Hi

I am just doing some reading on febrile convulsions as my 15 month old has them - he has had three so far each lasting beyond an hour in length and requiring drug intervention to stop them. He has been tested for epilepsy and it has come back negative and they seem to be just fever related (although the last one 2 days ago he didnt have a fever....) anyway i was reading on the net that prolonged febile convulsions can lead to epilepsy in the future. Has anyone experienced this or have any other info on this?????

Thanks

stressed mum :(

Hi Expectant,

I hate to be the one to tell you this,but,that is exactly how
my Epilepsy started.I had a fever of 104 and went into convulsions
at 14 months old.I was then fine,but,the doctor told my parents to
keep an eye on because it can cause Epilepsy.Then when I was 4
years old I had another and have had them ever since.
But,everyone is different,I hear that alot of young children can outgrow
them,they even told my mom that.Unfortunately I did not.
The test not showing any signs,I would think is possibly a better chance
of him outgrowing them.My first eeg was not until I was 5 years old.
So,I do not have an answer for you there.
Take care,I am sure this can be very stressful.Sherri

An hour is a long time for a little one- call 911. Chances are , he may not have any past the higher risk ages for febrile seizures, but those seizures are still very hard on his little body. Can you get some rectal Valium to keep at home, to give him if he seizes more than the time designated by your MD? But still take him to the ER.

For me, I had a febrile seizure at age 16 (old buzzard to be having those then), and continued to have seizures, since the whole thing was blown off by my folks (said my wisdom teeth were coming in- yeah, right). I still have seizures often enough now that I can't work,and that has been awful. I feel so useless, when I was able to work for years. They didn't find the 'usual' mesiotemporal sclerosis lesions that often occur with febrile seizures, so don't know if the ongoing seizures are from that, or repeated concussions (at least 7; lost count somewhere along the line).

But the big thing is to limit the length of time of each seizure. Best of luck- it is very 'helpless' to watch a little one seize.

Thanks for your replies - yes they have given me some diazepam to give to him asa suppository if it happens again -he has gone to hospital every time and he ends up getting admitted and they have to give him a drug (i cant remember the name of it) to bring him out of his seizure as his body hasnt come out by itself yet. I am just really worried as the docs keep saying 'oh its very common in young children' but they usually only last up to 10 mins not over an hour!!!!! and they told me kids dont swallow their tongues...hmmm wel the first time he seized he swallowed it and went blue and had tubes down his throat and was part paralysed for over an hour after the seizure and then the other day he was unconcious after the seizure..i dont know the doctors try and make you feel better i suppose but i just feel like there is something more going on and i feel totally hopeless in doing any more than i am.

For those of you with epilepsy - i am really ignorant on it - but do you have to take medication every day? How often do you have seizures????

Expectant, Welcome to the board~I had my first seizures when I was about 3-4 mths old due to high temp. All was fine til I was about 9 mths old-and had another due to the same-then the dr gave me phenobaratol-that was aLONG time ago-(50yrs)..Then they started up again when about the same age of your son. Now the drs I'm with think the fevers or even hitting my head as I was walking at about 9-10 mths could of triggerd it. In answer to your ? yes I take meds every day 2x a day. Your dr will work with you and your son to find what will help him-do yourself a favor-keep a journal as to when these happen-and what happens it will help his Dr so much. I was lucky to be able to have a surgery in 2003 that has helped me so much-I haven't had any seizures since sept '03...I still take meds--see my dr twice a year. :) :) Good Luck~Cherie

For those of you with epilepsy - i am really ignorant on it - but do you have to take medication every day? How often do you have seizures????

Hi; welcome to the board!
Yes, usually people with Epilepsy take medication every day. I take two different meds- Tegretol and Keppra. Keppra is usually not taken by itself, but as kind of a "helper" to a med that you're already taking. And I take them twice a day. I still have breakthrough Simple Partial type seizures a couple of times a month. My seizures are caused by my hormones, so I'm trying to control my seizures even more with the birth control pill.
I started having Simple Partial seizures when I was about 12. I guess that's when I started going through puberty and having hormone fluctuations (though I didn't get my period until 2 years later). But I didn't have a gran mal seizure until a month before I turned 19. Then I started meds. The doctors said because I started having seizures so late- as I started puberty- I wouldn't grow out of them. I'd likely have to be on medication forever.
Good luck with your son! Keep us updated!

Hi Expectant,

Yes,I too have to take medicine everyday(morning and night).I am 3
different meds.
I too had a high fever like Cher that they THINK might have caused
mine,another thing they thought might have been the Penicillin they
gave me for the fever.The Penicillin is what my parents seem to believe
it was,because my Dad is allergic to Penicillin.And to this day,my doctors
will not give it to me(44 years later).The doctors back then said,it could
have been either,they were not sure,but,to keep me away from the P.They
would probably be able to be more specific now a days.I too was started on
the Phenobarbital and Dilantin(low dose).

Feel free to ask any questions,there are plenty of people on this board
that has had E. for many,many years and should be quite a bit of help
to you.

Take care,Sherri

The tongue can block the airway, and that's a problem, but it's physiologically impossible to swallow it, because of how it's attached to the bottom of the mouth= while it's never advised to reach into a seizing person's mouth, or wedge anything between their teeth, if you roll him on his side and a bit towards the floor, gravity will help with the tongue issue, and also , if he happens to vomit, help with the risk of it ending up in his lungs.

Yes, you are very right to be concerned about the length of time these are lasting.

Well hello there everyone.

I was checking out another board and decided to give this one a perusal. Thought I'd give my two cents...

Just a bit of background so you all know where I'm coming from. I'm 34 (or is it 35??) and have had Epilepsy since I was 5. First seizure was probably febrile (hard to say, but I was hospitalized for a week). Then had petit mal seizures (we always called them mind blanks because I'd just stop.... and then start again a minute later with no recollection) for years. Started Grand mal seizures probably around puberty. Struggled with accepting them and hence taking my meds, so never got under control. Woke up one day and decided taking meds wasn't a big deal and have been under control ever since. I have been seizure free for over 10 years, but EEG still shows activity.

For me it's genetic. Dad had it (he grew out of it), my sister has it and still takes meds same as me. 2 of her 3 kids have febrile seizures, and one looks to be developing epilepsy. My daughter is now 3, and had her first febrile seizure at one year.

Febrile seizures are not necessarily Epilepsy. However, as my daughter's DR. put it, it makes her more prone to developing Epilepsy. She has had an EEG and so far nothing. I just keep a bottle of Tylenol handy, and whenever, she starts even POSSIBLY looking or feeling a bit warm, I give her some. Frankly, I'd rather give her too much Tylenol, than have her suffer more grand mal seizures. She's had about 10 so far.

You should never let a febrile seizure last more than 5 minutes. If it does, call an ambulance. I know it's hard to make that decision, and there's a good chance that by the time the paramedics get there it will be over. But extended seizures can cause brain damage. I don't mean to scare you, but we need to be aware. Get your child to hospital if seizures are extended.

As for the tongue thing - it's a myth that you can swallow your tongue. It's just not possible. Hence not necessary to put anything in your mouth. However the last post (sorry, forget the name) was correct in that the tongue can block the airway. Recovery position is always best. With my daughter, I always hold her in my lap on her side. With her the danger is choking on saliva. I hold her slightly head down, and gravity takes care of everything.

Also, being new to this board I don't know what's been said or not. I ALWAYS talk my daughter through a seizure. I personally can't hear when I'm having a seizure, but my sister can. I don't know if my daughter can or not - but if she can, I sure want her to know I"m there. Also, she comes out of it really slowly, and just from the reaction of her eyelids I can tell when she can start to hear me.

I know there are probably a ton of people on this site with more experience in this than I have. But having experienced it myself, and having a child with seizures, I think I have a pretty good understanding. Please feel free to ask if you have any questions.

Take care.