Witnessing a convulsion can be quite scary and confusing for you but remember what we talked about in the previous article. Having a convulsion does not necessarily mean that that person needs to be rushed to hospital. So I’ll share some instances that should prompt you to call 911 and make sure that the victim gets to the hospital soon.
If you notice any of the things listed below, then you should call 911;
- A child’s first seizure
- The victim’s first seizure- never had a seizure before
- Seizure lasts more than 5 minutes
- Another seizure begins soon after the first one
- The victim does not wake up after the movements have stopped
- The victim was injured during the seizure
- Difficulty in Breathing or waking after the seizure
- The seizure happens in water
- The victim has a health condition like diabetes, heart disease or is pregnant
- The victim fails to regain consciousness or has several seizures without regaining consciousness
As a witness you are supposed to be the most reliable informant since the patient might not even recall the events. The information you give to the health care professionals will be very useful in making the right diagnosis and coming up with the right management plan for the victim. Here is a list of some of the important details you can note down that will be helpful to the medical professionals;
- What was the victim doing before the seizure?
- Did they mention any unusual sensations – odd taste or smell?
- Any mood changes e.g. anxiety, excitement or anger
- What brought your attention to the seizure? E.g. the person falling over, eyes rolling, head turning or body movements
- Did the seizure happen without warning?
- Was there any loss of consciousness or altered awareness?
- Did the person’s colour change ?- pale, flushed or blue. If so where? Face, lips hands
- Did the person’s breathing change?
- Did they perform any actions such as mumble, wander about, or fumble with clothing
- How long did the seizure last?
- Did the person lose control of their bladder or bowel?
- Did they bite their tongue?
- Did they need to sleep? If so for how long?
