Kellen Was Hospitalized In Early April - Febrile Seizures

At early April, Kellen had fever. Daddy and mommy sent him to Mount Alvernia Hospital A&E department as his temperature went up very high (T: 39°C) at granny's place. While waiting to see the doctor, he got into febrile seizure in mommy arm. His eye rolled back and the whole body shake like nobody business. Mommy was very scared at that moment....the mind went blank....luckily we were at the hospital. The nurses and doctor came out to help us. Kellen was immediately brought into the treatment room. He was on oxygen mask and pulse oximeter for monitoring. He lost conscious for quite awhile. Mommy and daddy were very sad. We accompanied him at the treatment room the whole time. After examination by the doctor, Kellen was ward for observation as he was running a high fever. In total, Kellen was ward for four days. It was the most difficult times for daddy and mommy cos we felt so sad to see Kellen to go through the horrible experience.


On the first day of hospitalization, the doctor had to put a plug on this hand just in case he need to be on drips. His whole left hand was wrapped up so he can't pull out the plug. He cried when the doctor insert the plug in his hand. Mommy was not allow to be with him during that time. Mommy was heart broken when she heard his cried.


The next few days were constantly monitoring his temperature as it kept going up and down. When he was not having any temperature, he asking grandma and mommy to bring out of his room to have a walk outside but when he was running temperature, he kept very quiet and kept wanting mommy and grandma to carry him around. If we put him in the bed, he would start to cry.



During the stays, he had to take a lot of medications. The second day of the stay, he had diarrhea and he was not take his diet well. Poor boy...



All thing came to the end at the four days of his stay, thanks goodness.... We have to constantly monitor in the future when he is running a temperature as his chance of going into a febrile fits will be higher.



This is one of the nurse in the ward that look after him during his stay.



Look at his sad looking face...

He started to feel better but look at his hand.....

Finally to see some smile on his face...

So what is Febrile Seizures?

Febrile convulsions are seizures triggered by high fever. They are the most common type of convulsion (occurring in 3 - 5% of children) and are generally harmless. The children are usually between 6 months and 6 years of age. It usually occurs with high fever at average of 39°C, but it can occur with any temperature when there is a sudden rise in temperature. The fever itself can be caused by an infection in any part of the body. Each febrile seizure usually lasts 1 to 10 minutes without any treatment.

Most of these children (60%) have just one febrile seizure in a lifetime. The other 40& have one to three recurrences over the next few years. Febrile seizures usually stop occurring by 5 or 6 years of age. They do not cause any brain damage, unless in exceptional cases where the seizure is unusually prolonged for more than half an hour. However, a few children (3%) will later have seizures without fever.

What can I do?

Reduce the fever

Bringing your child's fever down as quickly as possible will shorten the seizure. Remove your child's clothing and apply lukewarm washcloths to the face and neck. Sponge the rest of the body with tepid water. When the seizure is over and your child is awake, give him the usual dose of paracetamol or ibuprofen as prescribed. Encourage cool fluids.

Protect your child's airway

If your child has anything visible in his mouth, clear it with a finger to prevent choking. Place your child on his side or abdomen to help drain secretion. If your child vomits, help clear his mouth.

Emergencies

Call for medical attention if the febrile convulsion continues more than 10 minutes.

Common Mistakes in First Aid of Convulsions

During the seizure, don't try to restrain your child or stop the seizure movements. Once started, the seizure will run its course no matter what you do.

DON'T TRY TO FORCE ANYTHING INTO YOUR CHILD'S MOUTH. This is unnecessary and can cut his mouth, injury a tooth, cause vomiting, or result in a serious bite of your finger.

Don't try to hold his tongue. Although children may rarely bite the tongue during a convulsion, they can't "swallow the tongue".

Does my child need any long-term medications?

Anticonvulsants have side effects and febrile seizures are generally harmless. Therefore anticonvulsants are rarely prescribed unless your child has other neurological problems. Your physician will discuss this decision with you.

When should I bring my child to the hospital?

• First episode of febrile seizures (generally, children with first febrile seizures are admitted for observation).
• The neck becomes stiff.
• Your child becomes confused or delirious.
• Your child becomes difficult to awaken (usually child is drowsy immediately after a seizure).
• Your child starts to act very sick.
• Your child has more than one seizure in a day.
• Your child's seizure is prolonged (generally, get your child to hospital by the quickest route possible if the seizure is more than 10 minutes).

It is advisable that the child be brought for evaluation after each febrile seizure, even if there were previous episodes, so that a doctor can evaluate the exact cause of the fever.

Created by Dr Wong Chin Khoon.

Hope the above info will be helpful anyone.