I have never been so frightened in my life. DS had a febrile convulsion yesterday....

[georgimama]

We were driving along when I glanced in rear view mirror at DS (nearly 2) and noticed his eyes had rolled back in his head, his lips were blue and his limbs were jerking violently.

I don't know how I didn't crash the car but I pulled over, we got him out of the car, stripped off his coat and jumper and tried to feel in his mouth, thinking he must be choking on something. Nothing in his mouth but he was completely out of it, mouth slack and right side of face sunken.

We phoned for an amblance (seemed to take an age to get the stupid girl on 999 operator to understand where we were despite spelling out the place nme 8 times) but after about three minutes a paramdic car arrived and gave oxygen. Then we were airlifted to swindon hospital by helicopter.

After 8 hours observation he was allowed home thank god. Whole fit lasted 15 minutes which we were told was quite bad for a first one - they usually last less than 5 minutes.

They've told us it may never happen again but now it has happened once he is more likely to have another.

Anyone who has seen their child do this will probably agree that the first time it happens you genuinely think your child is going to die.

Sorry for offloading, am usually very calm but it terrified me.

My god, what a nightmare, you poor thing! Well done for dealing with it so well.

Did they say why they happen? I don't know much about them.

oh god how awful and scary for you.

How terrifying for you! Well done for remaining so composed and calm. And how scary for you that it might happen again

It's to do with a very sudden rise in body temperature, he is teething and had a bit of a runny nose but was completely fine until it happened, in fact ten minutes earlier he was having his hair cut and charming the girl inthe barber's shop! It isn't the actual temperature that indicates it, it's how fastit rises. By the time he got to A&E he had had oxygen for about 8minutes and was already much better but his temperature was still 40.8 - they reckon itmust have gone up to about 42!

DH was really shocked (obviously) and wasn't allowed in the helicopter with us so poor thing had to drive to Swindon with no idea what condition DS was in . By the time he got to us DS was sitting up playing with a teddy bear and trying to pull the ECG pads off his chest.

Thanks for sympathy, we are all shattered this morning (exceptof course DS who has stuffed down his breakfast and is watching Thomas the Tank Engine as if nothing happened!)

It is really the most awful thing isn't it the first time that you see your child having a seizure/convulsion. I'll never forget DH sobbing and sobbing when DS had his first and we thought he had completely stopped breathing.

I remember someone on here telling me that you will never be quite as frightened if it happens again - it is true but still awful to see

Hope that you all feel better today.

It sounds like a nightmare. I thought it was to do with temp but didn't realise it was when it rises quickly like that. Hopefully he'll be one of the ones where it's a one off.

I just got this which describes DS's fit exactly. Worth being aware of - I wasn't. I had heard of them but had no idea hat caused them or what they involved.

It really is so scary that first time. I knew there was a chance DS could have FC's (DH had them, there is a genetic link), but it still had me completely shocked, wasn't as I had "expected" and I was completely convinced he was dead . So I feel for you completely, and it certainly sounds like a bad one. Did they tell you that your DS is quite old to have had his first one? And as I understand it from the reading I've done, that makes it less likely he'll have another. DS was under 1 for his first and I think has had about 7 episodes now (now 2.8). They do get a lot less scary because you know what they are and therefore because you know it's temperature related you never let a temperature go unchecked and also know how to cool them down quickly. If it's any consolation it is the body protecting itself from such a sudden rise, it's actually a defense mechanism.

Anyway, hope you can have a relaxing day today, it really is so scary.

OMG you poor thing.

I nannied for a little boy who had a FC with me and it was bloody scary.

How are you all now?

OMG you poor thing! I didn't know they were like that. Well done on staying so calm

It is very scary, I phoned an ambulance . My LO had a ear infection.

It is good news, however, there is no evidence at all that F/covulsions lead to any damage.

My brother had lots of them and there is no damage.

Scary, Yes...but you get to know the warning signs.

I used to dose my son up with calpol to stop it happening at the sign of every cold. I would not do that again as I think that calpol is not as safe as we think. I would seek to manage it other ways.

(hugs)

Completely sympathise. DS2 had one last year. I totally lost it and screamed and shouted like a banshee.

His was approx 10 minutes but I thought he was dead - I had no idea what was happening.

He has not had another one yet(?) but would hope I would handle it a little better if it did happen again ! Fuck it was horrible.

Have a good day.

Don't be embarrassed about phoning an ambulance beliver, I had a helicopter out! Anyway the advice is a child should always be taken to hosiptal when they have their first, and you should phone your GP whenever they have another.

I agree they look far far worse than you can imagine hey would do, I thought he would be brain damaged at least.

I really sympathise. My ds had one when he was nearly two. I also called for an ambulance and although he had perked up by the time it arrived he started to look very poorly again by the time we reached the hospital where he promptly had another fit which lasted a lot longer and was truly frightening. I have never felt so completely helpless in my life.

If it's any consolation he never had another one after that and now he's 6 he should have grown out of them. For a long time though I would get really panicky every time he had a temperature.

georgie - I could have written your OP myself (except that with me it was dd, and she was in the pushchair not the car). Yes, it is absolutely terrifying. You think your child is dying. I had read a little about febrile convulsions, but what shocked me (as with you) was that it seemed to come out of nowhere. I always imagined babies and toddlers who had them would be really poorly, in bed, and with a high temperature. We were out shopping - no way was dd noticeable unwell. She was 3 at the time, and probably slightly sniffy, but in no sense was she poorly. As you say, it's to do with a rapid rise in temperature rather than being unwell.
I went in the ambulance with my dd, whereas my DH had to go and collect the car and follow on after - he described walking through the city sobbing.
On a positive note, we stayed overnight at hospital and dd never had another one. The doctors said there was a slightly increased risk of another once she'd had the first one, but she's a teenager now and never had any more episodes.

Hope it helped to talk about it.

I have put this before on mumsnet so i hope people aren't bored with it, but there is a brilliant quote from Toddler Taming.

"The short fever fit does not damage the child only it's mother's nerves"

My DD had about 4 fcs when she was 3/4 and my DS has had about 20 between the ages of 15mos and 10.5yrs, he is 13 now and I am hoping he has had the last one now.

Febrile Convulsions have a strong genetic link, although I never had them, one of my sisters had a very similar history to DS between the ages of 3 and 10 and so did my mum.
If there is a family history then children are more prone to them, but most children will only have one or two. Our family history of fits at 10 is very rare and most GPs have not heard of fcs at that age.

My DS's first one was cutting a tooth as well and in practically everytime (unless he had more than one in a day, usually when calpol is wearing off) it has been the first sign that he was ill. DS usually has a long sleep afterwards and can be a little confused when he wakes up.
They are very scary the first time, even I was and I was used to my sister having them, but it does get less scary the next time.

Poor you that must have been terrifying

My DH had a fit once (luckily I was driving), just us 2 in the car in the middle of nowhere driving through Zambia.
I freaked big time.

Managed to get to a campsite where there happened to be some German doctors (thank you whoever put them there!) who calmed me down.
He eventually got checked into hospital in Botswana and was on a drip for 24 hours with suspected cholera.

Any time after that for quite a while if he didn't reply to me straight away i would go into panic mode (and he has quite selective hearing so it happened lots!).

Hope you are all calming down now & fingers crossed it doesn't happen again.

How awful for you. And to watch a seizure for 15 minutes is a terrible ordeal.

My DD2 has anoxic seizures from what seem like fairly trivial events - finger caught in door, falling over etc. She has had quite a few now but even though I know they are harmless, they are still enough to reduce me to tears. There's something about seeing your child like that which is terrifying.

It's also hard to believe they are harmless -all sorts of things go through your head.

But they are harmless

Thanks all, DS is a bit clingy but absolutely fine. Dh went to Boots and got DS a new ear themometer (we had a nurofen one but I wasn't confident in it, temperature readings would vary wildly even when used on us) and a Thomas the Tank Engine toy!

Poor you, how frightening.

DS2 had his first one whilst I was dishing up his and DS1 lunch in the kitchen. I looked round to see him sat in his high chair with his eyes back in his head and his lips blue. Dialled 999 and of to hospital where it turned out he had an ear infection brewing.

It was terrifying although in the back of my mind I was telling myself it was a febrile convulsion and was probably going to be ok. I must have read about them maybe.

He has never had another big one but he does twitch whenever he has a fever.

Glad that he is on the mend.

What a woman you are, well done for staying so calm, and pulling over, getting the clothes off etc. You must still be shaking (slightly). Thanks for bringing this thread forward, I hope it never happens but it's good to know.

Hope Thomas the Tank does the job!

Ds twitches when he has a fever too, although less so now.

Two months after his first convulsion he had a bad case of chicken pox and was twitching all night. I turned into a complete mess despite being normally quite laid back

I was on the phone to NHS direct several times that night and eventually they said 'do you want us to send an ambulance?' I almost cried with relief.

When we got to the hospital though I think they were a bit that I'd taken a child there because of CP. Perhaps I did overreact but I was absolutely terrified that he'd have another fit.

No never feel bad about taking a child to A&E beacuse of a fit.

How absolutely awful for you A friend of mine had a similar experience with her ds before mine was born and was understandably completely distraught about it. Not least (after the fact) because the dad isn't involved in the child's life at all so she has no way of finding out if there is a genetic predisposition. He has never had another one, touch wood.

So sorry for what you have been through. Thank goodness is all okay!