Seizueres in children

Ever been faced with a situation that just made you freeze? Today, my son came running up to me, with a very distressed look on his face. He said a little boy was down on the ground and he needed help. He was on his way to get the nurse. I told him to go get her, and I ran to see what I could do. He had some type of seizure. The boy had just fallen right in front of my son with little or no indication that it was about to happen.

He convulsed a bit, eyes in the back of his head, minor muscle spasms were apparent through his body. His left hand and wrist curved tightly inward towards his body, and a liquid discharged from his mouth. I had the other kids who were around, give him some room and called 911. The nurse arrived in just a under a minute after I did. She brought with her a pillow. She laid it under his head and checked his pulse; she reassured some of the kids who were around and asked that they go to lunch. Then, she basically softly touched the him on his arm, knowing that he would come out of it okay. The boy was such a sweet little man and there was nothing I could do to make it stop. It was a real sense of helplessness. A few teachers and a parent were also there at about the same time. I think we all realized there wasn't much we could do. The emergency squad arrived about 8 minutes after I called. I ran to the front doors and brought the Paramedics to where the nurse and the boy was.

When we arrived, the convulsions had stopped, the boy was unconscious, and very pale. I had to get back to what I was doing (keeping an eye on the kids), but it really had an impact on me the rest of the day and night.

Later, there were some other children around and few of the girls were crying. They started asking questions about what happened and more importantly if he was going to be alright. I reassured them as best as I could, but realized how little I knew about the subject or even what one should do in a situation like this.

I spent some time tonight researching it and found some pretty decent information about what do to when it happens here: http://kidshealth.org/parent/firstaid_safe/emergencies/seizure.html

A child who's having a seizure should be placed on the ground or floor in a safe area. Remove any nearby objects. Loosen any clothing around the head or neck. Do not try to wedge the child's mouth open or place an object between the teeth, and do not attempt to restrain movements. Once the seizure seems to have ended, roll your child onto his or her side.

Call emergency medical services immediately if your child:

* has difficulty breathing
* turns bluish in color
* has sustained a head injury
* seems ill
* has a known heart condition
* has never had a seizure before
* might have ingested any poisons, medications, etc.

If your child has previously had seizures, call emergency services if the seizure lasts more than 5 minutes, or if the seizure is different or unusual.

If your child is breathing normally and the seizure lasts just a few minutes, you can wait until it has subsided, then call your doctor.

Following the seizure, your child will probably fall into a deep sleep (this is called the postictal period). This is normal, and you should not try to wake your child. Do not attempt to give food or drink until your child is awake and alert.