When someone has a seizure, they may experience involuntary and uncontrollable muscle spasms with twitching and jerking of the limbs, altered behavior or loss of consciousness. If you have never witnessed a crisis of this type before, you may feel shocked, confused, scared or worried. To help the victim you must remain calm, help her not to get hurt and stay with her until she regains consciousness.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Taking Care of the Person during the Crisis
Step 1. Prevent it from falling
When a person is having a seizure, they can fall and hurt themselves. To avoid this risk, if he is standing upright, you need to find a way to prevent him from falling; you can hug and support her or grab her arms to keep her upright. Also try to protect her head if you can.
If she still has control of her muscle movements, you can gently guide her to the floor
Step 2. Put her on her side
If you find her lying down, try to put her on her side, with her mouth facing the floor. This position allows saliva and vomit to flow out of one side of the mouth rather than sliding down the throat or trachea, with the risk of entering the lungs.
If the victim remains supine, he may choke and inhale fluids
Step 3. Free the environment from dangerous objects
A person suffering from a seizure could injure themselves by beating against furniture, walls or other objects that are nearby. To prevent this from happening, you must remove any elements present and move them as far as possible; in particular, you should remove sharp objects.
Moving objects is easier than pushing the person away; however, if she is walking in a confused state, make sure to lead her away from dangerous places, such as busy areas, high surfaces, or sharp objects
Step 4. Protect her head
Sometimes, during a seizure, the victim repeatedly hits his head on the floor or against some object; if this happens to the person you are taking care of, you need to protect their head with something soft, such as a pillow, pillow or even a jacket.
However, avoid blocking her head or other parts of her body
Step 5. Calculate how long the crisis lasts
If someone close to you has a seizure, you need to measure its duration. Usually, these are one or two minute episodes; when they are longer they could indicate a more serious problem and in this case you should call the ambulance immediately.
For a more accurate measurement use a watch if you have one; however, you can also mentally count the duration of the seizure
Step 6. Avoid putting anything in the victim's mouth
You should never put anything in her mouth, even if you think this can prevent her from injuring her mouth or teeth. People with a seizure do not ingest their tongue; putting something in your mouth could cause a tooth to break.
Also, you should never put your fingers in her mouth either, as she could bite and hurt you
Step 7. Avoid holding her back
During the seizure, you should never block it or prevent it from moving, otherwise you could cause injuries, such as a dislocated shoulder or a bone fracture.
Step 8. Check if you have an ID bracelet
Some people who often suffer from seizures wear this device; check the victim's wrist or neck for such a bracelet or necklace. This tool provides the information you need in an emergency situation.
If you can, also check in his wallet or pocket to see if he has a medical identification card
Step 9. Stay calm
Most of these crises only last a few minutes and shouldn't arouse fear. You have to stay calm if you want to help the victim; if you panic or start acting agitated, you may be giving her anxiety. Instead, approach the situation calmly and speak reassuringly to her.
You must remain calm even when the crisis is over; a calm state of mind also allows the victim to remain calm and helps her to recover
Part 2 of 3: Considering whether to Call Emergency Services
Step 1. Call the ambulance, unless the person experiences frequent seizures
If you know that you have had other attacks in the past, you do not need medical attention, unless the seizure lasts more than 2-5 minutes or manifests itself in a different way than usual; however, if it is the first episode or if you have any doubts, you must call for help immediately.
- If you do not know the victim, check if they have the identification bracelet to find out if they usually suffer from this disorder.
- A medical evaluation is needed to establish the underlying causes of the problem.
Step 2. Call 911 for help if the person has abnormal seizures
Most crises last only a few minutes and the victim quickly regains consciousness and awareness of the surrounding environment; however, if you are experiencing atypical activity, you should contact the emergency services. Among the unusual activities that cause concern consider:
- Many convulsions without recovery of consciousness;
- The crisis lasts more than five minutes;
- Inability to breathe
- The seizure occurs after a sudden and severe migraine;
- The seizure follows a head injury;
- The attack occurred following the inhalation of fumes or poison;
- The seizure is accompanied by other signs of stroke, such as difficulty speaking or understanding speech, loss of vision, inability to move part or all of one side of the body.
Step 3. Seek help if victim experiences seizures in a dangerous situation
If you suffer from a seizure when in a dangerous environment, you could be injured or even die; you must call the emergency services if you are pregnant or have diabetes, if you are injured during the seizure or if the attack occurs in the water.
Part 3 of 3: Helping the Victim after the Crisis
Step 1. Check if she is injured
Once the seizure is over, you must wait for the victim to calm down, then turn him on his side, if he is not already in this position; Watch their body for possible injuries they may have sustained during the seizures.
Step 2. Free her mouth if she has difficulty breathing
If you find that she is struggling to breathe even after she has calmed down, use your fingers to clear her mouth, as it may be filled with saliva or vomit blocking her airways.
If this technique doesn't help you breathe better, call an ambulance
Step 3. Discourage a crowd of people
If the victim has had the seizure in a public place, curious people may approach; once its safety is ensured, ask people to move away to provide the victim with space and privacy.
Recovering from a seizure surrounded by strangers staring at it could be very stressful for someone
Step 4. Allow her to rest
Take her to a safe place where she can recover; make sure the clothing around the neck and wrists is loose. Also, stop her from drinking or eating until she becomes calm, conscious and aware of her surroundings.
Stay with her at this stage; never leave a seizure victim alone who is confused, unconscious or sleeping
Step 5. Monitor your recovery time
Just as you did to measure the duration of the crisis, you should also calculate the time to recovery; assess how long it takes the person to recover from the attack, return to normal activities and in the normal state.
If it takes more than 15 minutes, you need to call the ambulance
Step 6. Reassure her again
Seizures can be a frightening and stressful situation; remember that the person may feel confused and uncomfortable when they recover, but let them know they are safe. When she becomes conscious and alert, tell her what happened.
Offer to stay with her until she feels better
Step 7. Make a note of all the details
As soon as you get the chance, write down all aspects of the seizure on paper; it can be extremely valuable to the victim as well as to the doctor. Here are the details to consider:
- Parts of the body where the seizures started;
- Body parts affected by the seizure;
- Warning signs that preceded the attack;
- Duration of seizures;
- What the victim was doing before and after the attack;
- Any change in mood
- Any possible triggers, such as fatigue, anger, or nausea
- Any unusual sensation;
- Anything you have noticed regarding the seizures, such as a noise, eyes rolled upward or if the victim has fallen and in what way;
- His state of consciousness during and after the crisis;
- Any unusual behavior during the episode, such as muttering or touching clothing;
- Any changes in breathing.
