I guess that I am writing this because I would have liked to have found the information when my children had their Febrile Convulsions.
I have three young boys who are now aged 7, 5, and 3, and all of them suffered with Febrile Convulsions or’Fever Fits’ The eldest and the youngest only had one fit each but the middle one had 5 that he was hospitalised for, and at the time I couldn’t find very much help to get me through.
What is a Febrile Convulsion?
A Febrile Convulsion, or’Fever Fit’ looks very much like an epileptic fit, but is almost always accompanied by a high temperature, or underlying infection. Any infection which causes an increase in body temperature is enough to set off a Febrile convulsion in a child who is predisposed to having them. They occur in children whose body’s heat control mechanism isn’t fully developed and normally stop before the child starts primary school(age 4-5). The first fit will normally occur between 12-24 months. The child will become floppy and then will start to twitch uncontrollably, he will often dribble and may pass water. Although it looks scary your child will not remember it.
What should I do if my child has a Febrile Convulsion?
The emergency treatment for a Febrile Convulsion is basically the same as the treatment for an epileptic fit. Lay the child on the floor and move anything out of the way that the child could hurt themselves on. If possible remove the childs clothing to enable them to cool down and call for medical assistance. Most Health Authorities will recommend that the child is taken to the A&E department, where tests can be done to discover what the underlying infection is that has caused the fever and therefore the fit. If possible make a mental note of what time the fit starts, this will help the medical staff to know what treatment needs to be given and in what sort of time scale.
What will happen at the hospital?
This will depend on the individual situation when your child is admitted, and the country you are in. If the child is still fitting then he will almost certainly be taken to the emergency room, once there a short history will be taken and your child will be given a drug to stop the fit, this is normally Rectal Diazepam(in the UK) and works really well. Unless your child is fully dosed up on Infant Paracetamol he will also be given that rectally to help bring his temperature down. Once the fit has been stopped, your child will have Blood and urine samples taken to find out what the underlying infection is so that the correct treatment can be given. Often your child will be admitted until the infection is discovered and the temperature has been controlled.
What should I do when I get home?
Try to carry on as usual, you will be given advice before leaving hospital and if you are like me you will be on tenterhooks whenever your child has as much as a cold, but if your child is ill and you can control the temperature with Paracetamol and undressing there is not reason why most children would have more than one Febrile Convulsion. The only reason that my middle son had more than one fit is because he never showed any outward signs of having a temperature until the infection had set in and the internal body temperature was too high for Infant Paracetamol to work.
Will I get through this?
The simple answer is YES. Although you will obviously be worried almost all children grow out of Febrile Convulsions by the time they reach School age. There is a light at the end of the tunnel.