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I received an email today from an old college friend of mine, telling her friends of a very scary experience she had with her daughter over the weekend. I found it very comforting that she was sharing her experience in the hopes that if other parents encountered the same phenomenon, they would know what to do. This is a very helpful way of communicating with parents and keeping everyone well informed. I also found it to be fantastic that she expressed the feelings that she felt during the ordeal (panic), the symptoms that her daughter exhibited (convulsing, eyes wandering), how this could have been prevented (maybe by keeping her on regular doses of fever reducer) and what she learned from the whole ordeal (read on). My friend was so terrified that she could not stand when the ambulance arrived. She held her baby in her arms and froze. Her daughter had suffered from a febrile seizure. Nearly one in twenty five children will experience a febrile seizure in the first few months of life (usually before 15 months of age) and of those children, almost one third will have repeat febrile seizures. Most of these seizures occur when a child's temperature rises quickly above 102 degrees. The seizures are more common in the first day of the fever and can last from a few seconds to a few minutes to as long as fifteen minutes or more. The child's body will convulse, the child will lose consciousness, limbs can shake, eyes roll back and for onlookers, it can be very scary. The good news is that most of the time, these seizures are harmless and have no long term effects. Only a small percentage of children who have febrile seizures develop epilepsy later. During the seizure, it is important for caregivers to have the child lie on the floor and to move any furniture or objects that could injure the child out of the way. If you can, place a pillow or soft blanket under the child's head to protect from injuries. Loosen any tight clothing around the neck, so the child's airways do not constrict. If you can, turn the child on his or her side in case of vomiting. Don't try to hold the child down, just breath and keep yourself calm until the seizure is over. If the seizure lasts longer than three minutes, call 911 . If this is your child's first febrile seizure, you should seek emergency care as soon as the seizure is over. Doctors will run tests to rule out meningitis or other viral infections. Febrile seizures are usually caused by a sudden spike in the child's temperature due to an infection and often times, a mother or father experienced them as a child as well. Unfortunately, there is no way to prevent a febrile seizure, but regular doses of acetaminophen or ibuprofen and regular fluid intake during illness are often recommended by physicians. In the case of my friend, doctors told her that she should keep her daughter on fever reducing medication for at least 24 hours around the clock during a fever. Each doctor will have a different recommendation, so it is important to always consult your physician if your child experiences a febrile seizure. Another lesson my firend learned is that acetaminophen and ibuprofen do not stop the fever, but they momentarily reduce the temperature for the duration of the dosage. So, in a nutshell... keep your child up on their medication, keep them well hydrated and stay calm and bring your child to the ER if this is the first seizure or if the seizure lasted longer than a few minutes. If you have any more questions, comments, or stories, please post to our forums and follow the following resources: Mayo Clinic- Febrile Seizures Health Newsflash American Family Physician
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Communication 
