Choking during seizure?

[Jsantisi]

I have twin 7- year olds with epilepsy. Their seizures frequently happen at meal times. We still have not figured out why. The last seizure happened 2 days ago and I was very worried he was choking during the seizure but it was so hard to tell. ( we were eating sausages!) luckily, I was wrong. He becomes so limp during and after the seizure I wonder if the grim loch would even work. What do I do the next time this happens? Anyone with first or ER experience please reply too!

 

[Jsantisi]

That heimlich!! Not grim loch ! ( damn you autocorrect!)

 

[Nakamova]

Hi Jsantisi, welcome to CWE!

It must be very scary to see your twins seize -- while eating, or at any other time. (Side note -- do you think something about the eating is a trigger? Any food intolerances or allergies? Or something about the activity, the environment, or the time of day?).

Generally speaking, people turn blue at the beginning of seizure as oxygen is drawn from the extremities to the brain. But since this can also be a sign of choking it's very important to pay close attention to how long this lasts and how their breathing appears overall. I strongly recommend that you check in with the pediatric neurologist for precise instructions on what to look for and what to do if you suspect choking.

During the seizure it can help to ease them onto their sides. Afterwards, it can be "normal" for the breathing to be labored and noisy -- but again, this may be tough to distinguish from choking, so the neuro should provide guidance. In general cases of choking, if the person is conscious, then the Heimlich maneuver should be attempted --limp or not. If the person is unconscious, then CPR is the step to take.