WHAT SHOULD YOU DO IF SOMEONE IS HAVING A SEIZURE

EPILEPSY

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What Every Person Should Know If Someone Is Having a Seizure

 “Learn helpful tips how you can help someone when they are experiencing a seizure.”

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EPILEPSY, SEIZURES, & FIRST AID

I have had epilepsy since the age of five, but I never realized how scary a seizure looked until I was browsing through YouTube.com and I had noticed that someone with epilepsy recorded him or herself having seizures and then downloaded onto the site. 

When I would experience a seizure awake I would usually have an aura first and then about 20-25 seconds later I would go unconscious, experience the full seizure and then after the seizures I would feel dazed, confused and tired, but I never knew what I actually looked like when I was having seizures.

I have experienced many different types of seizures during my life, so I was curious to see what this person looked like during a seizure figuring I probably looked somewhat similar.

I clicked on to the video and watched as this person was having their seizure and honestly, I was startled because a seizure is a very scary thing to witness. I was scared and I have the disorder. Therefore, I can only imagine how someone feels when he or she saw me have a seizure. 

For someone who is unfamiliar with the disorder this could be a very traumatizing event for someone to witness and anyone could freeze up or become so nervous and overwhelmed that they are unable to help the person having the seizure. The best thing to do is to stay calm, clear, and focus on helping the person having the seizure.

I have learned from my own experiences that the more you teach someone about epilepsy the less they fear. So I have always made a conscious effort to educate my friends, family and anyone interested learning about epilepsy.

My friends and family who were always around me knew when I was going to have a seizure because I would get a glazed look in my eyes. I would look like I was staring right through you or I would get an aura and I would quickly tell one of my friends or family members that I was going to have a seizure. If no one were around, I would quickly find a safe spot sit to avoid falling and causing any unnecessary injury that could occur if you fall to the ground during a seizure. 

If I were standing, my friends or family would hold me the same as you would when you would hug someone and guide me to a safe area where I would not hurt myself during a seizure. Especially, if you are standing you want to find a safe area to have the seizure because most likely, you will fall to the ground and you want to avoid any possible injury to the head. My friends and family would direct me to an area with no sharp objects around. They tried to avoid a hard or concrete ground if they could if not they would put a jacket around the surface of my head to protect my head to avoid banging it during a seizure while my body was shaking or turning. They would also turn me to the side so I would not choke on my saliva because during a seizure I would drool a lot.  

After the seizure, my family and friends would take me somewhere where I could rest and resume back to my normal self. A good nap after a seizure always helped me. If I was by myself in my home I would sit in the spot I had the seizure, rest and once the confusion wore off I would call a family member (in my case it was my husband) and call my doctor to inform them I had a seizure. Remember, your doctor cannot help you if you do not let him know what is going on.

Some other helpful tips to remember in case someone is having a seizure are…

• If you see someone who is having a seizure, stay calm. Although seizures seem like they last forever, they usually do not last longer than 60 to 120 seconds. Time the seizure, if you are able too. If the seizure lasts longer than 3 minutes or the person seizing is having their first seizure or is pregnant (no matter how long the seizure lasts), call 911 right away.
• Try to protect the person so injury does not occur.
• If they are standing try to keep them from falling or try to help the person gently to the floor
• Try to move furniture or other objects away that might injure the person during the seizure.
• If the person is having a seizure and is on the ground when you arrive, try to position the person on their side so that fluid can leak out their mouth rather than be swallowed or go down the airpipe.
• Do not put anything, including your fingers, into the person's mouth. Putting something in the person's mouth can cause injuries, such as chipped teeth. There is also a possibility that your finger could be bitten due to strong contractions of the person’s mouth.
• Do not try to hold down or move the person because this can cause injury, such as a dislocated shoulder.

After the seizure…

• Check the person for injuries.
• If you could not turn the person onto his or her side during the seizure, do so when the seizure has ended and the person is calm.
• If the person is having trouble breathing, use your finger to gently clear his or her mouth of any vomit or saliva. If this does not work, call for emergency help.
• Loosen tight clothing around the person's neck and waist.
• Provide a safe area where the person can rest.
• Do not give the person anything to eat or drink until the person is fully conscious and aware of their surroundings.
• Stay with the person until they are awake and any confusion they may be experiencing wears off. Most people feel sleepy or confused after a seizure

Before I end this article, I would like to mention that I have three kids and understanding and witnessing my epilepsy at a young age was very difficult for my kids. They could not comprehend what epilepsy was and the few times they saw me have a seizure was very terrifying for them. Why is mommy having these seizures? What is epilepsy? Is mommy going to be OK? These were questions repeatedly asked by my children.

So one day I sat down a drew an illustrations and made it into a story showing them through pictures what a seizures look like and what to do if someone has a seizure. The pictures helped them understand the disorder and everything finally clicked for them. They finally understood what epilepsy was and they learned how to help mommy when she has her seizures. 

For children I highly suggest using pictures or illustrations to help young children understand epilepsy and the things they could do to help the person having the seizure. Pictures seem to help young kids understand things better and it can illuminate or reduce the fear of the actual seizure that they witness and make sure you give them plenty of reassurance. Tell them that everything is going to be OK. It just lasts a short time and everything will be back to normal. Tell them I just may need a little time to rest and then I will be OK.

Byline by Dr. Orrin Devinsky, M.D.:    First aid for seizures is essential for family members and others to know.  One important and widely under-recognized problem by both doctors and lay individuals is Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy.  This is the most common cause of death among people with epilepsy and is almost always caused by a seizure.  In many cases the seizure occurs in sleep and the person ends up face down.  Although unproven, many believe that some cases can  be prevented by simply rolling the person over on their side and stimulating them gently.  Alarms to detect seizures are now available but their reliability remains uncertain.  For now, use of sound alarms or movement detectors (see www.epilepsy.com/epilepsy/devices_links) should be considered for those individuals at risk for night-time tonic-clonic (grand mal) seizures who sleep alone but there are others in the house.  – Dr. Orrin Devinsky, M.D.