I am torn, it could really improve things for her, or it could make things much worse.
I have not actually seen any thing other than an out of control sleep schedule (which she is trying to get under control) and daytime spaciness/zoning out, but she doesn't lose consciousness and she can be instantly brought back to alertness if I notice her glazing over. It's like her brain isn't getting enough sleep at night and is trying to compensate during the day.
Once she figured out that her symptoms were very well described by "psyhic seizures", we did some research to see what the normal course of treatment would be, should she get such a diagnosis. It seems as though this is a fuzzy area where doctors don't agree, and the seizure meds and their side effects sound horrifying from what I have read on the epilepsy forums. I would rather avoid going down that path if at all possible.
It's a matter of quality of life, she has been dealing with this for years and now she knows other people have the same symptoms and there are treatments she could try if she wanted to pursue that path. She knows what's going on isn't her fault but only she knows if it's disruptive or unpleasant enough to warrant pursuing medical attention and risking whatever side effects may go with that.
I am straddling the line between trying to help her figure out what's going on and how best to handle the things that are causing her grief and hardship on the one hand and trying to avoid making her feel like she is defective and needs to be fixed on the other.
She leaves for college in a week, I am hopeful that having a strict routine and a healthy diet at school coupled with the ADD meds and Melatonin will help. I think her "happy factor" will go up exponentially at school and I pray this will have positive healing effects on her brain chemistry. I may try to get a sleep study scheduled for Christmas break as I will have insurance coverage for her by then.
