6 First Aid Tips to Help Someone Having a Seizure
Witnessing someone having a seizure will always be frightening, especially if you don't know what to do. And although most seizures don't constitute an emergency, if you don't know how to help the person, it will turn into one in minutes.
So do you call 911? For the most part, you don't have to if you know what to do when a seizure happens. However, if you're closely acquainted with the person having a seizure, there's a checklist that you have to consider before you call 911.
- The person had never had a seizure before.
- The seizure lasts longer than 5 minutes.
- The person is having difficulty breathing or waking up after the seizure.
- The person had another seizure immediately after the first one.
- The person hurt themselves during a seizure.
- The seizure is happening in the water.
- The person experiencing the seizure has a medical condition like heart disease, diabetes, or if she's pregnant.
If any of these are currently happening, you may call 911. Or, if you don't know what to do and nobody knows what to do during a seizure, you can call 911. Luckily for you, this article will discuss some general first-aid tips to help someone with a seizure. Here are some of them.
Always Stay with the Person Until the Seizure is Over
Seizures can be very unpredictable, and it's hard to gauge how long the seizure will last or what will happen next after the seizure. Also, it's possible for someone to experience seizures in quick succession, possibly even just seconds after the first one. Also, if you know the symptoms of a seizure before it happens, stay with the person as much as possible. Some symptoms are tough to determine, especially since they are the same as other conditions.
Pay Attention to How Long It Lasts
You should always check the time when you see your friend having a seizure. As mentioned, most seizures aren't an emergency, but if it lasts longer than 5 minutes, it's time to call the ambulance. Also, after the seizure, you should also check how long the person recovers. If the person has difficulty standing up or understanding what happened after 5 minutes, you should still call an ambulance.
Always Stay Calm
We understand that it's very frightening for someone who has never experienced a seizure or seen a person having a seizure in person before to see a seizure happening firsthand. However, one thing that you shouldn't do is panic. Panic does nothing beneficial for the situation.
Instead, it can also cause other people to panic, leading to a much worse situation. If you're alone with the person having a seizure, talk to them calmly and reassure them. It will help them feel much better after the event is over.
Clear the Site of Any Debris
If you're in a room that has a lot of stuff or debris around, one thing you should always do when someone is having a seizure is to ensure they're safe by keeping other things away. When a person has a seizure, their brain's electrical rhythms are imbalanced, causing them to have impaired consciousness and irrational movements. When this happens, they won't hit any of their body parts on a hard surface.
Make the Person as Comfortable as Possible
As mentioned, you must keep the person safe while they're having a seizure. That said, you should keep them comfortable by helping them sit or lie down in a safe place, preferably a bed if it's nearby. You can also let them lie on your lap so they don't bump their heads on the floor.
Don't Hold the Person Down
As mentioned earlier, during a seizure, a person's brain signals are messed up, causing them to move irrationally, like stiffly moving their hands and head or swaying their bodies back and forth.
That said, you might think that holding them down will help them, but it won't. During a seizure, they might feel confused, and the feeling of someone restraining them will make them panic, making the situation worse. But generally, holding a person down during a seizure will just cause them injuries in the first place. Never do that.
After this event, it's always preferable to go visit the doctor and talk about what happened. Usually, they will do a full body checkup and will even do some lab tests to make sure you're fine. They will even help you help the person better the next time it happens. They could also give you some medications and even discounts or a Klonopin Coupon to help you save some money.
Final Words
Seizures will always be scary, especially if you've never seen one before and are suddenly experiencing one firsthand. However, during these times, we hope that you will follow the things that we discussed above to keep the person having a seizure safe and secure. Always be calm; if something is amiss, never hesitate to call the ambulance.