Can hallucinations be related to avm?

dr. told us yesterday he believes my daughters temporal avm is not related to her pain symptoms around her neck and head and she isn't on any meds at the moment but she was hallucinating last night....she continued to say that she was seeing animals and little people around the room, breathing heavy and breaking down in tears...i tried to talk to her and explain that kids sometimes imagine things in the dark and asked her if she had a bad day at school but she said everything was normal, i was wondering if this could be happening due to her avm in her temporal area....she has always liked sleeping in the dark and has never done this but with all the stress going on since we still haven't found out the cause of her pain around her head i'm worried can they be related???

How very scary for you and your child. There are many things doctors simply do not understand when it comes to the brain.

The temporal lobe is known to be a hotspot for hallucinations. The odds are good that this is seizure activity rather than mental or emotional stress. Many people with AVMs develop seizures, and there are a lot of different treatments available. I suggest that you call her neurologist to describe what happened and ask about whether it could be a seizure. An epileptologist is a seizure-specialized neurologist who can get a child with seizures on the right med right away, before the seizures have a chance to develop further; if your neuro thinks seizures are a possibility, you can ask for a referral to an epileptologist or google "find an epileptologist."

Hi ChildAVM,
I very much disagree with your dr. about the avm not being the cause of your daughter's pain. It is very possible that it could be. I'm 50yrs. old and I've had my avm for a long time. Having pain in my neck (and stiffness) and headaches are normal to me.

As far as your daughter hallucinating. That's one thing I've never experienced. But, I would not rule out that the avm could be causing it. I would question the dr. if her brain may have some swelling or some pressure in it any where. Is it possible that she may have been "over-doing" it latley? I'm thinking, that could have triggered it too.

When my headaches get bad, I put an ice-pack on my forehead and another one on the back of my neck. That helps a lot. It helps me with my vertigo that I sometimes get too. You may want to try it.

Ben

The pediatrician is telling me he doesn’t believe her pain is related because she’s complaining of pain on the right side of her face and around her head and neck and avm is on the left side but thanks for the advice she’s tried putting an ice pack on her neck but she complains that the weight of the ice pack hurts her…I’m just going to wait for neurology appt and discuss all of this with him

Thanks I had no idea…but we haven’t been to neurology appt yet the pediatrician is who I’ve been talking to and I’m soo confused because this is a lot going on at once but ill make sure to bring up seizures, I’ve never seen anyone have a seizure so Idk if I would even recognize one

The left side of the brain controls the right side of the body. Being a pediatrician does not make them an expert in dealing with AVMs. You may wish to ask how many AVMs this pediatrician has treated. From everything I have researched AVMs only occur in 1% of the population. This means the likelihood that your child’s doctor has ever treated anyone with an AVM minuscule. Talk to a neurologist! Also, if your insurance will cover it…get a second opinion from another neurologist.

Mom, you have to speak with a neurologist that totally understands issues with AVM's. Please look for the best neurosurgen in your area. I found mine by just going online. There are neurologists that don't have enough information about AVM's that you need. Stay strong and positive!

Hi,
I was just on a course this week around seizures for work. The health nurse delivering the course did say that hallucinations are linked to the temporal lobe. I was paying particular attention to the discussion around this and the brain being an AMV survivor. Like every one else said when you get to your neurologists bring it up with them as they will know best.
Take Care, Brid

Mine were mainly related to the brain swelling meds I had in the hospital. I can understand someone having though, they can be so real. Hang in there...

before they found out i had AVM i would reach into the air and like pick stuff up that werent there, and i used to cry all the time due to pain,
it might be related to AVM, cant be to sure
this may sound hard but your gonna have to wait to see what the doc does, she'll probably have to have a scan
wish you all the best x

My neurologist has admitted that they don't know everything. I have 2 types of mild seizures...although the neuro can find no reason for one type, he does not discount it. Also my AVM is on the right and when I have neck pain it is most severe on the left. No offense to your pediatrician but with as much (or should I say little) as those in the neuro field know about the brain, in comparison a pediatrician probably knows next to nothing. For me, the bottom line is, I'm the one with this thing in my brain and I know how I feel, not them. My advice is similar to others' - find a good neurologist and go from there. I pray and will put you and yours on my list.

I’d like to thank everyone for the information, I greatly appreciate it and will inform the neuro when I go to appt. The appt. is coming up in April ill update as soon as I take my daughter…thanks again

I have to second JH's response. I have had them and was told it was seizure activity. My meds have been increased and I haven't seen them for a while. Best thing you could do is get her in with an epileptologist asap. I wish your baby comfort soon. <3