So we had the most scariest day of our lives and the reason I wanted to share this with you is that you fellow mama’s will be better prepared for this common but unknown event because I wasn’t. We were at a beautiful Vineyard for the Memorial Day weekend for a friend’s wedding. It was an outdoor wedding and the weather was over 85. It rained for some time during the ceremony and the weather cooled off a bit. Avi was constantly running in and out of the tent as he was too attracted to the lake. He was out in the sun for couple hours. We took him to the hotel for naps and we went back to the reception which was held outdoors. He did have bit of cold and cough already. He was fine at the wedding, a bit fussy towards the end. Next morning, on our way back home (an hour drive), he started to breathe a bit heavy in his car seat and I touched his forehead and he was HOT. He caught fever due to heat exhaustion, also being exposed to extreme temperature swings. We reached home and knowing Avi who never take medicines, we mixed Advil in his milk (not a good idea) as he didn’t finish the entire bottle. He looked very sleepy and I laid him on bed for a nap. He kept waking up with these jerky movements similar to if a loud noise scared him and he was startled. But then suddenly he opened his eyes and his body stiffened and he rolled his eyes up, he went unresponsive for 15 seconds and his breathing was disturbed, skin and lips appeared darker, he made some weird helpless sounds and he lost his conscious! We panicked. We were leaving for the ER, called his doctor and quickly did some cold sponging which got his temperature down. He woke up but seeming to go in and out of consciousness. It was a Febrile Seizure! He slept again but was breathing fine. I kept the cold sponging on which got his temperature to 97. He woke up in about 45 minutes and was fresh. I gave him water mixed with Pedialyte and he asked for “Grapes”. The doctor saw him and said he is fine, no ear infection..
The most important tip that doctor gave us was “DON’T MIX HIS MEDICINE IN MILK OR ANY FOOD. ALWAYS GIVE THE MEDICINE DOSE AS IS. IF YOU’D LIKE TO MIX, DO IT IN SMALLEST QUANTITY POSSIBLE, GET CHEWABLES or GIVE THE LIQUID DOSE with an injection on the inner side of the jaw . BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT GOAL IS TO GET HIS FEVER DOWN ASAP”. I really wanted to educate myself on this unknown but very common thing in kids. Febrile seizures (seizures caused by fever) occur in 3 or 4 out of every 100 children between six months and five years of age. It usually happens during the first few hours of a fever. Sometimes the seizure is the first sign anything is wrong, before the fever even shows up. So there is just no way to prevent it, you just do your best to care for your child during and after, if one occurs. Seizures usually last less than 1 minute but, although uncommon, can last for up to 15 minutes.
Some TIPS:
Keep calm and don’t Panic
Place the kid on the floor or bed away from any hard or sharp objects.
Turn the head to the side so that any saliva or vomit can drain from their mouth.
Do not put anything into the mouth.
Call your child’s doctor.
If the seizure does not stop after 5 minutes, call 911 or your local emergency number.
My stomach was in knots and my brain was running a million miles an hour. Both Mihir and I were really scared for couple hours. But we are relieved he is fine now and are praying this should not happen again.
Moments like these give you a wake up call on what really is important in life, who matters the most to you, what are your priorities in life! #febrileseizure #febrileseizures