Yesterday my planned quiet evening of writing instead were replaced by the scariest three hours of my short time as a parent. My youngest daughter had been feeling a bit queasy earlier in the day and spent most of the day laying about. She didn’t have a fever, or if she did it was too mild to notice. We were a little concerned that she hadn’t been eating much but otherwise her demeanor was fine. She went to the basement to play with her sister as I was upstairs making beds. Minutes later, my oldest daughter was yelling for me to come downstairs.
My youngest daughter was having a seizure.
My wife was holding her on the couch, trying to talk to her as I went to the phone to call 911. The oldest daughter went next door to get the neighbors; she had seen her have the seizure and was already shaken up from it. I talked to the 911 attendant, giving him all my daughter’s information as he instructed us to keep her on her side as she seemed to be coming out of it and trying to throw up.
First a police car arrived, then came a firetruck, then came the ambulance, all with sirens blaring sending the neighbors into the street. The EMTs came in and checked her out (she was awake but not responsive). The paramedics carried her out to the ambulance and my wife road in the front as I followed behind in the van. I was informed that even though the ambulance would be speeding and running red lights I was required to follow all traffic laws. I made no promises.
When we arrived at the hospital, she was awake but very tired and otherwise fine. She was talking to the nursing staff and clutching a stuffed dog that the EMTs had given her in the ambulance. At the time she didn’t remember much from riding in the ambulance. She then fell asleep which according to the doctors was common after a seizure.
The doctor checked her out and judging from what she’d seen and what we had told her, the doctor thought that our daughter had suffered a febrile seizure. She was released from the hospital a short while later. By this time she was wide awake and pretty much back to her old self again.
After a quick stop at WalMart for some Tylenol and Motrin, we finally arrived home around 11pm. The whole experience was exhausting, but I wasn’t tired.
She went back to the doctor today, who agreed with the emergency room doctor in that she probably had a febrile seizure. The problem is it doesn’t seem she needs that much of a temperature to cause one, so he said the next six months we’ll need to keep a close eye on her.
She doesn’t remember much from the experience, though she vaguely recalls the ride in the ambulance. She thinks I was the doctor in the back since the EMT who rode with her had hair and beard that resembled mine.
We’re all doing better, though every time she gets out of our site and gets quiet we call for her to make sure she’s okay. I can tell it’s starting to annoy her, but right now I’ll take a little annoyance.
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Comments: 20
Febrile seizures are fever induced seizures. According to the doctor, they aren't uncommon in young children and she shouldn't have any long term effects from them. My wife's sister had them when she was a toddler, but they aren't necessarily hereditary.
Yeah, it did feel like those three hours expanded to fill at least three days. Pretty much my entire drive to the hospital (I think I hit 90 mph on the highway trying to keep pace w/ the ambulance) was a perpetual prayer that everything would turn out alright.
Lori,
My wife was a kindergarten & preschool teacher, and she'd had two experiences with students prior to this. It's scary, thankfully I didn't see the actual seizure or I may have hit the floor.
I first experienced this a couple of years ago when my now 6 year old had her first febrile seizure... I tell you what.. as a parent that is the most scariest thing ever to happen... I thought my daughter was dying in front of me as it was a grand mal seizure...
Tina... about 50 percent according to statistics of children get at least one febrile seizure in their lifetime... Not sure what truly causes it, but when a child's temperature rises quickly, the body cant handle that so it shuts down and causes a seizure.. the seizures are very harmless and just the body's defense mechanism...
It still does not help knowing all that and having to go through them...
Chris.. just remember that you need to contact her school too if she is in school this fall and sign the waivers about giving her meds even tylenol in case of a fever.. but I found out this year that my daughter came home with a 102 fever from school and they never called or nothing.. I was teed off badly... They say most kids will never have another seizure, but mine did.. I suspected about 4 more in the next year, but only 3 of them were visually seen.. so it also makes me mad that all the signs are there your child had a seizure through the night, but because it was not witnessed they will not document that you even suspect a seizure... i know it is weird and makes your blood boil, but that is what they do...
We are now having my 2 year old checked out for a different type of seizure where he is just staring off into space.. his speech therapists noticed it and so now we are seeing a pediatric neurologist to get it more nailed down and to see what is all going on.
It is often a lot less serious than it seems at the time and often not really experienced by the person. That knowledge doesn't make it any less frightening the next time.
My best wishes to your daughter and to you.
What a horrible scare. Glad your daughter's okay.
Having kids in your life is the best. At the same time, having kids in your life is a never ending challenge. So far, you're doing great. And I'm with you. When I'm following an anbulance with my child inside, screw all the traffic rules. (You didn't hear me say that.)
When a child has the flu, it is sometimes prudent to let the fever rise. Fever is the body's way of killing viral invaders. Fever is actually the only thing we have to use against viruses, since no virus can be cured. Ever.
If the fever is caused by a bacterial infection, it's fine to treat the fever 'round the clock.
What I tell patients is let the fever rise during the day so the "heated" body can fight pathogens ("bad" germs) and TREAT it at night so the child can rest. At this point, Motrin (ibuprofen) is the antipyretic ("against fever" or "fever reducer") of choice for children because we do have mounting evidence that Tylenol (generic: acetaminophen) is much harder on a child's liver than we once believed.
I'm sure you all know but never ever ever give a child aspirin. Although the chances of a child getting Reye's Syndrome from any aspirin you might give to him or her, it is simply not worth it to risk. The oldest patient I've had with Reye's Syndrome was nineteen.
If anything I've said is unclear or if you think I've erred in something I wrote on this response, please let me know right away. I don't want to give false information.
And Chris, I'm glad it worked out well because while you and your wife are traumatized for a lifetime, your daughter is just waiting to bankrupt you when she gets to Prom time in high school.
Kids are kinda like badgers that way.
I am glad your daughter is OK now, and I'm sure she is OK because she's beginning to get annoyed with her parents.
This last week my 10 year old girl, 4 year old girl, and 3 year old son got sick with strep throat. My 10 year old came down with 104 degree temperature and I got her in to the Dr. She was diagnosed and the Dr wanted to see my younger 3 children (I also have a 9 month old) asap. The 3 and 4 year olds had mild fevers and swollen glands so the Dr wanted to treat them "just in case" because it was Thursday and she did not want to see them in the ER over the weekend with fevers. They also started antibiotics, but not soon enough. My 3 year old came down with a higher fever and woke up from his nap very hot. I sent him to the bathroom to use the potty and was going to give him a coolish bath to help comfort him while waiting for Motrin to kick in. I walked to the bathroom door and heard him crying, but it sounded more like moaning. I opened the door and found him pants down laying flat on his back in the floor. He was not unresponsive by this point, but had been in the bathroom alone for about 4 or 5 minutes. I suspect that he had a febrile siezure, but that I did not see it. I took his temp as I was undressing him for his bath, it read 106.7! I immediately started sponging him off and called his Dr. She told me that if the fever did not come down to 102 after the bath, and down to 100 after the Motrin had time to work, to take him in immediately to see her. The bath and Motrin worked. Within half an hour from when he woke up, he was splashing and having a good time with toys. None the less, I was freaked out when I saw that thermometer reading.
Needless to say, I am as close to an expert on at home care for fevers as you can be, without having any official medical training.