My Son Skilled Alice in Wonderland Syndrome Through the Flu

One night time, I tucked my very sick son into mattress, and he regarded up at me with a confused expression. “You look teeny tiny, mother—such as you shrunk,” he instructed me. Since he had a fever, I chalked it as much as that, and guaranteed him he’d really feel higher within the morning. However the subsequent day, it occurred once more—this time with a a lot decrease fever.

I took him to the pediatrician, the place he examined constructive for the flu. I questioned if the virus could be affecting his mind. As soon as we acquired dwelling, I did some analysis and I discovered what Alice in Wonderland syndrome (AIWS) is.

What Is Alice in Wonderland Syndrome?

Alice in Wonderland syndrome is a neurological situation through which the mind’s capacity to course of sensory enter is disrupted. It alters an individual’s visible notion and might even distort their sense of actuality. Generally, it is momentary. The excellent news is, it is not one thing dangerous by itself.

The syndrome, aptly named after Lewis Carroll’s well-known kids’s story, is taken into account uncommon. Nonetheless, this might be as a result of analysis is restricted, and lots of circumstances probably go unreported or are misunderstood. Consultants say it’s generally written off as being a imaginative and prescient downside or perhaps a hallucination, however it’s neither.

As an alternative, Anjan Chatterjee, MD, a cognitive neurologist and founding director of the Penn Heart for Neuroaesthetics, describes AIWS as a “sensory distortion.” He explains that it usually presents as both micropsia, the place objects seem smaller than they’re, or macropsia, the place objects appear bigger than they’re.

MaryAnn Mays, MD, a neurologist specializing in headache medication on the Cleveland Clinic, says some studies point out AIWS may also trigger different distortions, comparable to objects in a room showing flat (two-dimensional) or the room seeming tilted. Some individuals even report a way of time distortion, with time both dashing up or slowing down.

“There will also be a way of depersonalization throughout an episode, the place an individual would possibly really feel like they’re wanting down at themselves as if they’re indifferent from their physique,” Dr. Mays continues.

My Household’s Expertise With AIWS

When my 9-year-old son started experiencing AIWS, he defined that, out of nowhere, the room round him would appear to shrink. After he examined constructive for the flu, these visible distortions turned extra frequent.

A number of days later, I used to be speaking to my good friend Jaime, whose son—additionally 9 and simply recovering from the flu—had skilled some unusual visible distortions whereas he was sick. He had instructed his mother the bed room door regarded miles away despite the fact that it was proper in entrance of him. I used to be intrigued that our seemingly distinctive expertise had additionally occurred in a distinct family simply down the highway. After all, I used to be additionally involved, till I discovered it was probably AIWS.

Whereas it was alarming to witness my son expertise episodes of AIWS, he was by no means overly scared himself. These episodes lasted for a number of minutes at a time, which Dr. Chatterjee says is fairly typical. In addition they persevered all through the length of his restoration, even lingering as different signs, like his fever, subsided.

At his sickest, my son skilled episodes a number of instances a day. Finally, they began to taper off slowly, till they have been gone totally.

Alice in Wonderland Syndrome Causes

Consultants do not know precisely what triggers AIWS, however some doable causes embrace:

• Migraines
• Epilepsy
• Viral infections, such because the flu or Epstein-Barr, which might result in encephalitis
• Medicine uncomfortable side effects

In uncommon circumstances, AIWS may additionally be the results of one thing extra severe, like a mind tumor—although that will usually be accompanied by different tumor-related signs, comparable to issue strolling or talking.

Dr. Mays advises households to seek the advice of a well being care supplier anytime you observe your baby experiencing an onset of surprising signs to find out the trigger. Moreover, she cautions dad and mom to not mistake the psychological adjustments that accompany a really excessive fever for AIWS, as the previous would possibly require hospitalization. But when a fever is well-controlled and there aren’t any emergency signs, AIWS itself doesn’t require rapid consideration.

Alice in Wonderland Syndrome Therapy

“Mother and father ought to know there isn’t any therapy for AIWS aside from to deal with what’s inflicting it within the first place,” says Dr. Chatterjee. As an example, this might imply treating a seizure, a migraine, or in my son’s case, letting the flu run its course. I saved up with ache medicine, helped hold him hydrated, and inspired him to relaxation.

“If AIWS is being attributable to a migraine, dad and mom ought to know that many migraine medicines we now have accessible do look like useful in stopping these visible processing disturbances,” provides Dr. Mays.

Moreover, individuals who expertise AIWS could be prompted to make a journey to the attention physician, however Dr. Chatterjee says the syndrome just isn’t really imaginative and prescient associated.

“When AIWS happens, an ophthalmologist would see nothing fallacious with the affected person’s retina as a result of this isn’t associated to imaginative and prescient, however as an alternative to the upper order areas of the mind that truly assist us put collectively the objects that we see in entrance of us,” explains Dr. Chatterjee. “Because of this we assume it has one thing to do with the mind’s processing of visible enter that’s being interrupted.”

Why We Want Extra Consciousness for AIWS

There must be extra consciousness of this situation as it could assist forestall a misdiagnosis. “It is essential to tell apart episodes of AIWS from hallucinations, which produce other associations, like schizophrenia,” says Dr. Chatterjee. “This isn’t a situation within the class of psychological sickness.”

Anecdotally talking, fears over an improper analysis of hallucinations or a psychological well being situation would possibly even forestall some sufferers (or their dad and mom) from reporting episodes of AIWS. Which is probably going a cause it stays under-discussed, even within the medical group.

“It is tough to say whether or not it is really uncommon or if it is simply not being reported as usually because it happens,” Dr. Chatterjee says. “It is fairly doable children or their dad and mom simply do not convey it up.”

What To Do if Your Child Has AIWS

Dr. Chatterjee advises dad and mom to stay calm and supply their baby with reassurance as these episodes are usually not dangerous despite the fact that they are often unnerving. Nonetheless, dad and mom ought to make a degree to doc what’s going on.

“Take heed to as a lot of an outline as your baby can share with you in an effort to relay that info to their supplier,” says Dr. Mays. “Ask them to explain what they’re experiencing and make word of the time and some other signs they may have.”

It’s additionally vital to not dismiss any signs that might be an indication of one thing extra severe. When my son spoke to me of his AIWS signs, I took steps to search out out what was fallacious—despite the fact that the whole lot about my son’s expertise pointed towards it being as a result of flu. In spite of everything, he had by no means had these episodes earlier than and he did check constructive for the virus proper when the signs started.

However Dr. Chatterjee says that, in some circumstances, additional testing might be warranted if these episodes stick with no rationalization or if they’re accompanied by different signs. It is at all times value checking with a well being care supplier and discovering out whether or not additional testing, together with an electroencephalogram (EEG) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), could be warranted.