Tongue or Bite blockers during t/c's

I was on chat the other night having an excellent discussion with several, two of which I remember were newbies. Both very nice people, newly diagnosed, seemed quite scared and as uninformed as probably many of us when first diagnosed. But they were seeking information, asking good questions, I still remember all of that. The only other thing I can remember is that Ramblinman was chatting too. I had a series of rolling simples that hitting me, bam, bam, bam. I kept thinking one would be over, try to participate again, another would roll in. Actually I'm not sure what the sequence or the events going on in me were but I do remember two things, one of which was I looked at one line someone typed and thought, wow this person has tremendous spelling problems. Of course, it was my effort to type. As I've said before when my cognition is running downhill whether it's "normal" or not, I'm beginning to HATE that word, I'm the last to know. My dog was alerting me too, BIG CLUE I was unfairly to her ignoring but there was a reason, I couldn't remember until today! I've had a good memory wipe of that chat but I have the clear memory someone had been given information on how to use a tongue depressor during a t/c. They used padded tongue depressors for my poor father and he shattered them, gagged, lost his airway, it was horrid, in the hospital in l965. Anyway I remember a person on chat saying they used a tongue depressor during a t/c and it splintered. Of course if you're the one sz'ing, you're not sticking anything in your mouth intentionally, someone else has to be doing it but often it's our responsibility to teach correct seizure rescue techniques. We have a lot of newbies right now. When I finally remembered this a week later I became anxious to comment hoping this person is still reading. NOTHING IS TO BE PLACED IN THE MOUTH DURING A SEIZURE. That is an outmoded and dangerous practice. It is physically impossible to swallow your tongue, the original purpose for shoving something between the teeth. Also people used to shove something into someone's tightly clenched jaws so they won't bite their tongue. The tongue can be pushed to the back of the throat, occluding or stopping up the airway if something is shoved into the mouth. Also the rescuer shoving anything in a sz'ing person's mouth runs a risk of loosing a finger or at least having a significant finger injury. If a person's jaws are already clenched, leave it, it's already bit if it's going to be. If they bite their tongue, it'll heal. If you occlude their airway they could die. In seizure rescue it is very important to know correct positioning to allow the airway to be open. That is what newbie's SO's, coworkers etc should learn. Also learn, especially no tongue depressors and other objects forced into the mouth - not ever. Tongue depressors are made of light weight, easily splintered balsa wood. Years ago I had someone slide a bunch into my mouth against my daughters objections, I shattered them and had splinters picked out of my tongue, cheeks, throat, everywhere for hours. The injury I received from that sz was the "cure". I'll never forget that. I wonder how many splinters I swallowed and narrowly escaped a GI track puncture. I remember this because unbelievably on a health channel on cable last night, in an emergency room, here is a re-enactment of a doctor and nurse treating a sz patient having a t/c, treated by shoving something into this person'a mouth. Good grief how many generations are going to have to pass before this is no longer a danger to us? I've had a guy in a store shove a piece of his filthy wallet in my mouth too. I thought this was well known now. Apparently I shouldn't assume. I'm concerned since that chat and what I saw on TV last night, and decided to post this hoping to avoid another person injury as apparently this person on chat had been injured by shattering a tongue depressor. SHEESH. Gretchen