What You Need to Know About...Febrile Seizures

I registered the kiddos for kindergarten this week. Oh, how I am not ready for this. I really do like their school and think they will do extremely well there. However, when I was registering them and we were going over the paperwork the school nurse was brought in to discuss the febrile seizures they have. Now, Aaron has only had one and Jill has had three. It has been a few years since Jill has had one, but I still put it on the form as an FYI.

The nurse came in and asked if I had my children screened by the neurologist and if they were on any medication for their epilepsy. I reminded her that they have febrile seizures, which is not epilepsy. She then proceeded to tell me that febrile seizures are "really common when kids have fevers" and "it should probably be noted on their chart that they have fever induced seizures".  I reminded her that's exactly was febrile means.

In that moment I just could not get over how wrong this nurse was on febrile seizures, so I thought I would take a moment and educate whomever is reading this on febrile seizures.

So, what are febrile seizures? 

They are convulsions brought on by fevers in infants or small children. The child will most often lose consciousness and begin shaking. This can last anywhere from a few seconds to 15 minutes.  Aaron's was around a minute and Jill's was pretty similar. They both convulsed in different ways. Aaron convulsed violently, turned purple, foamed and had his eyes roll back. Jill slumped over, made a clicking sounds, twitched and one time she threw up.

The majority of children that have febrile seizures have a rectal temperature of 102 degrees or higher at the time of the seizure. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes (NINDS), "Children prone to febrile seizures are not considered to have epilepsy, since epilepsy is characterized by recurrent seizures that are not triggered by fever." Ahem, nurse.

How common are febrile seizures?

About one in every 25 children will experience a febrile seizure. They also usually occur between the ages of 6 months and 3 years. It's very rare to see them before or after. Also, if you have a family history of them (which we do) your children are more likely to have them.

What do you do if your child is having a febrile seizure?

Stay calm. I know, I know, it's hard, but you need especially if you have other children with you. Make sure they are lying on the ground away from anything that may harm them. You should also roll them on their side in case they begin to vomit or choke. Do not under any circumstance restrain them or place anything in their mouth. I know this used to be standard way back in the day and some people still believe in these misconceptions. Do not do it, you will harm your child.

Make sure you check your watch so you know how long they are convulsing. It will feel like an eternity to you, but it may only be a minute.

Both MayoClinic and NINDS recommend taking your child immediately to your physician unless the fever lasts longer than 10 minutes, then you should call an ambulance.  I did not follow this advice and called 911 both times. Aaron was really lethargic after his and Jill's fever kept rising. She actually needed a shot to bring down her fever when we arrived at the hospital.  Go with your gut, they paramedics will not be mad, I promise.

These are extremely terrifying to watch and nothing can honestly prepare you. I had a hard time during and after these to the point that I need to talk to a therapist. I can still to this day see Aaron's face and hear Jill clicking. So when the nurse tried to dismiss this as a run of the mill thing, you know after she thought it was epilepsy, I was angry. There is nothing run of the mill about this and it's always good to educate yourself on the topic.

I encourage you to find out if anyone in your family has ever had a febrile seizure and check out NINDS and MayoClinic for more information.

Way Back When-esday: In Sickness

Dateline: November 13, 2009

Age: 18 months

Why did I pick this picture? It was the first time Jill ever had an ear infection, it was also her first febrile seizure. We have been seizure free for over a year (knock on wood), but definitely not ear infection free.  

Jill's ear infection is hopefully on the mend and the strep test came back today and was negative (woo hoo!). I even saw a glimpse of the old Jill (who by the way suddenly prefers Jillian) this morning:

So thankful we are on the mend, and definitely thankful that we are past those first few episodes with ear infections. 

Play along with Cheryl at Twinfatuation!

Thanksgiving Thursday

For those of you that don't know what Thanksgiving Thursday is, it is the one time during the week where you stop and basically count your blessings. Even if you've had one of those weeks, I promise you can find at least one thing to be thankful for, no matter how big or small.

This week I am thankful for:

• Scott, he was my rock through everything that happened this week.

• Aaron knowing to stay out of the way when everything went down. He's such a good kid and wouldn't go to his bed until his sister was home and in the bed across from him.

• Jill being on the mend and also thankful that it was nothing serious. I can handle ear infections, just not the febrile seizure that went with it.

• A MOM who flies down two days later to help you out and just be your MOM. Let's face it, every once and a while you just need your MOM.

• A Dad that is always on the other end of the line and always asks how you're doing even when you're the last person you think of in a situation.

• In-laws who probably broke a few traffic laws to get to the house in record time.

• Amazing neighbors who helped out and are just really awesome in general.

• Lake Sumter EMS and Fire Rescue, even though you're not quite sure how to handle the statement "Hey we've been here before, same thing right, like a year ago?"
  

• An utterly humbling experience on Monday night that scared the ever living out of me but now I think it is the most honoring thing to ever happen.

What are you thankful for?

Mommy and Me Monday and the Weekend that is Finally Over

Hosted by Krystyn at Really, Are You Serious?

Normally I am not excited about the weekend being over, but I'll tell ya what, I am so glad it's Monday. Our weekend started out perfect, maybe too perfect? We got our new stroller on Friday and were ready to break it in on Saturday at Animal Kingdom. The kids had runny noses, but nothing severe, no fevers, no coughs, we were golden. So off we went to Animal Kingdom.

Aaron was pretty much content when we rode the tram. This kid loves Disney transportation and would ride it all day. It's a boy thing, right? Anyway, we literally walked right on to the safari and saw all of the animals. After that we grabbed some lunch and the kiddos were excited to sit like big kids at the table.


We did some of the nature walks and went on a the dinosaur ride in Dinoland. Jill loves that ride, Aaron could care less. After that we stopped by to see Pooh, Eeyore and Tigger.


Both of the kids were so excited in line and kept talking about them. They could barely contain their excitement until we actually got face to face with them. Then it was like they wanted nothing to do with them. Naturally, as we were leaving Jill started waving, blowing kisses and yelling "Bye! See you soon!!!". Awesome.

Since it was still early in the day and the kids were holding up really well we decided to go to EPCOT to see Mulan, who is Jill's favorite princess of the moment. Aaron wanted nothing to do with her when we got there so he opted out of the photo. Jill was so excited when she saw her in line and then became extremely shy when it was our turn. She gave Mulan her figurine to show her and then they talked about how in person Mulan wears a flower in her hair but the figurine doesn't have one. It was pure perfection. (And also the most perfect Mommy and Me Monday photo, ever!)


Then after we got home from our fun day we noticed Jill was running a fever. It came literally out of nowhere. One minute she was cool and the next she had a temp of 102.7. We gave her some Motrin, stripped her to her diaper and hoped it would go down. I knew something was up, I felt it in the pit of my stomach. Somehow Mom always knows. Scott was sitting next to her and Aaron and when I looked over she was seizing. This is the third time she's had a febrile seizure, this time she vomited which threw me for a loop. We went through our routine, Scott called his parents, went next door to get the neighbors (who by the way are awesome and I am so thankful to have such amazing neighbors!) and I called 911. Normally I'm pretty calm with the 911 operator, but this one.....if I had to confirm my street name by spelling one more time I was going to jump through the phone. So I calmly told her I wasn't going to confirm for the 4th time and that she needed to dispatch someone 2 minutes ago 'k thanks.

I cannot express how great Lake/Sumter fire rescue is. They are really good about keeping you calm and reassuring you about everything. It was nice we could even sit and joke outside before leaving for the hospital.

What we ended up finding out is that Jill has the beginning of an ear infection and that's what caused the fever, and since it spiked that's why she had the seizure again. Thankfully this is not something that is contagious so Aaron should be good. It's definitely been a long tiring weekend and I'm so glad Jill is on the mend (no fever as of this morning!) and that we can get back to normal.

Play along with Mommy and Me Monday hosted by Krystyn at Really, Are You Serious?

Update

A lot has happened since my post this morning. I called our pediatrician to take Aaron in because his fever still hadn't dropped, we had an appointment scheduled for 2pm. Then Aaron felt hotter than before so I took his temperature again and it was 103.4. I went to call the pediatrician again to see if we could come in early and before I could dial it happened. Aaron started shaking out of control and his eyes rolled back, he was having a seizure. I cannot even explain to you what happened, but I can tell you it was the scariest moment of my life. I felt completely helpless and there was nothing I could do. He turned purple, kept convulsing, and started to "foam" at the mouth, I seriously thought I was going to lose my son. I tried to call 911 but apparently our house phone does not dial that number (f you Brighthouse) so I had to call from my cell and went to Orlando first and had to be transferred to Lake County. After a few minutes an ambulance, two firetrucks, and three squad cars were in front of my house. Jill was great during this, she sat next to Aaron so she could be there for him and went right to my neighbor when she came to help. Thank you again Sherri for being there to lend a hand, a shoulder and a prayer. I can't even tell you what happened between the moments the ambulance arrived and the moment I was inside it with Aaron. He was so strong, and such an amazing boy. He let the paramedics do everything they needed to do to help him. We spent a good chunk of our day at the hospital getting his fever down and letting him sleep. They tested for swine flu and strep and all came back negative. They say he had a febrile seizure, which happens when there is a sudden spike in the bodys temperature. I am so thankful that I was holding him the moment it happened and that he did not fall and become seriously injured. He does has puss on his tonsils so we have to put him on antibiotics and have him checked out tomorrow. I am so thankful for everyone today, your thoughts and prayers really mean the world to me. I am a little spent right now, but I will keep you posted on our situation.