Epileptic Seizure symptoms?

What are the symptoms to a seizure? and what can I do about it? Today my 2 year old sister got taken to the hospital and the paramedics told us that she might have had a seizure. What do I do? HELP!!!

Answer #1

So I know that this is an old question but I wanted to give you an answer because even though it it old you might not have received an answer and not encountered the problem again yet. I have had epilepsy for 8 years now and have had my fair share of seizures and symptoms. There really isn’t a warning before an epileptic seizure to anyone except those that are having the “fit”; especially if she is only 2 years old. She might not know. I know when I was younger before it happened I would always say “Mom, I feel funny.” The best thing to do it to stay calm. Make sure that there is nothing around her that she can hurt herself. There are a few different types of seizures so you should be aware of what type of seizures she is having. A grand mal seizure involves the whole body and will cause a lot of jerking and shaking of the body. Vomiting and salivating excessively is often common with this type of seizure. A Petite mal seizure often looks like the person just kinda “sleeps” for a few minutes and then comes back. The lips turning blue you explained is fairly normal. When someone has a seizure it is caused by a misfiring of neurons in the brain. Seizures normally last for a few minutes but could take quite a bit longer for the person to completely come back around. Usually right after the seizure a person goes into “deep sleep” mode and can even talk to you but be unaware of it. It is necessary to stay calm, ask simple questions like “do you know where you are, who am I, what is your name” things like that; but DONT BE ALARMED if she doesn’t know the answer right away or even looks at you with a panic expression on her face. Just stay calm and continue talking to her and asking simple questions. Reassure her that things are fine and that she is ok. Often after my seizures I start to panic and try to get up and get away from people. If she tries this, try to calmly assure her that she is safer with you and that she will be fine. Really, if she has been diagnosed with epilepsy there is no need to call any emergency team unless she hurts herself during the seizure, it lasts longer than normal or she has another one before she becomes consciously aware of things again. If you would like more help then just ask me. I am always willing to help people =)

Answer #2

Hi there,

There are three stages to an epileptic seizure, all with different symptoms:

Early Symptoms (auras or warnings)

* unusual smell, sound, taste, or visual perception
* fear/panic
* dizziness, headache, lightheadedness, nausea, numbness
* sometimes no warnings 

Seizure Symptoms

* confusion, loss of consciousness, spaceyness
* visual, smelling,and/or hearing difficulties
* twitching, shaking, stiffening, tongue biting, incontinence, falling, drooling, eyelid fluttering 

After Seizure Symptoms

* confusion, memory loss
* writing difficulties
* depression, fear, frustration/shame
* nausea, headache, pain, thirst, weakness
* injuries
* exhaustion/sleeping 

As for what you can do…try to remain calm if she has a seizure. The hospital should be doing neurological tests to see the cause of the seizures. Once they pinpoint the cause, medication can be provided to try and prevent or treat it. Just be there for her and try not to be afraid.

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