Over the years quite frankly i have gotten used to seizures, it just happens that way i guess. It doesn't mean that you do not worry for your loved one any less or that you do not do anything in your power to keep them safe. It is a calmness that comes from over stimulation i guess to the violence of seizures.

Some people every time that they have a seizure its always the same Phases and never changes... for other people the phases change ( sometimes with out reason or sometimes it is environmental issues)

The main thing that i have noticed over the years that people freaking out ( with fast jerky movements )or trying to actively hold down an tonic clonic/grand mal epileptic when they are coming out of a seizure can cause them to react in violent ways. Which is an environmental issue. ( specially in ER's the most common response is HOLD THEM DOWN OMG THEY ARE HAVING A SEIZURE .. all the nurses come in the room to watch .. 5-6 holding the person down. Then when the person acts wildly back because they have gone violent postictal they make it worse by holding them down tighter. I have litterally told hospital staff to back off and they look at me like i am some sort of mental case. )

In my own experience i have noticed that keeping calm a calm voice and slow movements ( if the person is having some violent or child like postictal then also letting them know what your doing before you do so ) not only helps the person come out quicker, but also keeps me safer!! Violent postictal episodes can range from physically to verbally abusive, luckily i have never been hurt either way by a person having a seizure.

The only thing i can think of why i have never been hurt is because i see the violent and child like postictal episodes as the brain reverting into an animal like pose. I worked in a vets office for a while when i was younger, one of my fav jobs, but also where i saw animals waking up from anesthesia from surgery hurt and confused and unable to let you know how they feel. Sudden jerking movements or loud sudden sounds would scare them into violent episodes. However, by moving slowly and calmly around them and speaking in a soft calm voice they would not show violence towards you.

For me however the scariest postictal is when they gasp like they can't get air in fast enough. Which sounds almost Asthma attack which they are unresponsive to any stimulation verbal or physical.

What type of Postictal(s) does your loved one have .. and how do you deal with it ( them)?

Between 2 Epileptics i have seen :

Violent #1- Actual almost drunk confused movements trying to box at me ( brought on because my Ex MIL freaked and scared the crap out of my ex while he was coming out of a sezure ) Luckily i was fast enough to duck and lean back to miss the blows. I finally had to ask my ex MIL to get her lilly while BEEEP in the house before i came after her cause she was flipping so badly and unsure about calling 911 ect. Shortly after getting rid of my Ex MIL my Ex came too and asked for his glasses and was becoming less foggy and able to stand and walk by the time the Ambulance had come.

Violent #2- Reverting to Animal like posturing and growling. This was after a fairly physical sezure in the kitchen. Joe woke and suddenly backed away from me. I kept softly talking to him and slowly offering my hand to him if i got to close for comfort to him he would start to growl and i would back away for a few seconds and try again. Eventually i got to the point where i was able to "pet" his leg. Shortly after he relaxed suddenly and shook his head and asked for his glasses.

Child Like #1- Coming out of the sezure and able to sit up but then sitting there and looking at me with big child like eyes .. then touching where he had hurt himself and looking back again confused as to why he he was hurting and then looking accusingly as if i had done it, but never talking fully more giberish like a small child or single words like hurt or ow.

Gasping and passing out- This one is the scariest for me personally.. Joe has been doing this one a lot since going on Keppra. Gasping as if having an asthma attack.. then suddenly breathing normally and relaxing into a black out non responsive state. Then coming to as if nothing has happened.

Paralyzed State- Joe has done this one quite often rolling out of bed and being stuck unable to move. He normally has his eyes open and can move his eyes slightly and sometimes blink. Sometimes this goes along with a loss of bladder function but more often not. He gets very warm as if his internal temp is off so most of the time when he is paralyzed i keep talking to him , but i uncover him if he is tangled in bed sheets and will lift his shirt to let the air get to his skin. Sometimes i will get a wet rag to wipe him with if he is not cooling down or producing sweat. He can respond to yes or no questions using his eyes and is aware of everything.

When he eventually comes out of this state he is very unstable on his feet for a good 15 minutes and usually stutters most of the day. He normally will refuse to talk because he is embarassed about the stuttering, although i will make him talk to me through out the day to check the progression of his speech.

Skipped Postictal- No real time between the active sezure and being fine again .. he just gets up saying Owwie and asking for his glasses.

I too have seen people react in ways that were unnecessary and sometimes damaging to the epileptic when they are having a grand mal. Some of it comes from lack of knowledge and some comes from fear, not knowing what is going on. Unfortunately many people do not understand epilepsy and do not realize that the person having the seizure has no control over their actions at the time of the grand mal. This is where knowledge comes into play, because when people are informed, the fear of the seizure is often diminished. At least that is what I have experienced.

When I was a teenager I was a member of a local support group for epileptics and we all had stories of being hurt by people holding us down when we had a grand mal, putting objects in our mouth, etc. It was during these meetings that I first saw a grand mal and I will admit it scared me to see it. I have seen violent ones where they are trying to attack others, I have seen ones where the person having the seizure is trying to hurt themself (in this particular case, this person would claw at her eyes and face during her grand mals) and I have seen much calmer ones where there is very little thrashing of the limbs. But in all of these times, due to the fact that we were all either epileptic or family/friends of epileptics, there was no negative reactions, only calmness and concern for their safety.

For years I kept my epilepsy a secret (as my grand mals are controlled by medication) from my employer until a customer had a seizure where I worked and I saw people doing things that could hurt that person. At that time I stepped in and asked in a calm voice for everyone to please back away and let me tend to this person. As I was on the first aid team, they did as I asked. But that day I learned a valuable lesson and I no longer kept my epilepsy a secret. I went to my boss after this individual was taken home by his daughter and explained that I was an epileptic and wanted to train the staff to avoid any future incidents and to answer their questions to help them understand what is happening during a seizure, help them deal with any fears, etc. The next morning during a staff meeting my co-workers learned how to assist a person who is having a seizure, the right way and the wrong way to help and when emergency services are necessary.

Personally I have had teeth broken due to someone trying to keep me from swallowing my tongue. I am lucky though as I know people who have had limbs broken by people trying to hold them down during a grand mal.

I now make sure that people who I am with often (such as co-workers, friends, neighbors and family) know what to do in case of a grand mal. From what I have been told, I have had different types of grand mals (as in the severity and length) and that I "come to" totally dazed, confused and disoriented as to where I am. I know that from the time I "come to" until I am fully aware of what has happened it is usually 5 to 10 minutes from what family has told me.

Thanks for sharing with us, SezLuv.

:im_033:

Oh BTW Phases of a Sezure :

Aura is the time before the seizure that the Epileptic knows that they are about to have a sezure. Where the indicator would be found, usually a typical response to the aura ( like rubbing of the head or tremor or partial sezure)

Ictus ( fancy name for the sezure ) Where the main event takes place grand mal, tonic clonic, ect.

Postictal is the time between the actual Seizure and the time that you " Come to" OR the Recovery time OR the time it takes the brain to "reboot".

I have actually had an ER Dr yell at me because i didn't know the correct terminology for sezures, which really upset me personally because i was doing the best i could with the information i had ( all on the job training no book training ).

Also if your the person having the seizures ( expecially if your living alone ) ask the people around you what your Phases are and how long they typically last, this is information that your Dr can really use.

While we were in the Hospital with Joe there we heard a lady come SCREAMING Bloody murder after pressing the button that her daughter was having a seizure.. it shocked and surprised me because i didn't think that anyone who had a loved one having seizures would act like that . Joe got to spend time with some of the parents that night and he got to talk about his sezures and experiences and they were able to ask questions. I think it was very therapeutic for the parents, and Joe enjoyed being able to help them.

Having that lady panic like that in the hopsital made me think that i really must have been doing this to long .. i don't even panic when Joe has a seizure beside me in the car.. i just calmly lock the doors and start making my way to the side of the road and to a full stop incase he would go violent postictal so he couldn't grab the wheel and wreck the car.

This is a very good topic. I have had patients that have had seizures. I did work addictions which had patients that were withdrawing from different things. The worse thing to do is try and hold someone down. That is a no no. The best thing to do is to give the person space, and move things out of the way that could hurt them. Another thing I have seen is people trying to put a airway/tongue blade in someones mouth during a seizure. Now, this information is old that I am telling you. But doing this after a seizure has started can cause mouth damage and tooth damage. You never try and do this after a seizure has started. I have seen this, and have told other people not to do this.

The nurses working detox were trained in dealing with seizures. And the above information was given and we were trained in helping patients with seizures. If someone is in a hospital bed having a seizure; take the pillows off the bed and put the side rails down. That way the patient cannot hurt himself if he is thrashing around. Pillows can easily block the airway of someone if they are seizing.

You should though, after a seizure is over, turn the person on their side in case of vomiting. This is called the recovery position. The airway is usually safer in this position. If someone has vomiting on their back, they can inhale it, and things would be worse, that is why they tell you to turn someone on their side. You can clear the airway easier if someone is on their side. I do not mean to insult anyones' intelligence here, but I do remember these important things that you do.

I hope this information helps anyone who reads it. Anyone who is living with someone who has a seizure disorder should learn CPR. It would be a good idea. The longer a seizure goes on, the more dangerous it is. It is possible for someone to arrest during a seizure. It is not hard to get a CPR certificate. Just a tip. :yes2:

Sincerely,
Bonnie
:hbeat: