First Aid for an Epilepsy Seizure

Epilepsy is a dangerous neurological ailment caused by a deteriorated gray substance. This severe disorder provokes a range of symptoms that require permanent attention provided by caregivers to avoid threatening situations.

The neurologists insist epilepsy treatment foresees a phased recovery program, including first aid practices in case of instant seizures. As such, in-time and effective emergency care should be classified by:

• Disease severity and convulsions attack intensity;
• A place where a patient faces epileptic seizures;
• Items available to support the relief measures;
• Specific circumstances that require amateurs or professional medical aid like pregnancy or accompanying ailments;
• Seizure duration.

Apart from epilepsy-positive patients, the recovery activities performed during convulsion attacks could be hardly successful without the protection and caution of the first aid providers. Uncontrolled movements are harmful to everyone who lacks experience and knowledge about the specifications of epileptic spasms.

General Rules of First Aid for an Epilepsy Seizure

To clarify the action plan for those, who think about what to do after someone has a seizure, you need to realize that the first aid for people with epileptic seizures should comply with the nature and type of the convulsionary attacks. So, how to help someone having a seizure?

• Try to refrain from the patient’s fall or maximumly mitigate its adverse consequences;
• Calm a patient and help him sit or lay on a flat surface;
• Remove any dangerous item if the patient is conscious;
• Fix a time when seizures start. You may write an accurate time and monitor the duration of attacks;
• Put something soft like a pillow or wrapped cloth under the laying patient’s head. If you have nothing appropriate, you may place their head on your knees;
• Turn the head on the left or right side to avoid a choking situation resulting from foamy saliva release;
• Alleviate respiratory dysfunctions restricted by tightening apparel;
• Let them take a safe position during intense epileptic seizures;
• If the patient’s teeth do not bite and strokes are indicated at the initial phase, you may put a soft wrap to eliminate the chances of traumas or other hazards. However, such manipulations are prohibited if their attacks are potent;
• Once spasms are complete, patients are suggested to stay immobilized and rest for some time. Such actions are essential to rehabilitating normal functions and cognitive abilities;
• If patients receive traumas or injuries due to uncontrolled motions, help them treat damages with an antiseptic solution.

What to Do If Someone Has Seizure in Water, Sleep, Car, or Wheelchair

The general concept regarding what to do in a seizure peak would be less productive if you apply it to each situation. Indeed, you need to choose methods for seizure precautions or their minimization based on conditions and places. The external circumstances significantly modify the first aid strategy and reduce traumatic risks. As such, caregivers and epileptic patients should differ treatment techniques for seizure relief according to the following particularities.

Seizure in Water 

Water provides a range of threatening consequences which could jeopardize the first aid manipulations if sufferers have severe neurological disorders. Therefore, caregivers, including family members, friends, or coaches, should act rationally and quickly:

• Help a person reach a shore or other hard flat surface;
• Remove water from the mouth and nose. The answer to what to do when someone has a seizure in water depends on the victim’s state of complexity and the risks of being underwater. Thus, you need to check the patient’s nasal cavity for grass, dust, or foreign objects;
• Repeat the basic actions acceptable for epileptic seizures. Place patients on the side, do not leave them alone till the seizures stop, and manage the overall situation in line with the general rules;
• Wait for a moment when attack signs are gone and cover the patient with warm towels if needed;
• Call an ambulance to ensure the patient’s health conditions are safe and their respiratory functions have not deteriorated.

Seizure in Sleep

Sleeping time for epilepsy-diagnosed people threatens their health and life. The fatal risks are high due to limited opportunities for first aid provision if seizures start. Any efforts you would like to initiate have no sense without the proper medication treatment. However, you may arrange the bedroom and consider all probable scenarios of attack progress:

• Hide sharp or traumatic objects placed near the bed;
• Use soft and elastic pillows;
• Adjust the bed boards with appropriate protectors;
• Train your relatives with epileptic symptoms to apply side-sleeping poses. Such practices avoid situations when they could stop breathing due to sudden convulsions;
• Plan bedroom microclimate indicators which could not stimulate uncontrolled movements. Drastic fluctuations of air humidity or indoor temperature could provoke neurological disorder symptoms;
• Periodically check the patient’s state during napping time.

Seizure in Car

Driving is not permitted for epilepsy-diagnosed people. Sudden loss of movement control adversely affects the health and life of passengers and other traffic participants. Upon the clinical surveys and testing fact-findings, the qualified neurological conclusion will distinguish:

• Types of seizures you have;
• The severity of the disease;
• Duration of each convulsion session;
• Deadline to reconsider the medical prescriptions and conditions to cancel the driving restrictions.

However, you need to know what to do if someone has a seizure in the passenger seat. In any case, you must stop a car and conduct seizure mitigation measures with minimal effects on you and your passenger.

Always free people with seizures from a seat belt if risks which deteriorate breathing abilities are minimal. Take care for post-attack periods when people require proper attention and even medical examination to reject any hazardous damage or injury.

Seizure in Wheelchair

Disabled people with epilepsy-related neurological disorders are vulnerable when they go through challenging health disturbances. The first aid instruction for patients with epileptic seizures represents an easy-to-implement step-by-step approach:

• Do not move a convulsionary person and leave them seated. Pose changes are allowed if there is a risk of serious injury;
• Put the wheelchair brakes on or use a locking option in tilt samples;
• Keep the head immobilized during the attacks;
• Lean a patient on once the seizures refrain and help them renovate living functions.

People in wheelchairs are a particular category of patients with neurological disorders. Therefore, caregivers should understand the necessity of someone’s assistance to reduce unpleasant risks for general health deterioration. Always call for an ambulance or go to the clinic to set aside traumatic cases.

What You Should NOT DO in Epileptic Seizure

Along with recommendations about what to do if someone has a seizure, each caregiver should distinguish dos and don’ts actions to recover seizure-suffering patients without traumatic cases:

• Force a person up or down when seizures achieve the active phase;
• Unclench teeth using different forcible methods;
• CPR and indirect heart massage provide high traumatic effects;
• Water a person or dip them into the liquid;
• Give pills during a seizure.

Never leave a shaking person alone because epileptic patients can not control their movements and eliminate their cognitive dysfunctions for a particular period. If you assume internal traumas or external injuries, you should not neglect the suggestions provided by the treating neurologists and arrive a patient to the clinic.

In-time medical aid declines the risks of repeated seizures or prolonging their frequency. In addition, you need to take care of yourself when providing first aid to convulsing people.

Your Safety During First Aid in Epileptic Seizures

Before you plan what to do during a seizure, you must consider your safety. Epilepsy is hazardous for patients and their caretakers. Seizures decrease motion control abilities and make convulsing people dangerous for the surroundings.

• The situation is getting worse in pandemic times. When you help a stranger with epileptic seizures, try to be careful and destinate yourself to minimize the chances of coronavirus or other virus infection. Do not neglect the prevention cautions. Use gloves, protection masks, and disinfection solutions during the first aid provisions. Also, adhere to sanitary rules once everything is over.

• Do not panic, and remember that rational behavior will minimize threatening situations that jeopardize life or health. Emotional resistance is essential, especially with seizures in children or older adults. The post-spasm period requests to receive support and optimistic statements to speed up the relief process.

• You should not punish yourself for plans to create a safe space for both. Indeed, self-protection measures help monitor the convulsing person’s health and prevent force majeure circumstances when you could supervise the involuntary activities.

To find out more details about personal safety during epileptic seizures, you may perform several actions:

• Visit specialized first aid classes and receive the respective certified qualification;
• Consult the treating neurologist to adjust the correct sequence of emergency activities;
• Observe thematic articles and scientific conclusions;
• Watch documentary films or videos about getting rid of epileptic seizures.

Anyway, you should remember the safety of the person, who conducts the first aid measures, prevails in order to stabilize the patient’s uncontrolled movements.

How to Reduce the Risks of Epileptic Seizures

The solutions regarding how to treat a seizure would be realistic and achievable if you draw up a guide of seizure preventive rules:

• Obey neurologist’s prescriptions and do not miss time to take medication;
• Modify your dietary formula and increase foods enriched in group B vitamins and antioxidants;
• Exclude alcohol and casein-contained drinks;
• Balance emotions and manage stressful situations;
• Schedule daily sessions for active physical exercises, including outdoor walks, muscle strength workouts, and flexibility fitness activities;
• Combine active and resting sessions. Significant attention should be paid to sleeping time standards;
• Protect yourself from head injuries and other brain accidental traumas;
• Avoid bright lights or sharp temperature differences;
• Keep the appropriate body water balance;
• Treat accompanying neurological ailments like dementia, anxiety, depression and others.

The rare epilepsy-diagnosed cases are subject to surgical interventions, significantly reducing seizure risks.

In addition, if epilepsy affects your child, you need to control their health and decrease body fever appearing without reasonable triggers. The seizure precautions are adjusted by the comprehensive knowledge about possible epilepsy onsets. All information about the diagnosed symptoms you gain is your solution for an effective therapy program and fast recovery results.

FAQs 

Why is safety important in giving first aid in epileptic seizures?

Seizures decrease motion control abilities and make convulsing people dangerous for the surroundings. Safety is a priority task for first aid providers, primarily if you deal with epileptic seizures. Such persons should know all protection specifications for both during uncontrolled attacks.  

Can pregnancy cause epileptic seizures?

Pregnancy can not cause epileptic seizures. However, pregnant women with epilepsy should be careful in case of sudden convulsions, which could hurt them and their babies. The first aid rules for these categories of patients are similar to general seizure-treatment actions with significant attention to anti-traumatic measures.

How to help someone having a seizure?

A brief seizure treatment guideline includes several universal steps: 

• Remove traumatic items; 
• Place a person on the side; 
• Fix a seizure duration;
• Control the convulsion proceedings;
• Let a person get rid of temporary respiratory dysfunctions;
• Help a person to recover their abilities after seizure completion.

Can you talk to someone during a seizure?

Communication activities during the seizure peak are hardly practical. However, supportive speech and calm phrases at the recovery stage would encourage a person who tries to relieve after seizure precautions.

What can trigger a seizure?

Seizures could inform you of not only epilepsy but also other neurological disorders. Different triggers provoke involuntary movements: lack of medication, alcohol, caffeine, stress, tiredness, dementia and related deteriorations, dehydration, and recreational drugs.