Fever Induced seizures...anyone Have a Child to Have One?

You aren't alone! My daughter is 15 months and has had 2 of them. The first one scared me almost to death! We did the ambulance ride and everything. She even had a neurologist look at her. She'll go from not having a fever to a high one within a minute! So we weren't even ready for a fever. The second one, I knew what was happening. She was cranky and I could see it in her eyes it was coming. We gave her tylenol (that's all I had) and put a cold rag on her head and back of her neck. It kept her from having as scary a seizure. I'm hear if you need to talk!

W.

Hi my name is M. and I know you must have felt helpless. My son, now 3.5 years old, also use to run really high fevers from birth until he was about 2.5 years old. There's really nothing you can do except when your son starts acting unusual I would keep an eye on him and constantly check his temp. At the first sign of a temp you can alternate between motrin and tylenol. To be honest with you I really don't know why they even offer tylenol anymore because this has never been effective on my kids. Motrine is the best thing out there. It will reduce a fever in minutes. You also may want to rub him down with alcohol. Don't ask me how or why but my parents always did it with me and I do it with my kids and it also brings a temp down (not as fast as motrin but it's an alternative.) Also a fever is a sign of an ear infection. My kids have had them enough that I can tell when they get one becasue they act different than normal. Some signs are pulling on the ear and if they have runny noses WATCH OUT because that can cause an ear infection. Until they get to be around 2 or 2.5 their inner ear canal is not pointing down in order for the drainage to drain into their throat so it backs up in their ear. (can you tell I ask the doctor's a lot of questions):-) With that said GOD Bless and remember the best is yet to come. (It takes more than a ear infection or a high fever to break a child. I'm sure our parents went through the same thing and we're still here.):-)

This is very scary to see and it's called fiberal seizure. From now until your son is around 5 or 6 years old during a high fever he may have a fiberal seizure. It only happens then. You'll need to write it down on all and any paperwork for now on so that if you leave him with say a mothers day out program and he gets a fever they will know he is a child at risk of having one of these. I too have a child at 6 months old it happened 2 times about a minute a part had the ambulance take him to the ER he even had a spinal tap all was over whelming for everyone. Since then maybe once a year if I don't catch that he's got a good fever going on and get it down fast he has one. He's 4 now and has at least one this past september. All will be fine and don't assume if you can't take a medication your child can't. I can't take tylenol, or penicillen but my kids can and do fine. You can alternate every 3 or 4 hours tylenol and motrin when a child has an ear infect it's best, motrin for pain and really helps that fever then tylenol helps keep that fever down before all medication runs out of his body. You'll learn the tricks and these are tricks from doctors they do this stuff at the hospital. The old myth of let a child run a fever to work out the illness, well isn't always best and now that he is prone to fiberal seizures you can't do that and don't. When he has a fever at all nip it in the bud asap. I'm glad that's all that happen to him you're a good mom and you will do fine with this.
Don't be paranoid we all learn with experience my other 2 children don't have this, had my middle child not had this I never would of known about it. Aren't the guys and gals on the ambulance's just really good folks?? and the hospital?? Most I have had any experience with have been very comforting and helpful. Remeber you'll do fine with this you're a mom we can do anything. Also remember when he goes to pre-k, mommy day out or kindergarten include it in the paperwork sometimes we do caught that fever right off and some else maybe with him. Now take care of you too spoil yourself with a special bubble bath or special cup of tea and take a breath you're doing fine.

Like your son, my daughter had a seizure with her first fever. My daughter had the chicken pox when she had her first and only seizure. It is common for children to have "febrile" seizures, however that doesn't mean that they will every time or ever again for that matter. My daughter is now 9 and hasn't had another one. When I know she is feeling ill and running a tiny bit over 98.6 I give her motrin and then tylenol 2hrs later. It has worked for me. I have found that tylenol doesn't phase her fevers. I only use it to maintain while I can't give her the motrin. The sad thing about the situation is you will get no warning if it will happen again, just know that there is nothing you can do but react when and if it does. Good luck to you.

Just after Christmas my son got a fever...I thought it was teeth or a cold but when he had it for more than 24 hours I took him to the ER in the middle of the night...he was burning up. I had been alternating tylenol and motrin but to no avail. They said it was a respiratory infection an put him on antibiotics (amoxicillin. That was Saturday night around 5 am Monday morning he was burning up again and I was in bed with him. He sat straight up in bed and went gray and started shaking. I immediately called my Dr. and he said he had had a seizure and to put him in a luke warm bath and then make sure he was warm and dry and to bring him in when they opened...turns out he had pneumonia!! A fgever induced seizure is nothing to freak out about but it does mean there is definitely something wrong!! I know how you felt but know that you are not a bad mom!!! You're not the only one.

It is a scary thing to see your child having a febrile seizure. I work for a Pediatric office and have seen it on occasion, and it scares me a little, too. But, although it is not pleasant, it is certainly not uncommon. I am glad that your son is doing fine now. Take care!

It could very well be what the other mother called it but DON'T assume. Seizers take their tole on the mind and body each time they happen so don't take them lightly just b/c they haven't been life threatening...YET. My dad is a diabetic and I remember as a kid him having his first seizer before he knew he was diabetic. He went to the bathroom in the middle of the night and while standing he had a seizer,fell and busted his head on the bathtub and knocked himself out. I woke up during the night and went to go see where he was and I found him in the bathroom laying in a pool of blood unconcious. Just b/c ur son's only seems to happen when he has a fever doesn't mean it couldn't progress to just high body temp when he's older and big enough to work up a good sweat. I don't see why u were told it was "normal" and you shouldnt just accept that answer. You should look more into this and stay on top of it as much as u can. Sorry if I seem forward but recently I knew someone who had a little girl who was the same age as my youngest which was 4 months at the time and their daughter got sick...as if she had a really bad flu and they figured she would be well enough taking meds to bring down the fever and for pain. This went on for weeks until the baby got to the point where her body could no longer funtion and she wasn't eating, they eventually took her to the ER but by then her lungs had collapsed and despite their efforts she passed. So please, when it comes to something like that with a child that small, take no chances and have him checked out and dignosed properly...the er just treats ur symptoms until ur well and sends you home.

My oldest daughter also had "fever"seisures when she was 10 months and at 15months. I agree it was the scariest thing ever. She is now 4 and has not had one in a few years. The one thing I do is that any time she feels remotly warm I give her medicine. I am not one to take medicine but, after the 2 times this happened to my daughter I dont even question it. Unfortunatly my daughter also now refuses taking medicines and giving it to her is a chore. She actually chose to get a shot when she got strep instead of taking medincine. But on a good note...she hasn't had a attack in many years and they do say that most children outgrow febral seisures. Lets just keep our fingers crossed!!! Good luck!

Hi N.,

There is some truth in everything these ladies have told you. Febrile seizures are fairly common. I had them. My now 14 year old had her first at 14 months also from an ear infection I didn't know she had. Febrile seizures are, for the most part, not life threatening. You need to be very attentive to your little one. I believe that mother's have a "sixth" sense knowing what is going on. After my daughter began her seizures, we found a lake of moldy water under the rental house we lived in. The environment was dangerous. Fevers come from infections and things don't normally get infected unless there is a reason. If the child has a strong immune system some of the outside stimuli is fought off. Remember things that don't normally bother you can harm a child. Chemicals outgas and toxic fumes are heavier than air (they go down to the floor level where your child is). A small amount of mold or mildew might not bother you but your little one that has smaller lungs and breathes twice as many breaths a minute and takes in twice as much you will.

Don't let fear take over but by all means check out your house and the places your child goes to on a regular basis. I wish I had known this when my girls were little. My daughter's last seizure was while I was in childbirth with my second daughter. I,like you, was never so scared in my life. I remember my mother's stories about me at that age....

I hope this helps.