Ambulance and epilepsy

[MyfanwyMontez]

I am epileptic and had a particularly bad seizure a week ago. My husband was here , thankfully and he called an ambulance. Given that so many MN’s think calling an ambulance is a waste of resources, was he being unreasonable? I told him not to( when I could communicate).

It depends, did you need urgent medical treatment?

I have epilepsy and have had an ambulance called twice, but both times I had the seizure in public (once in the middle of the road and once falling down stairs at a London train station), and both times I was still not conscious, or only just coming back to consciousness by the time the ambulance arrived.

When I've had seizures when I've been with DH, he didn't call an ambulance. But I don't know how mine compare to yours, so I don't know whether your DH was unreasonable in taking that step.

I had several one after another. The first responder gave me diazepam .

I have been diagnosed recently due to a btrain tumour so it is quite new to me.

If you're not sure whether an ambulance us required or not, it is safest to call one. If you a low priority, then they will tell you. Or they will give you alternative advice over the phone. Telling people who have not had medical training not to call ambulances unless it is life threatening is dangerous, as how will anybody know whether someone lying unconscious in the ground is not in any danger?

we got told in first aid training that you call an ambulance if the person has never had a seizure before or it goes on for longer than five minutes, they do t fully regain consciousness or they seriously injure themselves.

So if any of these applied he was ok to call one.

I have no real experience or knowledge of epilepsy so could well be wrong.
I thoughtthat if a seizure went on for a certain length of time, an ambulance should be called.
I would imagine that if someone didn't regain consciousness fairly quickly, again call 999.
If at home, with people who are familiar with your condition, if they feel that it is worse/different from the 'usual' call 999.
In your DHs case, I think he was right, as things were obviously different from your normal experience.

I have epilepsy but it's not a recent thing. If you have more than one and needed diazepam I'd say he was very justified in calling an ambulance.

In that case he was right.

www.nhs.uk/conditions/epilepsy/

Call 999 for someone who:

• is having a seizure for the first time
• has a seizure that lasts more than five minutes
• has lots of seizures in a row
• has breathing problems or has seriously injured themselves

If you were having one after the other, then he was absolutely right to call an ambulance. The fact that the paramedics gave you diazepam shows that you needed treatment.

Hope you’re ok OP

Thanks all, you have put my mind at rest.The paramedics were brilliant and arrived 10 minutes after the first responder.
I would hate to think I was wasting their time.

I have called an ambulance for my DH when he had seizures before. He has injured himself during seizures and needed to get checked out. Twice he has been taken to hospital and once he had pain relief given by the first responder.

I sympathise with your DH as it is hard to watch someone have a seizure, especially if it is a recent diagnosis. You did need medical attention and it was a genuine emergency. People call ambulances for silly reasons but that is not you.

Thank you Elephant
It was very scary and distressing for him . He was worried. He has seen me had a seizure before but this was a bad episode. I have told him not to call one again.

No one on MN has any authority to say if he was right to call an ambulance or not. I hate this thing on mumsnet where it's a massive issue to call an ambulance for someone that is genuinely really ill especially those threads where is it's like " my baby is 2 days old and turning blue" and people say go to a walk in clinic 🙄 he did the right thing at the right time and they would have said if it didn't warrant an ambulance - the people who are the experts who have the right to say that!!

I was diagnosed with epilepsy 5 years ago after a head injury. I’ve had an ambulance called twice as I had more than one seizure in a row and my dh once took me to a&e as I bit my tongue pretty badly which needed stitches. In your case an ambulance was absolutely needed on that occasion. However most fits you will find that you only have one and come round soon after. I have around one a month now and generally I can feel it coming on (I get very twitchy, lose my words, sudden jerking of limbs) so try to lie on the bed if I’m at home and feel one coming on. It’s trickier when I’m out,

I think MN is overly hysterical about calling ambulances. In real life no one would think twice about calling an ambulance for someone having a seizure and no ambulance crew would begrudge them.

I think he was totally right. Rather than telling him not to call one next time, I would discuss the type of seizures where it is appropriate to call an ambulance, and where you feel it isn't - but ultimately it will be his call to make when it happens, as he is the one watching, and needs to make a judgement about whether it's something new/worrying which needs urgent attention.

Good idea munchkin
I get no warning that a seizure is about to happen, sometimes I don’t remember it. Am completely confused after. You are absolutely right, it’s his call to make.

I hope you're fine now, It's difficult to have that kind of disease. My brother is an epileptic too. Every time he is out of our house he needs to be tracked 24/7 so that we can respond to him quickly.

I hope you are ok now. 😀Given that the ambulance came after the first responder, I really don't think you have anything to worry about as they could have cancelled the ambulance if they got there and you didn't need any help.

Your husband absolutely did the right thing. My husband has epilepsy and has previously been annoyed that an ambulance has been called. But given the severity of the seizure and the fact it was much longer than his normal that was my call to make.

Usually he would sleep off his seizures. He has horrendous headaches after them! He can sleep for days afterwards with sheer exhaustion too. My husband is very dismissive of my concerns/ distress, in many ways I think it is harder for us to watch our loved ones seizing. It is terrifying and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone!

I’m so sorry about your diagnosis. Is treatment an option? We are fortunate as my dh’s epilepsy is well controlled by Lamotrigine.

Yes, your DH did the right thing.

I have epilepsy (developed it completely out of the blue aged 22) and although I have few seizures when I do they're apparently quite spectacular. Husband doesn't usually call an ambulance unless they gone too long etc but other people often do - my mother when I had 'a turn' in All Bar One over lunch one day, for example.

I wouldn't tell him not to call one again. Dealing with someone having a fit is quite traumatic - DH tells me that even after twenty-odd years he feels very panicked by it because he can't do anything. If he's worried and he thinks he needs to call an ambulance then he should do that. If you were in status, going from one to another, then you really needed an ambulance.

And really, no paramedic or A&E dept are going to criticise someone for calling an ambulance to someone having a seizure. It's a perfectly reasonable thing to do.

for you. Have you an epilepsy nurse specialist that can help you and your husband know how to manage your seizures and when an ambulance is needed?

If the first responder had the a ability to give diazepam, they also would have been able to cancel the ambulance if necessary. So if you still got an ambulance, it shows you actually needed one.

There are seizures and seizures. Some require first aid and some don’t. Obviously it is better to get help if you are not sure.

And I agree with other posters that watching your loved one have a seizure is dreadfully distressing. I’ve watched two of my kids have them and it has been just awful to witness. ( One of mine got prayed over by the vicar whilst having a seizure - I was too much in shock to stop him!)