Suspected febrile seizure - what should I do?

[LoftyPeachZebra]

dd is 4 years old. She started showing signs of being unwell today. This evening her temp reached 38.6. She fell asleep on the sofa around 8pm. About half an hour later her eyes were open and she started shaking. I thought maybe she was shivering, but she wasn’t responding to me. Then she started laughing, I thought maybe she was still asleep (she sometimes laughs in her sleep and I sometimes sleep with me eyes open!) but then I wasn’t sure if she was laughing or crying. I picked her up and cuddled her and she soon settled and went back to sleep. When I carried her up to bed later, she became alert, chatting as normal and went back to sleep fine.

In hindsight, I think it was likely a febrile seizure. Her temp is the same, but she’s sleeping and breathing normally. I really don’t want to make her worse by waking her and taking her to hospital, and I know if I call 111 they’ll tell me to take her. But I can’t sleep thinking I’m being a bad mum by not seeking medical advice.

Also my step mum witnessed it and has experience with seizures and says letting her rest and keeping and eye on her is the best thing to do.

I guess I’m looking for reassurance that it is the right decision. My mum instincts aren’t clear on this.

What is her temp now and is she responding to paracetamol. Does she have any other symptoms?

38.9 now. I tried to give her calpol around 7pm but only managed about 3ml before she spat the rest out and refused.

She’s been quite tired today and not eaten much at all, but no other obvious symptoms, she kept saying she feels ok just tired.

you must try and get her temperature down even if it means being forceful with the calpol. Surely you can squirt the syringe in the side of her moth. You need to seek medical advice even if it means the inconvenience of taking her to hospital.

I really think you should have taken her to hospital at the time and that you should wake her and take her there now.
Is your step mum a doctor ?

NHS website advises hospital for first seizure.
www.nhs.uk/conditions/febrile-seizures/

This is incorrect advice - temperature control is not advised as a preventative measure for febrile seizures.

From your description, OP, it’s not clear to me that this was actually a seizure (I’m a doctor), but if you’re concerned it would be best to get her checked out.

My daughter had a few of these between the ages of 1 and 3- awful to witness. We called an ambulance and she was taken to hospital. After the doctors had checked her they found out the reason for it and her ever increasing temperature was due to tonsillitis. We would not have known otherwise. Best to get her checked out so they can rule out anything more serious.
To reassure you febriles are the bodies natural way of responding to high temps and happen to children under 5 but I’d be keen to check it’s nothing underlying. Sending good luck to you both x

A&E

Not sure whether this was a febrile fit or a rigor. But the advice for a first febrile fit is always to get checked out, in case the reason it happened this time is a more significant illness. It doesn't sound like you have identified a reason for the fever?