Explanation of Epilepsy: Types of Seizures

Epilepsy has been in my family for generations. My grandmother, my sister, my son, my daughter, my grandson and I all have Grand Mal seizures. This is the type of seizure that most people recognize. It usually begins with an aura. An aura signals to the victim that a seizure is about to begin. It usually comes in the form of a visual disturbance. When the seizure begins, the patient becomes unconscious and the body starts shaking violently. The patient may stop breathing, may urinate, move their bowels or vomit while unconscious. After the seizure is over the patient is in a postictal state. Somewhere between consciousness and unconsciousness and may act as if they are angry. They will be disoriented. This usually is followed by a period of sleep. When the patient wakes up they will not recall having the seizure. One variation of the Grand Mal seizure is that some people only have them while they are sleeping.

To treat this kind of seizure: First make sure patient is in a safe place. Remove any objects that may cause them harm. Protect them from falling. Place them on their side. Watch their breathing. Call for help: if this is the first seizure the patient has ever had; if the seizure (the shaking and unconsciousness last for more than a few minutes); if the patient goes from one seizure to another without a significant break between them or if the patient has several seizures in a day.
Note: If the patient stops breathing while having a seizure, make sure airway is clear and begin CPR, and call for an ambulance.

Another type of seizure is Petite Mal. Unlike grand Mal, this type of seizure may go unnoticed. It will appear as if the person is day dreaming. The patient can have several of these at one time; each lasting just seconds. If you notice this behavior in a family member or yourself; you should speak to your doctor. He will then schedule tests like and EEG and put the patient on medicine.

There is another rare type of seizure; it is called a psycho motor seizure. My Mom had this type of seizure. Instead of becoming unconscious and shaking the patient will act out. They appear to be conscious but act oddly. In my mom's case, the seizure caused her to act in a violent manner. After the episode, there is a period of sleep and the patient has no recollection of the events. This needs to be treated by a doctor. If, when the patient is having a seizure and they are a danger to themselves or others, try to minimize the danger as much as possible.

As you can see there are many types of seizures; each seizure has its own symptoms and its own treatments. If you see a person having a seizure, the main thing that you want to do is to protect the patient from harm. Special Note: In the past, when someone is having a grand mal seizure, people have been told to insert a tongue depressor or spoon in their mouth to protect their tongues this is no longer recommended

This article was first published at Helium. com under the title "Types of Epilepsy and First Aid". Some of the original content has been changed. You can view the original article at: http://www.helium.com/tm/259577