febrile convulsions - does this ring any bells?

[nearlythree]

Our dd2, aged 2, was taken to hospital last week after collapsing. She has been tested for everything imaginable and there is no cause that can be found. She had a temperature, and dh was taking her in the car to the doctor (me being in hospital with 1-day-old ds) when dd1 told dh she'd been sick. Dh took her into the surgery where she gradually lost consciousness - dh thought she was going to die. The doctor gave her a massive jab of antibiotics in case it was meningitis and they were rushed to hospital by ambulance, where she was admitted. Dd2 was really out of it from 6 pm until 12 p.m the next day, when she suddenly woke up wanting food and drink, and started to run around the ward and play. The doctors did ask dh if dd2 had a fit and he said no, but now he is wondering if she'd hada convulsion when she was sick in the car - he was concentrarting on his driving so hadn't seen what happened. Our hv said that a febrile convulsion would fit what we've told her and a different gp agrees. I am wondering if anyone else thinks this sounds liek a febrile convulsion, and whether such a long recovery period is usual. If it was a febrile convulsion that woudl be good news for us as we'd finally know why she collapsed so dramatically.

[Beauregard]

I know that epileptic seizures can have a long recovery time and leave the person very tired and weak.Not too sure if the same applies for febrile convulsions though?Hope you find out soon and that your dd is ok

[tenalady]

my ds went into a febrile convulsion caused by a high temprature. He went quiet and then floppy then shook as if he was shivering and then threw up. That started at lunchtime and he didnt really become himself until the next morning.

[CADS]

My ds did the same as tenalady's. DS was asleep for hours then suddenly woke up as if nothing had happen. Apparently, I did the same thing to my mom, she was not impressed by the fact I was running around 2hrs after putting the fear of god into.

Did you or your dh have an febrile convulsions as children?

Apparently, if parents had febrile convulsions it increases the chances of their children having them. Both dh and I had them in early childhood.

[kittyb]

Sorry this is long - Yes, ds had one when 18 months and one when about 30 months, but nothing since. No link to epilepsy at all. Very scary to witness, They can be very sleepy afterwords and usually have a long sleep afterwards and can seem very "other-wordly" afterwards - this is also very scary,

Usually grow out of them - its their immature nervous system which cant cope with high body temp. DS very healthy 4 year old now.

It was only a bog standard everyday nursery bug that triggered DS's. Make sure everyone looking after her knows what to do. First sign of a high temp strip her down to vest, give ibuprofen and calpol to lower temp, tepid water on face cloth.

Thankfully ds had his first at nursery and staff there had seen it before and were fantastic. But second one was at home. He had a bit of a cold, I went to check on him and although he was hot, his hands and feet were cold. So I made huge mistake and took him into bed with me under duvet. Temp increased and he had a fit. I didnt know that cold extrmities can be the first sign of the body "malfunctioning" - it registers that something is wrong so starts to take blood away from the extremities to protect the vital organs but this itself accelerates the problem!

[kittyb]

Yes like CADS, dh and his sisters all had measles and the high temps led to febrile convulsions. DH's mum describes running down the street carrying dh to the GP's house!

[CaptainDippy]

My DD1 had one when she was very ill with pneumonia. Her temp went up to 110+ (!!!!) and she fitted in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. It was truly the most awful thing I've ever had to go through. She took a couple of days to recover and then was eating and drinking and playing normally. Quite strange really. Don't worry too much - You are not alone!

[CADS]

Very good point on the cold hands and feet, kittyb. Also, their skin goes blotchy. These are signs that their internal temperature is higher than the reading you might be getting with a thermometer.

The reason the convulsions happen is because their temperature can suddenly spike a lot quicker than their bodies can copy with. I think it also has to do with what sort of bug is causing the fever.

DS's temperature was only 38, gave him some ibuprofen and he convulsed 20mins later because it suddenly shot up before the meds had time to kick in. He had an upper respiratory infection, I didn't even realise he was ill. There were 3 other children in the ward with ds who were all admitted due to febrile convulsions and who all had the same bug.

[nearlythree]

Thanks for all tehse replies, this is really helpful and definitely sounds like what dd2 had. I will get dh to tell the doctors about this when dd2 goes back to the hospital next month.

Thanks again, you are all brill!

[CaptainDippy]

[DelGirl]

my dd had a febrile convulsion last week, it was the scariest thing i've ever witnessed so you have my sympathy. Her temp went up to 39.8 depsite having her full quota of calpol & nurofen. It took a while for her to 'come round' and be her normal bouncy self but it was late at night so she was tired anyway. She gets cold hands/feet alot which i've mentioned to the dr's several times. She gets high temps every couple of weeks too but have been told as she's in nursery, this is normal.

[CaptainDippy]

Poor you DelGirl - It is pretty awful, isn't it!!? How is your little one now? My DD1 is prone to high temps and poorly-ness (she's 2.4 and has been going to nursery for over a year) I think nursery does make them susceptible to more infections / colds / temps etc but not every couple of weeks!! I think different children reacte differently to being ill - my DD1 gets high temps and flops out, DD2 screams a lot and goes mental and red all over!! Do keep a close eye on your little one though cos getting ill every couple of weeks was a precursor to pnuemonia in my DD1's case - Not scaremongering, just concern!!

[DelGirl]

Thanks CD . She had 2 nights in hospital last week and a few dr's saw her and checked her heart/lungs etc and said it was viral. She has kidney reflux too. Maybe i'm just a little over cautious with her, she was an iui baby as her dad died 4 years ago today.

[CaptainDippy]

I'm sorry to hear that - How has it been today? //[hugs]

[DelGirl]

for the 1st time, ok really though still Took flowers to the cemetary and stayed there for a while with dd. It's been ok, thanks.

[CaptainDippy]

That's beautiful. How old is your DD now?? What flowers did you lay. Thinking of you. xx

[DelGirl]

She's 13 months old and looked so like dh today . I took a dozen deep pink roses

[nearlythree]

Oh, delgirl .

Thanks for everyone's replies, it is so scarey. But I hope this is what is wrong with dd2 as otherwise we will always be worried in case there is something the doctors haven't picked up on.

Delgirl, our dd2 has a lot of viral illnesses and one thing that has come up (although not directly relating to her collapse) is that she is anaemic, which makes her more prone to getting sick.

[DelGirl]

oh that's interesting nearlythree. They didn't take any bloods from her, in fact I don't think she's ever had any taken apart from when she was 1st born. Thing is, how do you bring something like that up without sounding neurotic?

[nearlythree]

Could you ask your hv? She can tell you if your dd's diet has enough iron or not, and from there you can approach your gp for a blood test if you think it necessary. There are other signs - pale skin, lack of energy and repeated infections, although dd2 has always been full of beans until recently. I'm annoyed with myself as I knew dd2's diet wasn't good but didn't force the issue as I didn't want to get into a battle of wills over food. Now we are really struggling to get her to eat the right stuff.

[DelGirl]

I might try that, thanks. tbh I think she has a fairly good diet and thankfully she's a good eater but I will mention it when I see them. She's got an appt for her mmr on Wednesday but I'm going to say that I want her to have singles now.