Last month, we had a bit of an emergency in our home. DD’s temperature spiked quickly and she went into a seizure. We called 911 and emergency responders arrived at our house and took her to the hospital – it was the worst day of my life. It turns out that seizures due to high fever are actually common in children under 5. They are called febrile seizures and are not suppose to cause any permanent damage. However, that didn’t stop this Mom from completely freaking out and becoming even more paranoid then I already was.
Thankfully, with the right medication, the doctors were able to bring her fever down and she eventually was back to her busy self. We left the hospital with the comfort of knowing that she would have a neurologist appointment in the near future, however we had no clue what brought on the high fever.
Here we are a few weeks later and once again, DD has a high fever, nearly 104. We have been working on getting her temperature down with lots of cool baths, Popsicles and Tylenol and so far we have been seizure free. We also took her straight to the doctors office. Thankfully we have a diagnosis, an ear infection. Despite having her on meds and being very successful at keeping her fever low, I find that I am very anxious and extremely scared that she will go into seizure again. I am currently in her bedroom working on my laptop as she sleeps.
Seeing my daughter in a state like that was horrifying, I played her short life before my eyes and imagined the very worst case scenario. I was on top of her ready to give CPR in an instant if she stopped breathing, but at the time all I could do is put her in the recovery position and wait for her to “wake up”.
Once we all returned home, I went on as normal as I could, perhaps masking the fear that I was truly feeling, but now that we are back in this predicament again I am over come with emotions and am extremely worried. For every 3 children that have a febrile seizure, 1 will have another, so there is a 33% chance that we will have to encounter this experience again.
I wanted to let you all know about febrile seizures in case you find yourself in a similar situation. If your child has a fever, and starts to seize, it is normal – still scary, but very normal. According to the brochure that I received from the hospital, there is nothing that can be done to prevent this type of seizure, it’s the quick spike that sets it off.
I guess this is just one more thing that comes along with parenting – never ending worry. So, for the meantime, I remain in my daughters room, probably for the night – while I sleep on the floor and listen intently to ensure she is breathing normally throughout the night.
Just another day at the office for Mom.
I’d like to thank the emergency responders, the IWK hospital and the amazing Doctors that helped us out on this very traumatic day.
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Again…one of those things nobody can prepare you for as a parent. Thinking of you and hope that Genevive will be back to her hoppy self that she was over Christmas. She sure is beautiful and you and Lance are very blessed!
Thank you for sharing. We’ve had a few scares ourselves and hearing about it from other families helps to know that we are not alone.
Thanks Jody
It’s so true! I would have loved to have known that this was a possibility! It came as a complete shock. I’m hoping that she will spring back quickly, but in the meantime, it’s hard seeing her like this.
thanks Susan,
i was actually nervous to post it, I’m not sure why,, I guess because it is a very serious topic and I try to keep my site light and a fun place. It’s a little heavier than much of the other things I write about.
I’m also glad to know that I am not alone
I am sitting here in tears right now.. I know exactly how you feel.
Our 5 year old son has a seizure disorder, he was seizure free for 2 years and off his meds for 7 months.. when all of a sudden in August, i went to pick him up and put him in bed (he fell asleep with my hubby downstairs watching tv) and he went into a grandmal seizure. I freaked out and called 911.. he had another in the ambulance on the way home. This was really scarey for me.. the scariest thing ever in my life as a mother..Our son had absent and petite mal (sp) siezures before.. so this was totally new to us. He now has a diagnosis of epilepsy along with his developmental delays. I live each day dreading a call from his school that he is seizing.. It’s not an easy thing.
I hope your little one dosn’t continue to have seizures, it’s not fun seeing your child go through that.
he had a second seizure on the way to the hospital not home.. (typing too fast)
My son has gentile seizures…I know exactly how you feel. He didn’t have his first one until he was 2 1/2yrs. old and had 3 within a year. I’m so sorry that you had to go through this but know that if it happens again that it doesn’t hurt them. It hurts us parents, that’s for sure!
Sorry, spell check….febrile seizures. Not gentile.
My son had febrile seizure from the time he was 2 months until he was a little over 3. he is now 4 and doing just fine. It was a very scary thing. It is very common though. In fact some kids have them and they are so small and fast the parents don’t even know it happened.
That was supposed to be 10 months not 2. Also when he had them he would have 5-10 in a month then go a few months without any and then 5-10 more. It’s an awful thing to see your child go through.
I know how you feel! My DS has very high fevers right now (at one point it got up to 104.5, with motrin and tylenol) and his lips turn blue when his fever is really high. We’ve already been to the ER once and I wouldn’t be surprised if we end up there again. Very scary! He hasn’t had any seizures, but I’m on the lookout for them, because several of my brothers and sisters had febrile seizures when they were little.
Hope your little one feels better soon!
How scary! Prayers and good thoughts that your little one will be back to “normal” real soon. I also hope you will then be able to rest soundly.
OMG! how scary!! I can only imagine your fear!! I hope that things come back to normal soon and that she gets better..! you and your little one are on my prayers!
Febrile seizures are common but that doesn’t make them any less scary. I have a friend who’s a nurse and she still freaked out when her son had one. I’m just glad you got a diagnosis and hopefully she won’t have any more!
How scary that must have been for you. I am so thankful to know that she is doing better now and seizure free. I cannot imagine watching my child having to go through that. Peace to you!
How very scary all this is. I want to thank you for sharing this information with your readers and I hope that she is feeling better very soon.
I guess I had these when I was young…I actually remember being sick once and my mom being so scared. My youngest also had these when very young but “grew out of them” too. I still worry now and she is 11. We just always watched fevers very closely and keep kids LIQUID fever reducer on hand still…maybe thinking it gets into system faster? Also, keeping our daughter hydrated always and when sick, removing heavy clothing and blankets.
This was also one of MY most frightening parts of parenting 6 kids…along with asthma issues.
It runs in families too which basically stinks. My aunt had them and then I had them and now my daughter has them. It is so scary to think about. Especially because my daughter has only had 1 so far and my husband and I were on vacation when it happened so we didn’t actually experience it his parents did. My MIL had to give her CPR and call 911. They took her to the local hospital and then moved her to a bigger hospital about and hour away. Thankfully we were able to make it to the bigger hospital and meet her there when she arrived. Scariest thing ever! That was in August 2010 and I am hoping there are no more. What’s even more strange is that before this my child had never needed to go the doctor for anything other than a checkup. She had never been sick at ALL before this happened. Saying prayers for all the mommies who have to worry about this and hugs.
My aunt is a retired RN with over 60 years of pediatric ward experience: She told my mom to make sure all of us wore WOOL hats, not cotton or synthetic blends- for some reason, this reduces the risk of ear infections. She was right,none of my siblings, myself or my nieces and nephews have had any ear infections that I know of.
Yummy tonic for kids: Cranberry mulled punch: ( has germ killing properies apple cider lacks) Brew cranberry juice on stove gently with cinnamon stick, whole clove and nutmeg, ( boiling destroys vitamin c): Add a spoonful of unsulphered molasses per mug ( has iron, enhances flavor of spices). Serve warm
Ooops! On tonic, forgot to mention, of course- you strain out the cloves and remove cinnamon stick before serving.
My 4 year old daughter had a seizure while we were away on vacation last summer with no known cause. I’m thankful she had it while my brother-in-law was with us, as he’s an EMT and knew exactly what to do. The doctors said that it’s not only febrile seizures but not uncommon for children under 5 to just have a completely random seizure with no known cause, and they don’t do tests beyond a head CT if there’s only been one. May this instance be the only one for you!
How very scary, prayers that this is the only seizure you all have to deal with. Isn’t it interesting how the kiddos can go right on as if nothing has happened yet as a parent the experience stays with you and you are never quite the same? Whoever said parenting ain’t for sissies didn’t know the half of it.
Yikes, I shivered a little while reading this. What a great Momma you are for sleeping by her bed. Thank you so much for telling us about this. I had no idea that seizures were so common and “normal” for children. Prayers coming your way that this will be her only episode.
So glad your little one is ok! Nothing is scarier. On the way home from my in laws on Christmas day my daughter threw up in her carseat and begun to choke on it. Like really choke. Thank goodness my husband was driving and we have an SUV so I can be in the back seat very quickly. I got her out of her seat and I gave her the heimlich twice and she was able to get the piece out. I count my blessings and I never want to think of what could have happened.
I know it’s small comfort but febrile seizures believe it or not are a good thing. They are the body’s way of controlling a fever and sending off the alarm bells. I know the Mama bears in us can’t help but be protective.
I wish her a speedy recovery so you both can get some rest!
Febrile Seizures are very scary to watch. I had them when I was a baby and my oldest daughter also had them. She would have them anytime her fever got over 101 so she was super sensitive of fevers. The scariest one was the first one she had at 18 months, she stopped breathing and her heart stopped. Thank goodness I knew CPR because the ambulance didn’t get there for like 5 minutes (seemed like an hour though!!) and I was able to revive her. I was told that is very very rare to happen during febrile seizures but that didn’t make me drop my guard anytime she was sick. Thank goodness she outgrew them, she’s 15 years old now and doing just fine. I have 8 kids and she was my only one who had febrile seizures. So sorry you had to go through that also and hopefully you won’t ever have to see another one.
That brings back memories of when my youngest had meningitis. That was a horrible night!!!!! His fever spiked. We took him in because he was only two months old. They did a spinal tap on my baby, and kicked me out of the room. I could hear him crying, and I started to leak {I was nursing him}. When I found out he did have meningitis I was so worried he infected other babies. We had just gone to a baby group the night before. They didn’t want to call the other mothers to set them into panic mode, but I was pretty insistent! Isaak started to have startle reactions because he couldn’t hit a deep sleep. They thought he had seizures. We went through a brain scan; they detected nothing. His head got so tight, he had no soft spot. It was a scary time! We’re so lucky he’s perfectly normal today!!!!!!
I have heard of kids having febrile seizures even from cutting teeth. When a child eats and they are cutting the chomping of their gum’s hits on nerves. I’m sure it’s pretty scary to have that happen!
I had this happen to me when I was a child. I was at the babysitter’s, so I can only imagine how terrifying she must have been! I also had the fever come on suddenly and inexplicably, and I was one of the children for whom it was a one-time thing. I was an absurdly healthy child for the most part, but as my mom always said, “When she did finally get sick, she REALLY got sick!” It is horribly scary, but hang in there, and just remember that there’s a greater chance it will never happen again than there is that it will!`
That has to be so scary.
Warm thoughts & hugs!
How scary!
Read this article, and do a search on xylitol.
http://ezinearticles.com/?Xylitol-and-Ear-Infection-Treatment&id=571801
How scary! I’m glad everything worked out okay and that she has been seizure free since.
One thing I’ve heard is that parents need to let the child dictate their comfort level temperature-wise. Some parents insist on putting blankets on a child with a fever (thinking that they’re doing the right thing), but the child is trying to kick the blankets off. Letting the child kick their blankets off (and then pull them back on when they need them again) is important because it helps control the child’s internal temperature.
I pretty much had her in a summer nighty all day and there is no way she was getting a blankie!
Very big hugs.
Oh dear Lynette, I’m so sorry you had to go through this. I’ve heard about them and read about them, but have never experienced one in our household. I hope it dosen’t happen again, and that you can get some sleep eventually!
((((())))) many hugs and prayers. From a mom of a child with epilepsy, I know how scary seizures can be. They still scare me and I am still (over a year since her first grand mal and diagnosis, since she’s had many, many seizures & different types too) afraid of letting her sleep alone at night because that first grand mal happened while she was sleeping (her sister found her). The paramedics couldn’t get the seizure to stop and wouldn’t tell me if she was okay for 15-20 minutes they worked on her trying to stop it (we have no idea how long she was seizing before her sister found her), then it took her over 24 hours to fully come around. I have never been so scared.
Praying your daughter doesn’t have any more seizures. If you ever have any questions or need someone to talk to my email is open.
My 4 year old had a seizure from a fever when she was 2. I knew what it was, but it was still awfully scary, and we still took her to the hospital, just in case.
Hugs.
Great information, Lynette!
Hope she’s feeling better today and that you can relax somewhat.
Hard I know, this job of Mom is never easy….
{{hugs}}
Thank you for writing this post and letting us all know about febrile seizures. I would be scared to death if that happened to one of my boys. I have a friend whose husband has epilepsy and the day after her daughter was born, she had a seizure. It was very scary!
Lynette, I said a prayer for your beautiful little girl and for you too. It has to be so hard for you to see Genevieve have these febrile seizures. I didn’t know this could happen and I let my daughter know. She has 2 little girls. Thanks so much for writing about this.
thank you ladies for posting and for all your support!! Things are going well. I am so sorry to hear that many of you have gone through similar situations,,, but it’s comforting to know that everything has turned out ok
much love,
Lynette
I know all about the never ending worry. I think it started the day I got pregnant. A 104 temp just from an ear infection? That’s crazy! I knew of small children having seizures from high temps but I assumed it was from serious illnesses! Glad she’s doing better!
PS I like the comment form makeover!
Thank you for sharing this info. If that happen to my son I would for sure freak out. I did not know about that type of seizure. Im a huge worrier and I cant imagine how scary this is for you. Just know the moms of the blogger world are sending prayers and positive thoughts your way. I hope she gets over her ear infection quickly.
-Liz
Oh, geez!!!! So sorry for what you’re dealing with…how stressful and scary!!
Lynette, can you forgive me for being so LAME and pestering you with my issues? 
LOL.
Sending positive thoughts your way!
No worries Kristin
Life continues!!
Scary stuff indeed! My first daughter reacted so badly to her first immunizations that she had a seizer, her teeth grew in pitted and she had such a high fever…ahhh it was horrible!
Hope all is well now with the Wee family!
That is super scary Anne!! kids are just a never ending worry!!! Thanks for the love
Lynette;
that is very scary… I have 3 children and have heard of fever seizures – although haven’t experienced them. I am pryaing that your daughter will be one of the 66%.
Thanks Debbie!! I hope so too, it’s better odds, which makes me feel a little better.
That is scary, thanks for sharing your story.
What a stressful time! I feel for you.
I learned abut febrile seizures when my friend’s 2 year old had one. Thankfully he is now 9 and never had another. Supposedly genetics play a role — if one parent had them as a child that increases the likelihood the child will. What a scary thing — and as you say, just one of the many responsibilities you’re handed when you become a parent.
Oh my! I bet that was scary. I have worked in the medical field but I have never been around someone who had a febrile seizure. I’m sure if one of my kids had one, I would be extremely scared too.
Could not imagine what your going through! That is just awful, thanks for sharing this story. Hope everything works out for the best!
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