What To Do In The Event Of An Epileptic Seizure

It is important to know how to react to an epileptic seizure and to remain calm until the emergency services arrive.

What are we talking about when we mention the word epileptic seizure ? From a disorder that affects neurons in some part of the brain and that generates a series of movements called seizures that the person is not able to control.

During an epileptic seizure it is very important to know what to do, otherwise the person who is suffering from it may have bigger problems.

How to deal with an epileptic seizure

We are going to discover the correct way to act in the face of an epileptic seizure and, also, the possible consequences that may arise if one does not act in that way, does nothing or the action is carried out incorrectly. Let’s go there!

1. The person must be knocked down as soon as possible

When a person has an epileptic seizure, we are very likely to panic. However, our first reaction would have to be to put her on the ground. Of course, knocking her down is not completely immobilizing her. You have to give it a margin of movement.

We can lay it on the bed or on a sofa, but in these cases there is some risk that it will hit the bedside table or one of the arms of the sofa. Therefore, it is much better to lay it on the ground.

It is important to be aware that knocking down a person with an epileptic seizure can be very difficult. Therefore, any help from other people will be very welcome. However, we should never leave the person alone.

2. Remove anything that could harm you

This step includes not only any objects that the person is carrying, such as sharp or cutting objects, but also clothing. For example, a tie could suffocate you during a seizure.

Also, glasses if you wear them could also pose a problem if they are not removed in time. We have to bear in mind that the person who suffers the attack does not control their movements. Therefore, you can hurt yourself with almost anything.

3. When the attack ends is when you have to act

If we find ourselves alone and without help in front of a person who is having an epileptic seizure, do not try to call the emergency room or do anything that prevents us from fully focusing on that person.

First, we have to lay her down on the ground, remove anything that could hurt her and wait for the attack to pass. It will not last more than 2 or 3 minutes.

Once the epileptic seizure has passed, it is time to do two extremely important things:

• Lay the person on their side.  This prevents you from choking on your own vomit or phlegm if you have them.
• Call emergency.  You have to be as descriptive as possible. Describe what happened, how long the epileptic seizure lasted, and the condition the person is in at that time.

The people who will attend us by phone will be able to give us more instructions that will allow us to feel more secure and continue to remain calm until services arrive to help.

It is always better to wait for the ambulance than to take the person who has just been attacked by car. The reason is that the crisis could repeat itself.

What happens to the tongue during an epileptic seizure?

Many people have heard that there is a great possibility that a person who has a seizure will choke on his or her own tongue. For this reason, they usually put their fingers in their mouth or introduce an object.

This is a mistake. During an attack of this magnitude, nothing should be put into the person’s mouth. This can make the situation much worse and you can actually choke.

We have to bear in mind that it is impossible to swallow the tongue. What can happen is that you choke on vomiting or phlegm. For this reason, it is important to put the person on the side, if we do not succeed when he is suffering the attack, we have to do it immediately afterwards.

Have you ever had to deal with a case of epileptic seizure? How have you acted? Did you already have notions about what to do?