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Questions about seizures

Thu, 02/03/2005 - 05:10
Topic: Family & Friends
my son is 1 yr old and has had 2 big seizures. The first one was during the night so we didn't observe it. We were told by our neurologist that seizures are not harmful. He had his second seizure while he was being babysat by my mother inlaw. She observed the whole thing. The seizure lasted 2 hours. 1. what is the average length of a seizure?( 2 hours seems like a long time) 2. Are seizures harmful in anyway? 3. I have heard from other people we know that had a child with seizures that medication changes their personality(it made the child more laid back). Is this true? And if it is true and seizures don't cause any harm, would it be better not to have him on medication?

Comments

RE: Questions about seizures

Submitted by jennamay on Tue, 2005-02-01 - 10:43

Seizures lasting more than 10 minutes are considered a seizure emergency!

You should definitely contact your pediatrician and get a referral to see a pediatric neurologist right away.

In the meantime here is information regarding seizure's in infants:

http://www.epilepsy.com/epilepsy/firstaid.html

http://www.epilepsy.com/info/family_infants_diagnosis.html

http://www.epilepsy.com/info/family_infants_treatment.html

http://www.epilepsy.com/info/family_infants.html

http://www.epilepsy.com/info/family_infants_medicine.html

http://www.epilepsy.com/info/family_concern_death.html

Seizures lasting more than 10 minutes are considered a seizure emergency!

You should definitely contact your pediatrician and get a referral to see a pediatric neurologist right away.

In the meantime here is information regarding seizure's in infants:

http://www.epilepsy.com/epilepsy/firstaid.html

http://www.epilepsy.com/info/family_infants_diagnosis.html

http://www.epilepsy.com/info/family_infants_treatment.html

http://www.epilepsy.com/info/family_infants.html

http://www.epilepsy.com/info/family_infants_medicine.html

http://www.epilepsy.com/info/family_concern_death.html

RE: Questions about seizures

Submitted by ellgee on Wed, 2005-02-02 - 15:40
Some folks get the post ictal peroid mixed up with the actual seizure.  No person should have a seizure longer than 5 minutes (I know it seems longer),  call 911 if breathing is impaired or the lips and/or face become blue.
 
I hope this helps.  Please keep us posted.
Some folks get the post ictal peroid mixed up with the actual seizure.  No person should have a seizure longer than 5 minutes (I know it seems longer),  call 911 if breathing is impaired or the lips and/or face become blue.
 
I hope this helps.  Please keep us posted.

RE: RE: Questions about seizures

Submitted by Gretchen on Thu, 2005-02-03 - 05:10
When my epileptic son had a sz the very first thing I'd do is look at my watch. I'm an RN and that came some what automatically to me -- some what I say because I was a mother, not a nurse when he sz'd. Once that 5 minute time limit hit even if he looked like he was breathing, I found out he wasn't making a good enough respiratory effort and another thing you can't see is the fact that blood chemistries are changing. I had no way of knowing any of that by "eye balling" him and always called an ambulance. I didn't know at the time sz's lasting longer than 5 minutes are down right dangerous. I am now diagnosed as an epileptic and NOT to scare you but to urge all parents - enroll for infant/child/adult CPR. When you call to sign up ask for a person who can also take you through sz rescue. Why? I look like I'm breathing, sometimes I do have long cessations of breathing, or stuttering breathing, but after ambulance teams were called for me I found out I made such poor respiratory efforts my 02 sats were dropping in the high 40's. That's killing brain cells. With AEDs? Well I am for sure not a fan of AEDs. Most people do have some side effects with them but it's a "give a little, get a lot (hopefully" situation. The goal of epilepsy is simple: stop sz's. Good luck. I know this is hard. I can't believe how unknowledgable I was about epilepsy until I got it myself. My son was diagnosed with "generalized epilepsy" which I thought meant "in general - he has epilepsy". I've never posted that! YIKES! Then I was diagnosed years later, joined a forum board and sat there shivering about all the things I didn't know for years and I had an epileptic child. BTW he's still alive, for today controlled, 28 years old, 2 darling daughters, one with epilepsy also controlled, with good mentality and a good job. There really CAN be life with epilepsy. The first sz's, diagnosis, testing, all of that? Is very hard. Stay here. Keep posting.Gretchen

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