Managing Epilepsy and Seizures
According to the Epilepsy Foundation, approximately 326,000 American children under the age of 15 have epilepsy and 200,000 new cases of epilepsy are diagnosed each year. Epilepsy affects people at different ages and in different ways. Epilepsy is more common in younger children and older adults. For some people, it will be a temporary problem, easily controlled with medication and outgrown after a few years. For others, it may be a lifelong challenge affecting many areas of life. Managing epilepsy and seizures can be difficult. The Epilepsy Foundation provides some facts and recommendation to help keep you and/or your child safe.
Communication is key for receiving the best help from others. Work with your child’s doctor to understand the risks for your child and make a plan. Important questions to ask your doctor include: what type of seizures does my child have, what should I do if my child has a seizure, how can we prevent future seizures, and what are the common side effects of the medication we are using.
Make a seizure response plan to share with family, friends, teachers or anyone who spends time with your child. Alert them to possible activities or areas that could be especially dangerous to you. Tell them to call 911 if your child does not start breathing normally after a seizure, if your child gets hurt in some way during the seizure, if your child has a seizure in water, if the seizure lasts more than 5 minutes or if your child has another seizure right after the first one.
You can help protect your child from injury during a seizure by making your home safer. Use non-breakable dishes. Be very cautious with hot foods and liquids. Always supervise your child in the bath or shower. Install a rubber mat or non-skid strips on the tub or shower floor. Consider using a seizure alert monitor so you can hear from another room if a seizure happens. Move your child’s bed away from walls, night tables and other sharp or hard objects. Pad hard edges of tables and other furniture and try to keep walkways and floors clear of cords and toys.
You and your child can feel more in control of seizures of you take action such as taking medication as prescribed, keeping a health diary to monitor seizures activity, sharing your seizure response plan and knowing your child’s seizure triggers.
For more information about epilepsy and seizures, contact the Epilepsy Foundation at www.epilepsy.com or 1-800-332-1000.
March 7, 2016