Epileptic Fits
 

Hi everyone

Looking for some advice on what you would do in if presented with this situation.

If you had a child attending your setting who was diagnosed with Epilepsy, they are on medication, but the fits are not under control and are known to be quite prolonged lasting up to 20 min.
I have been trained to administer a muscle relaxing medication called Buccal Midazolam, which should be given if the fit lasts for more than 5 min. The child is only allowed one doze of this medication in 24 hours. If the child has had a fit at home before coming to group and the medication has been administered by the parents, which means, if the child has another fit during the session I won't be able to administer any more would you allow the child to stay or advice mum to keep them at home. therefore covering your own back. At the moment i am allowing the child to attend although concerned

I look forward to hearing your point of view

wow .. good on you for the training !!

Personally not having dealt with anything similar, I would look to continue allowing the child to attend. There may be an allegation of exclusion if Parents felt unfairly treated.

The only problem I see with epilepsy if the fear of not knowing how to deal with it or namely a fit.

If everyone knows what a fit is, what form it takes and how to cope during one .. things should be fine.. I can see how awareness & complete exposure to everything epilepsy would help staff/management to overcome any worries they may have.

Is everything set for you to call parents and collect if after recovery the Child is too exhausted to stay ?

xx

Does the child have an epilepsy nurse? If so you could ask them for advice. Does she need the medication often? I worked with two people who had rectal stesolid (sp?) prescribed but rarely needed it. In four years of working with them full time I never had to administer it.

I wonder if the Epilepsy Society could give you any info.

I have a friend who's son has epilepsy and he can have many many fits in a day and more at night etc... He's a serious case but if school kept him off every time he'd had the meds at home, he'd never be there to be educated and his mum wouldn't get the respite she so badly needs.

I would speak with his medical team and get their advice because to deny the child a place would be awfully sad, but i can understand your concern over not being able to treat him properly if he fits.

Yes every thing is in place to contact the child's parents. I have dealt with epilepsy fits before as my husband suffers from them following a Brain Haemorrhage, which left him with hydrocephalus, through the frequent brain ops. he now has epilepsy, so it's not that i don't feel confident to deal with it.
I also felt like you that I would be discriminating against the child, if i didn't allow them to attend on the days following a fit. It was actually one of my colleagues that brought up, the fact that perhaps we shouldn't allow the child to attend so i thought i see what others thought, if they were dealing with the same situation. Two more members of staff are also about to do the training to administer the medication that way we should all be able to support each other, even if one of us are on training or sick.

hi just wanted to say well done to you, my son has prolonged seizures so i know how you feel but you are doing everything you can and if the child doe's have another seizure in your care and you can not give medication then 999 is your only option, I think as long as all staff are trained up and parents are happy with the emergency plan that you have drawn up then you are covered and can do no more than you are doing ( which is a great job) keep up your good work as the child well be getting so much from your group .

I think it is really important to allow the child to attend and be included, my daughter suffered with epilepsy and the school tended to shy away from having her there although she wanted to be there. This subject is taboo but only because people arent educated and because you are they stand a good chance of not suffering from socialising with others and learning Good for you

Please don't answer this if you feel it's imposing, but I was wondering what sort of precautionary measures you've taken in the room to help in the event of a seizure ?

xx

We have an emergency procedure plan in place that all staff are aware of.
We have a few around the room. e.g one on the inside of the door where we keep equipment. One in the back of the register and another one in the Safe which we purchased to make sure that we can lock the medication away safely.
Staff are aware of what their roles will be should the child have a fit during the session. So far we haven't witnesses one as so far they always seem to happen at home.
We haven't actually changed anything with n the room. Children that have uncontrolled epilepsy used to be provided with a safety helmet to wear. I don't know if this is still procedure but our child hasn't been provided with one.

Apart from that it's a case of being extra vigilant, the child does not have a one to one worker as the powers that be didn't feel it was necessary.

We are based in a Children's Centre with plenty of Health Visitors around, but earlier this year when one of our children had a febrile convulsion, there wasn't one to be found.

Hi to everyone who responded

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who responded to this post and for all the advice given it is much appreciated.