybe it's also just a passing thing with your son. Best wishes!

I don't know. This seems strange to me. I have had two kids; have an 8 month old now. From what you describe, this doesn't seem common. If this were happening to me, I would go ahead take my child to see the pediatritian. It doesn't hurt to just get someone to look at your child and tell you that everything is okay.