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How do parents ever sleep?

Sun, 01/28/2018 - 23:47
My son was diagnosed with epilepsy a few days ago. He is 19 months old. We had finally hit that point where we weren’t scared of SIDS and what not, he’s our third child, and we know all the do’s and dont’s. Then we were slapped with this diagnosis. For all of his seizures we have been near by, and they have happened during the day, but I think what happens if he is seizing at night, and there is no one there to help him if he needs it? I haven’t slept since we’ve been home from the hospital. I check on him all through the night. We’ve been parents for a while, but we’ve never been through anything like this. We’re absolutely terrified. Any suggestions on sleeping accommodations? How do you handle the stress of it all? Anything would be greatly appreciated. I’m just lost.... thanks in advance.

Comments

real answer is... it can take

Submitted by Amy Jo on Thu, 2018-02-01 - 01:24
real answer is... it can take a long while to sleep well again. everyone has slightly different issues so knowing what kind of seizures your child has, getting them on meds, having a doc you both trust, and more helps. for a different health issue our youngest slept in the same room for years, eventually moving a room away, now the equivalent of two rooms away in an old house with thin walls and medium sized rooms (at best) but all doors open because of good reasons. some parents use baby monitors, some have a bed that can detect seizures with movements, some use a pulseox monitor if their child stops breathing during a seizure, and so forth.most seizures are not emergencies, most seizures stop within a short time. if your child has had dangerous seizures, I hope you see an improvement after starting medication and have emergency medication on hand that can be given when seizures do not stop. in the end you need a solution that also takes care of your needs or you won’t be able to function at the level your child needs to thrive.

You will get used to it. I

Submitted by mereloaded on Sat, 2018-02-03 - 19:17
You will get used to it. I know that is hard to even comprehend but it will eventually happen. You will learn what is normal for your child and go from there. Once treatment t is established and you know what to expect, it becoobecomes a new  normal.I sleep soundly but im not gonna lie to you, the minimum whisper wakes me up at night. 

Thank you so much. I needed

Submitted by Sydney.martinez1 on Wed, 2018-02-07 - 23:30
Thank you so much. I needed to hear that. It’s definit going to take time to adjust to, it’s just so scary. Watching your child have a seizure is terrifying, and there is nothing you can do to help them. We got him a monitor, it’s just still hard to imagine something horrifying happening in the middle of the night, and him not having anyone. 

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