You know being a doctor sounds really cool to most people, but it does come with it’s……..side effects.
So last weekend i was hanging out with my friend at a bar and this friend kept referring to me as “Doctor” throughout our conversation. I’m chilling, people watching and sipping my colorful cocktail when the manager of the bar taps me and says “You’re a medical doctor right, please come with me”
One of the waitresses was said to have fainted and they didn’t understand what was going on and the manager wanted my help. So i went into the administrative office and she was lying on a matress on the floor and i noticed she was making some unusual movements. So i asked if she was epileptic but the manager said she didn’t think so, she just fainted and there was no foaming at the mouth but someone had put salt in her mouth.
And that statement is the reason why i’m talking about seizures today.
There is a lot of mystery, fear surrounding seizure disorder. Many people tend to associate it with some negative spiritual connotations and subsequently treat people with seizures differently and as a result of this seizure patients tend to not disclose that they have this disorder.
A seizure is simply the physical manifestation of abnormal electrical activity in the brain. This is probably an oversimplified statement but it’s really all that you need to know. So when you witness a seizure, just imagine that there’s a wire in the brain that is sparking, and it’s not a spiritual attack, or witchcraft, or demonic possession. It’s just misfiring in the brain.
Many people use the word convulsion to mean seizures but convulsions are actually the uncontrollable contracting and relaxing of muscles that can happen during a seizure. So really, not every seizure will have the convulsions. Some seizures are very mild with the only symptom being starring and these usually go unnoticed.
It is important to understand that seizures are not a disease in themselves, instead they are a symptom of many different disorders that can affect the brain. Also a person who has a one off seizure can not be said to be epileptic.Epilepsy occurs when permanent changes in the brain cause it to be too excitable or irritable. As a result, the brain sends out abnormal signals. This leads to repeated, unpredictable seizures.
There are several reasons why a seizure may occur, some of them include:
- High fever (especially in infants/young children)
- An infection in the brain e.g meningitis (also common in young children)
- Brain tumors
- Eclampsia (In pregnant women. This is a medical emergency)
- Traumatic brain injury
Witnessing a convulsive seizure can be really scary, but most seizures are not an emergency and will stop on their own. Now there’s nothing wrong with whipping out your Bible/Quran and saying some fervent prayers, However, there are a few other important things you must do in the event that someone has a seizure around you:
- Keep other people out of the way. It’s not a circus, there’s no reason for people to stand around watching.
- Clear hard or sharp objects away from around the person. To avoid or minimise the risk of injury.
- Don’t try to hold the person down, or stop the movement
- Place the person on the ground and cushion the head.
- Lie the person on his or her side, to help keep the airway clear. If vomiting occurs, this helps make sure that the vomit is not inhaled into the lungs.
- Try to time the length of the seizure..
Things you MUST not do:
- Don’t put anything in the person’s mouth. Contrary to a popular misconception, it is not possible for a person to swallow his tongue during a seizure. So that thing where people start running around to find a spoon to put in the person’s mouth is absolutely unnecessary and actually dangerous because placing an object in the mouth of a person who is having a seizure may cause the patient harm or injury and you also run the risk of getting your finger bitten.
- Do not restrain (try to hold down) the person or stop the movements.
- Do not move the person unless they are in danger or near something hazardous.
- Do not try to make the person stop convulsing. They have no control over the seizure and are not aware of what is happening at the time.
- Do not give the person anything by mouth until the convulsions have stopped and the person is fully awake and alert. Not salt, not palm oil, not olive oil, not holy water, NOTHING.
- Do not start CPR unless the seizure has clearly stopped and the person is not breathing or has no pulse.
Like i stated earlier, most seizures will pass on their own, however it is time to call for an ambulance if:
- This is the first time the person has had a seizure
- A seizure lasts more than 2 to 5 minutes
- The person does not awaken or have normal behavior after a seizure
- Another seizure starts soon after a seizure ends
- The seizure occurred in water
- The person is pregnant, injured, or has diabetes
- There is anything different about this seizure compared to the person’s usual seizures (in known epileptics)
I was impressed when we put a call through to the Lagos State Ambulance Service and they showed up less than 45mins later (which is not exactly the quickest response but they showed up) in a nice comfortable ambulance and took the patient to the nearest General Hospital.
