Disclaimer: This post was written for informational use only because I am not a doctor and it is not substitute for medical advice.
November is Epilepsy Awareness Month. When you have Hydrocephalus, it is common to develop a seizure disorder, but you don’t need to have my disability to develop seizures, and it can happen to anyone for a variety of different reasons. There is no cure for seizure disorders, and often it is lifelong, but you can control it through diet changes and medication. It is scary to watch someone have a seizure, but it is important that you know the signs of a seizure and respond quickly because untreated seizure disorders can cause brain damage and be fatal. There are some activities that people with seizure disorders should never do, but if it’s well managed, you can live well with a seizure disorder. It can be scary to witness someone, but it is so important that you remain calm because what you do when you witness someone seizing can save a life. What should you do if you witness someone having a seizure? In this post, I am going to talk about what I would do if I saw someone having a seizure.
Call 911 if it’s the first one– If you know someone who has an active seizure disorder, you don’t always need to take them to the hospital unless they aren’t breathing, because a lot of the time, people with active seizure disorders have medications on them that will stop the seizure. You should always call 911 if you witness someone having a seizure that you don’t personally know or if it’s their first seizure. If it is someone’s first seizure, you always want to make sure you get them medical attention because you want to make sure that person doesn’t have a life-threatening medical condition that could have caused it. Seizure disorders are common for people with Hydrocephalus, but it can also be a sign of a possible shunt malfunction that needs immediate medical attention. People don’t just start having seizures for no reason, and there is typically something that causes it, and you aren’t going to know what it is until you get examined by a doctor.
Time it– When you go to a neurologist, doctors often will ask you to describe the seizure and will want to know how long it lasts because it helps them better diagnose what type of seizure it is. I am able to tell my doctors what seizures feel like, but I am not going to be timing my own seizures because to me, it feels like they are hours when, in reality, it’s probably only a few minutes. If you witness someone having a seizure, the first thing you should do is get out your watch and start timing it immediately, and if it’s more than five minutes and there is no sign of the person coming out of it, seek medical help.
Remain calm- I am not currently having active seizures, but I have had them in the past, and when I had my very first seizure, I was on vacation, visiting my family in Michigan. Seizures are scary for both the person experiencing and witnessing them, but I can’t stress enough how important it is for you to remain calm. When I have a seizure, I am unable to speak, but I am not completely unconscious and can hear everything that is going on around me. I have had seizures last longer than they normally would have because people around me couldn’t pull themselves together. It is so important that you remain calm when you witness someone having a seizure because it can cause the person experiencing the seizure to have more anxiety, which can make it worse. If you can’t handle the stress of watching a loved one have a seizure, the best thing you can do for that person is walk away, because the person having the seizure sometimes can sense panic. It is scary to have a seizure, and if you want someone to come out of it quickly, it’s so important that you reassure them that everything is okay and remain calm.
Lie them on their side- A person having a seizure should never be lying on their back because you can easily choke on your own spit. The first thing you want to do if you witness someone seizing is turn them on their side because it helps open your airway and keep the person safe if they happen to be convulsing.
Never leave them alone- If you can’t remain calm while watching someone have a seizure, it’s so important that you walk away, but at the same time, if you are the only one there, you need to pull yourself together because you should never leave a person who is seizing alone. When you have a seizure, sometimes you are convulsing and can seriously hurt yourself because you don’t know what you are doing during a seizure, nor do you have the ability to stop it. You should never leave someone who is having a seizure alone because things can take a downward turn very quickly, and you can stop breathing, and you could cost someone their life by leaving for a few minutes. Always stay with people who are seizing and monitor their condition, so if things change, you can get medical help quickly.
Make sure you are in a safe environment– When I have a seizure, I sometimes will grab something that is around me and quite literally stab myself to try and come out of the seizure. If you witness someone having a seizure, it is so important that you get them to a safe place and remove any sharp objects that are within their reach, because I am not thinking when I am having a seizure and have no idea what I am doing. Seizures can happen very quickly, and one minute you’re fine and the next you are not, because a lot of the time I only have a warning of a few seconds. I depend on people around me who aren’t seizing to get me in a safe place because more often than not, I don’t have enough of a warning to be able to do that myself. Make sure the person having a seizure is in a safe place, and whatever you do, don’t restrain them!
Seizures are scary, but how you react when you witness someone having a seizure is so important because a lot of the time, you are unconscious or completely unaware of what is going on around them, and will depend on others to step up and take action. There are many different types of seizures, and not all types of seizures need immediate medical attention and the ones I have experienced are completely harmless, but even if someone has a mild seizure, you still never want to leave them alone because things can change in an instant. Disabled people sometimes have seizure disorders, but not all disabled people get seizures, and many people don’t because you don’t have to be disabled to have seizures. Knowing the signs of a possible seizure can save a life because the sooner you are able to get treatment, the better off you will be. What would you do if you witnessed someone having a seizure? If you liked this post, please leave a comment below and share it with your friends.
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