How to Cope with Febril Sezuires

H.,
As a retired EMT-A I can't tell you how many 1am febrile seizure calls I went on. Also, my oldest daughter still has them (she's 9) if her temp goes above 100. Although they seem very scary, there really is nothing to worry about unless the seizure lasts more than 60-90 seconds or occurs repeatedly. Basically, it's her little bodies attempt at resetting her temperature control.

Obviously, your best bet is to prevent her temperature from rising above that magic mark where a siezure occurs. For some children that threshold is lower than most. Remove her clothing, administer tylenol and Ibuprophen as directed by your pediatrician, and give her cool drinks and wet washclothes to play with.

Once the seizure begins it sould be short lived and less traumatic than a typical seizure. Make sure she can't hurt herself and comfort her in a calm reassuring voice. She's liable to be a bit lethargic following the seizure and that is also perfectly normal. Chances are you'll also be able to see her temp drop right before your eyes as her natural cooling system finally gets the message.

while i don't have any advice, and i'm sorry about that, i wanted to let you know that you and your daughter are in my thoughts. i started having febrile seizures when i was 15 months old..i had my first one a few hours after receiving my MMR shot.i am currently not immune to measles,mumps or rubella because internist's have advised against giving me a booster, for fear that i'll have the same type of reaction. i had a seizure disorder as a child, having three grand mal seizures and i don't know how many petit mal's. the grand mal's all required me to be rushed to the hospital. i took medication until i was 10 years old. i've not had any seizures since i was 6, and am a normal 30 year old mother to three (although some ppl might argue about the normal part). i want to also add that i was a normal,bubbly active child (aside from the seizures) as well.

i can only imagine how my mother felt whenever i had a seizure,or you and other mothers feel when your children have them. my advice is to talk to your dr. about how best to handle them. i personally would rather be safe than sorry considering the risks. anyway,best of luck to you! :)

Sweetheart, I hear your pain and fear. My son also had febrile seizures and I lived in Germany at the time, so didn't know even how to dial emergency! I was so scared I couldn't remember!!! I bundled him up in a coat and ran screaming out of the appartment and noone was there but a German guy who said "it's ok. they come." I could not even tell him I had not called anyone! So I ran down the street to the local military clinic passing a lady on the way screaming at her to get them ready for me cause as I left my house, he quit breathing and turned blue. I heard him gasping for air while I was almost running to the clinic, but was afraid to jar him with fast running...so I slowly ran to the clinic where the lady had them ready for us.

He had another one a few months later which I handled much better and didn't panic over. They gave me a Tylenol sepository which stopped the seizure instantly. I do believe he has grown out of them due to the fact that he's now 7 and has not had another one. One was just before age 1 and the other just after the age of 1...

After this incident, I had a full grand mal seizure and found out I have epilepsy and now am on full time medication and will be getting my son checked out just in case...

the things the others have said are what I was told too. One thing not mentioned is if I felt a slight rise in temp, I would put wet socks on with wool socks outside of them... 2 pair on... sounds funny, but the wet socks absorb the heat and the wool pulls it away from her body. It worked like a charm!

Alternating medications is another thing I was told to do.

God be with you...I know how scary this can be...

Christy

Hi there. My 3 year old daughter has now had 5 febrile seizures, starting at 16 months. We have had paramedics/ambulance rides on 2 of those occasions (the 1st time when I didn't know what was happening, and the 3rd time when I found her lying still by our dining room table! I thought she had broken her neck falling off a chair...) The seizures happen when her temperature rises rapidly, not just from a high fever.

Between the ER doctors, primary care doctor, and pediatric neurologist we have been told many different things. We have heard she will grow out of them by 5years, that she may have them until she's a teenager, that she can be at a slightly increased risk for seizure disorder if she has more than 4 febrile seizures etc. Confusing! Although febrile seizure is not rare, I think that it is different for every child.

She did have an EEG and CT-Scan after the 2nd seizure, and it really put our minds at ease. We have received good medical advice on how to respond to the seizures... Lay her on her side, time the seizure (if it lasts 5 minutes call 911, if she is not breathing call 911) After the seizure subsides, treat the fever with acetaminophen and ibuprofen (talk to your doctor about proper dosing by weight and scheduling of doses) and luke warm sponge bath. It is still scary, but we are calmer about it now.

One more thing... 2 of the seizures have occured after vaccinations, just like they warn of on the doctor's sheet that comes with the vaccines. If possible, I would be very watchful during the time period that seizure can occur after vaccinations. If your daughter is 2, you probably won't have to worry about this again for awhile. Our good news is that each seizure has been less severe than the previous one. I think her little brain is learning how to deal with the temperature spikes. And, just last week we had a spike (from normal to 102.5 in a matter of 10 minutes) and she DID NOT have a seizure.

You are doing a good thing trying to find out more, the more you know the more comfortable you will feel. Also, you may find it helpful to write out step by step what to do in case of a seizure so other people that take care of your daughter can read it and know what to do. Sorry this is so long, but I hope it helps!

our child began febile seizures at 15 months and then they evolved into afebrile seizures. My advice for coping (besides trying to stay calm when they are happening:()

document everything! time of day, onset of fever/illness, activity child was involved in, length of seizure. If you have any questions whether or not the seizures are febrile, schedule an appointment with a neurologist for an EEG and/or MRI.

Our child began with febrile seizures, but we discovered he does have a slight seizure disorder and his low threshhold for fevers was setting off the seizures.

Education is the key--febrile seizures almost always involve a fast rise in temperature--if there is no fever it's time for a trip to a pediatric neurologist. Good luck and hang in there during those tough minutes!! C. M

Hi H.--my son had febrile seizures as well. The first thing is to talk to your daughter's doctor. Our pediatrician said that kids who have these seizures tend to have fever spikes where their temperatures suddenly rise very quickly. He advised us to hit the fever hard--whenever my son had a fever he had a dosage of acetaminophen, two hours later motrin and two hours later acetaminophen. ALternating the different types of medications kept him from being overdosed but it also ensured that he had a steady stream of fever reducers in him around the clock.

Hope this helps. take care.

J.

my son had only 1 and he stopped breathing and lucky there was other people around that someone gave him mouth to mouth it was so scary. Since the docs said he will grow out of it by the age of 5 we just keep an eye on his temp and if he has one just alternate tylenol and ibprofen every 4 to 6 hours. It has worked.

Hi H.,
I don't know if I can offer much advice, but I can understand your fear. My daughter had a fever sezuire at 16 months. I was never so scare in my life. I also took her to the hospital by ambulance, and every second waiting for that bus to come was terrifying. The only advice that I got from my daughter's pediatrian that offer me any comfort was this.
The sezuires are not harmful to your child. They don't cause any damage to the brain or any ill effects. There is nothing that you can do to prevent them and they are not only caused by fever.
My daughter's pediatrian told me that usually the cause is rapid change in body temperature rather than fever. But normally associated with fever, because if a fever spikes rapidly, that is a rapid change in body temperature. So you need to be aware that she can have them other than when she is prone to a fever. Be careful to keep her temperature from flustuating from hot to cold. The doctor told me to give her luke warm baths, don't let her shiver or overheat, warm up the car before you take a trip, bundle her in her coat just before she goes outside. Reduce any shocking temperature changes.
Fortunately my daughter has not had another one. (cross my fingers)
I hope something I've said will help you.
TRUDI