How to help someone having convulsions

Sharing is caring!

Disclaimer: Before we start, I must mention that I am absolutely not a health practitioner, and this is by no means medical advice. I am simply the mother of a child dealing with epilepsy and I am sharing my experience so far, hoping this could help you should you witness someone having a seizure.

As I mentioned before, my daughter lives with epilepsy. I will most likely go into more detail in another blog post, but for now, here’s what you should do.

First, convulsions and epilepsy are not necessarily the same thing. A person having convulsions does not mean they are suffering from epilepsy. If you must call an ambulance, unless you KNOW the person has been diagnosed with epilepsy, you should specify that this person is having convulsions, and not a seizure.

Let’s get to it. How do you help someone convulsing or having a seizure:

• Stay calm. You won’t be able to achieve anything if you are panicking and not thinking clearly. Take a deep breath.
• Get them safely on the floor and make them lay on their left side (especially if it is a pregnant woman).
• Make sure there is nothing around them that could hurt them, such as toys, tools, or machetes.
• Put something under their head to make sure they don’t hurt their head or neck.
• Cover them with a blanket or a sweater. Sometimes, convulsions and seizures cause the urethra and/or the anus to relax, so they could soil themselves. This helps to protect their dignity.
• Time the length of the episode. I can’t confirm this medically, but for my daughter, we were told that if an epileptic seizure occurred and lasted over 5 minutes, she would need medical attention ASAP. So, even if you don’t know the person, if the convulsions or the seizure last for over 5 minutes, call an ambulance.
• Reassure them when the convulsions or seizure is over. When they regain consciousness, the person will be lost, confused, and/or very tired. Whether you know the person or not, make sure to tell them they are safe, what happened, what steps you took, and give them time and space as needed.
• Give all the details to the paramedics if you called for an ambulance. They will need to know everything: the duration, the type of convulsions (only one arm vs. the whole body), what happened before the convulsions; basically, anything that you noticed could be helpful.

For the visual people amongst us…

Here’s a video by Epilepsy Toronto I found on YouTube years ago that illustrates pretty well what to do when someone is having a seizure. This video is specifically about tonic-clonic seizures, but the safety process is the same.

Again, I am by no means a health professional, so if your child has convulsions for the first time, immediately seek medical assistance. Some kids have convulsions when they have a fever, but better safe than sorry. Moreover, epilepsy is a severe medical condition if left untreated, and it could cause serious damage to the brain.

If your kid has epilepsy and you are feeling powerless and anxious, reach out for help. It’s a terrible feeling to know that your child has a potentially dangerous condition.

If you ever need someone to talk to, to vent, to share your fears, feel free to send me a message via email or on Facebook, Instagram, or even Pinterest. You are not alone in this, and you should not keep your feelings and fears inside. You are strong, you got this, and you are allowed to be scared.

Share this article with your friends and family. You never know when you are going to need this information.