Emergency Room

[MajorT]

Is it necessary to go to the ER every time I have a grand maul seizure?

[Bernard]

IMO, no.

I only call for an ambulance if Stacy is going status epilepticus (multiple grand mal / tonic clonic seizures without recovering in between).

If you fell and hit your head or aspirated (swallowed/choked) on vomit, that might be a different story.

My

[MajorT]

Thats what I was thinking Bernard. I told my wife Stefanie to not call the ambulance. I know she is just worried but I usually come conscious after awhile. I have had multiple seizures but it only happened on one occasion. I will atleast contact Doc and let her know what happened. They do the same thing every time at the ER. Give ya some saline and do a CT scan, maybe an MRI. I had a spinal tap once..ugh. It all gets very expensive.

[RobinN]

Rebecca has had about 30 grand mal or Tonic Clonic seizures, and really other than the first one, hasn't needed to go to ER. In fact ER does not do anything except monitor her. They poke her, insert needles, and keep her from getting much needed rest.

At first the school had to call the EMTs for every seizure, and they are required to take her to the ER. I finally was able to sign a release, and they left her in my care. Now we have a letter from the neurologist, that states unless the seizure is over 5 min, or status, they don't need to call the EMTs.

I would hope someone is around to check up on you. Lets hope you get them under control.

[MajorT]

Usually my seizures are at night and my wife Stefanie is sleeping beside me. She will of course be there to take care of me and call if I have multiple seizures.

[POSITIVEPERSON]

My husband would give me a ativan and I would sleep . I rarely went to the ER.

Riva

[brain]

NO, but the only time they ever took me to
the ER is when I experienced Status or Back
to Back seizures or had gotten seriously hurt,
or I didn't recover out of the phase in time
and the paramedics would have to perform
CPR - or as my son said when he was little
"jump start mommy" (but that only happened
twice). But there's also "BRAIN ATTACK" to
which some people call it "Seizure-Stroke"
which is life threatening; and in that case,
911 must be called immediately, no exceptions.

[Holden]

Just to add to the chorus, I've only been to the ER once with a seizure and that was at a time when I was not known to have a seizure disorder, so no one knew what had just happened.The other times, I've passed on the ER and called the doctor after the fact to make a follow up appointment.

That said, I've had 3 grand mal seizures--2 of which were a few months apart, so I don't have a long history (well, 16 years long, but not with a lot of activity). But in my experience, all they did at the hospital was watch me lie there for a few hours and then suggest that I follow up with my doctor. Now my attitude is that unless I were injured, or suffering some other symptom after the seizure, I don't see an ER vist as a necessity. I can "lie there" at home. And I call the doctor to follow up anyway. Why get professional medical personnel involved?