Febrile Fits

[ngchris]

Hi luvmum, I dont know. Mine so far happens when accompanied with fever.


Here’s the extract from KK brochure on febrile fits - not sure if it helps.
- Simple febrile fits commonly occur in children between 6 mths to 6 years old. There may be a history of such fits in the family.
- Fits usually occur with high fevers, especially when the temp reachers 38.5 deg or more.
- In a fit, the child’s arms and legs will jerk involvuntarily; up-rolling of the eyes and teeth clenching are common sighs. The child may also pass motion and/or urine during a fit.
- Fits usually last a few minutes, with some as long as 15 minutes.
- A child will commonly feel sleepy after a fit.
- There is a 30 per cent chance that the child will have another fit, especially if the body temperature maintains at 38.5 deg and above.
- The actual cause of febrile fits has not been clearly established but they may be a background family history associated with it.
- Simple febrie fits do not cause brain damage nor do they cause delay in a child’s development.

[chuanchuan]

When my son was about 1 plus, he had diarrohea and vomitting (without fever). Then one early morning after his diarrohea, suddenly his arms and legs jerked involuntarily , clenching his teeth. The next thing I knew was that his lips turned black and he became motionless. He was like “gone" (forgot to check his heartbeat). We tried to wake him but he would not response.


We called an ambulance, they also could not wake him. I was holding him throughout the ride. The moment we reached KKH, he was awake and smiling. Warded for observation for 1 night, diagnosis was provoked seizure.

[krazy]

chancing upon this thread brings back nightmares...


my girl had it once just a week before she turned 1. it was scary.

her face was blue, her lips black, she was limp and she couldn't respond to me at all.

i thought i had lost her and i was hysterical.

thankfully this was an isolated incident and it never occurred again.

doc told me that once the child hits 3 years old, chance of getting the fits greatly diminishes. apparently, i also had it when i was a kid.. i only found out very much later from my mum.

[rojakz]

My son also had febrile fits when he was 21 mths and provoked fits when he turned 24 mths. Both times, my hb and i were scared to death when we saw it happening. AFter he was discharged the 2nd time, he was supposed to go for eeg (to monitor the brain waves) but didnt cos' PD neurosurgeon told us to monitor and if it happened again (touch wood) then she will send him to go for it. However, she did mentioned that we must monitor my son closely esp when he's standing from a tall place or near a body of water.


I dun know how true it is but we brought him to see a TCM doctor after the 2nd episode and hopefully, he's fine now.

[jenniferjoey]

[Moderator's note: Topic selected for http://www.kiasuparents.com/kiasu/content/febrile-fits.]


Dear Mums and Dads,

Please take notes about Febrile Seizures(Fits),

Seizures are caused by abnormal electrical discharges in the brain. Symptoms may vary depending on the part of the brain that is involved, but seizures often cause unusual sensations, uncontrollable muscle spasms, and loss of consciousness.

Some seizures may be the result of a medical problem. Low blood sugar, infection, a head injury, accidental poisoning,lack of sleep or drug overdose can cause a seizure. A seizure may also be due to a brain tumor or other health problem affecting the brain. In addition, anything that results in a sudden lack of oxygen to the brain can cause a seizure. In some cases, the cause of the seizure is never discovered.

When seizures recur, it may indicate the chronic condition known as epilepsy.

Febrile seizures, relatively common in kids younger than 5 years old, can occur when a child develops a high fever, usually with the temperature rising rapidly to 102° Fahrenheit (38.9° Celsius) or more. While terrifying to parents, these seizures are usually brief and rarely cause any problems, unless the fever is associated with a serious infection, such as meningitis. A child who has a febrile seizure is not more likely to develop epilepsy.

If Your Child Has a Seizure
A child who's having a seizure should be placed on the ground or floor in a safe area. Remove any nearby objects. Loosen any clothing around the head or neck. Do not try to wedge the child's mouth open or place an object between the teeth, and do not attempt to restrain movements. (As this will causes injury to your child as their musles are contracting involuntarily). Once the seizure seems to have ended, roll your child onto his or her side.

Call Ambulance immediately if your child:
- has difficulty breathing
- turns bluish in color
- has sustained a head injury
- seems ill
- has a known heart condition
- has never had a seizure before
- might have ingested any poisons, medications, etc.
- If your child has previously had seizures, call emergency services if the seizure lasts more than 5 minutes, or if the seizure is different or unusual.

If your child is breathing normally and the seizure lasts just a few minutes, you can wait until it has subsided, then call your doctor.

Following the seizure, your child will probably fall into a deep sleep (this is called the postictal period). This is normal, and you should not try to wake your child. Do not attempt to give food or drink until your child is awake and alert.

For a child who has febrile seizures, the doctor may suggest that you give fever-reducing medicine (such as ibuprofen, neurofen or acetaminophen) to control the fever and prevent seizures from recurring. Your doctor may also recommend sponging your child with normal roomtemperature water to help cool him or her down. Controlling of temperature is very important for febrile fits.

Please take good care of your child. God Bless!

[hdbmama]

i totally agree with ngchris that NO one can understand until you see your own kid at this state.


My son has febrile fits occasionlly only when he had fever.

1st very fits at 15mths. He cried right after the fits and we rushed him to KK hospital and he was hospitalised.

2nd relapse 20mths which happened once at home and had loose stools after the fits and one fits during the stay in the hospital. .When we rushed to the hospital, he was NOT crying and in deep sleep and we thought he was DEAD as he showed no response.

The 3rd time was 4 yrs old just few days right after his birthday. I was ALONE with him at home. His eyes was rolling up and showed NO jerk. Right arm was carrying him while the other arm opened the door. His body was so "jelly" that he almost FALL back as he was unconscious while i tried to open the door from my other arm. I can’t carried him with one arm as he was 12kg. I was SO panicked that i CANT open my door and started screaming! My neighbour asked me what happened that i told him that my son got fits. He vomitted his food on my clothes.
Worst of all, not all the lifts are accessible at my floor area and i had to go down the stairs and carried a bag and one of the lifts were under upgrading! Waiting for the lift seemed like ages.
I regretted that i didn’t take his words seriously as he told me he was going to have fever just few days before. Children has their "INSTINCT". Parents pls DO NOT IGNORE LIKE ME!

It seems like going to TCM helps.

Parents, take good care of your kid

[joavril]

hi mummy, glad to see this forum thread. My daughter had febrile fits when she is about 13mths. Got it twice in a day 2months later in Oct, and once again in Dec… all due to fever…


Not sure why she is getting fever so freq. She is not attending any school now.

Always admitted her so that tests can be carried out, all diagnosed as viral fever. Fits is unexplained for.

PD refer me to Mt E for EEG, but after talking to the neuro specialist, he suggested to put her on observation first.

Another PD prescribed her medication, suggested to take for like 1-2yrs. But i havent start her on this because I am planning to bring her to TCM soon.

Not sure what would be the consequences?

How can i prevent her from getting fever so frequent?

[htan045]

My son used to get fits when he had high fever and was told by the GP that it is not unusual for kids under 5 yo. They would outgrow it when they grow older. To add to Jenniferjoey, the kid should also be turned to lie on his side to allow the fluid to flow out from his mouth. Also, to prevent them from falling into a fit, the important thing is to monitor and control the the temperature. I have to alternate between paracetamol and bruffen when he was having high fever.

[542la]

Hope this helps:)

My DD started to have febrile fits when she was 6 m.o. Afterwards she had 7 more in 3 yrs time bc usually she had fits first, then fever, so it's impossible to prevent. In some cases like my DD, fits can be dangerous bc during those times they stop breathing (face turned grey/blue). I consulted 3 paediatrician neurologists (all professors) and the recommendation was the same, she should be given Valproic Acid daily for 2 yrs. But since she can hv fits with 38 degree fever, she's usually prescribed with Stesolid syrup if she reaches that temperature. I think Valproic Acid is a helpful drug and now my DD is 6.5 and looks like she's grown out of it. Yay! Thank God!
Another thing, although most people stop having fits around 7 yr old, my DH had his last fit when he was 10. So always be careful, I guess

[heyhoe]

Hi


Is it possible to get fits/seizure at 11 years old? Yesterday morning, my ds had these symptoms. I was awoken by his loud shrieks. His body shakes and he drools a little.

I started to panicked and call him repeatedly but he doesn’t seem to be aware of what’s going on. His eyes sort of roll backwards but at the same time seems to be staring at a direction. His teeth was clenched. I tried to get him sit up but his body was limp. My hb carry him to a sitting position and after a while he seems to hear our instructions.

Then he felt sleepy and knowing he was conscious I let him sleep in a recovery position again. When he woke up from his sleep he doesn’t seem to know what happen. He seems normal but his brothers were shaken by the incidents.