10 & 5 YOs

[Rheaceleste]

My 10 and 5 year old children were the only ones around for my seizure yesterday. I felt the aura (which I hadn’t experienced in 1.5 months!) and something in me knew it was much stronger and not going to stay at its focal point. I said “oh no” and sat on the kitchen floor. Next thing I remember is looking at 4 paramedics crouched beside me and I was sitting up asking repeatedly “what is that?” Because he was using a BP cuff. My kids had gotten me a pillow, taken off my glasses, called 911 and their father in case he needed to get them.
They also filled in a lot of details they said I spoke or acted (I want the next one recorded so badly). I am proud of them. My oldest held it together til last night when they really wanted to make sure I wouldn’t be having another one in from of them. I know it must be traumatic to see your mother like that!
10YO was worried all night I would fall out of bed and get hurt or that she would have one. They’ve known about my seizures for almost a year now, but only heard them and stories of them. Never witnessed, especially with no one else there with them during the actual seizure. If I understood them and their dad correctly, everyone showed up during the postictal phase. I am much more sore after this one and it took my brain much longer to recover.
Do they get worse each time?

 

[valeriedl]

That is wonderful what your children did! They knew what they should do to help you and to get help. That's more than what many adults know to do. Hearing about seizures is one thing but seeing a seizure, especially for the first time, can't be easy.

Everyone's different when it comes to what seizures are like and how you feel after one. After a seizure I used to have headaches for hours. I'd lay with a bag of ice on my head. Now I hardly ever have any. I'm just tired and sleep.

 

[Sabbo]

That's great that your children took care of you like that!! I have 2 sons. One has completed his BS & now lives in California, the other is in 12th grade. Both knew about my simple & complex partial seizures since they were little, and we told them what to do when/if they witnessed me having one.
I recall what would happen when they were younger, and both were at home. Any time they'd hear a loud noise, they would come running to the room I was in to make sure I was okay.

 

[Bernard]

... My kids had gotten me a pillow, taken off my glasses, called 911 and their father in case he needed to get them. ...

That is awesome! Making sure you haven't hurt yourself is #1 so removing the eyeglasses and getting a pillow are great moves! Did they also manage to watch the clock to note when the seizure occurred and how long it lasted?

We always instructed our kids to call me first if their mother had a seizure when I wasn't home. Calling 911 was only in case she hurt herself during the seizure.

...
I am much more sore after this one and it took my brain much longer to recover.
Do they get worse each time?

Sometimes. Sometimes not. There is no universal rule on seizures!

 

[Porkette]

Hi Rheaceleste,

I think its great how your kids helped you out with your seizure and knew what to do you played it smart talking to
them about your seizures.
I've had absence and complex partial seizures for 52 yrs. now and I found that when there's a low pressure in the weather
or hormones changing that would trigger my seizures the most as well as when I was shopping and many people were using
cell phones.
I found using the medical marijuana the biggest help to me ever at it reduced my seizures to the lowest in my life.
If you haven't started keeping track of your seizures you may want to get a calendar and write down what time the seizure
happened along with the type of seizure you had by doing that your neuro may see a pattern in your seizures. I always seem
to have them the 1st and 3rd week of each month.
I wish you only the best of luck and May God Bless You and Your Family,

Sue

 

[Sabbo]

I've tracked my seizures since 2012 but unfortunately haven't noticed any patterns. In some situations, they occurred while I was under severe stress/tension, and in others where they occurred while I'm sitting around talking with friends or even just doing what I enjoy. Recently, for example, I was at our masjid talking to my friends when I had a complex partial. I fell over, hitting my forehead on the side of the table. Oddly, I had taken my morning meds about 5 hours earlier.

I have also changed &/or added medications so many times that I feel like a guinea pig.

 

[cadsgj]

Wow! To read that about your children, I could feel it in my heart for you and them. Sorry to read you had a long recovery time. Over the years it seems like recover time from my seizures seems to usually come quicker; not always, just more often. I hope seizure recovery time for you gets quicker.