Handling and first aid in epilepsy patients

Epilepsy can cause complications in the form of brain damage. Worse yet, it can lead to death if you don't get the right treatment right away. That is why, both the patient, family, and caregiver must follow medication and care as directed by a doctor. Come on, discuss the handling of epilepsy patients as well as the first aid you can do when you see a recurrent patient, in the following review.

Handling epilepsy patients in the hospital

In order to prevent life-threatening complications, patients who show symptoms of epilepsy are asked to go to the hospital. More specifically, here are the procedures for handling epilepsy patients that are usually applied.

1. Medical tests to make a diagnosis

Seizures are a typical symptom of epilepsy. However, not everyone who experiences these symptoms has epilepsy. The reason is, seizures can also occur in people who drink excessive alcohol, low blood salt levels, lack of sleep, or have high fever.

Epileptic seizures usually occur repeatedly and appear suddenly. If you, your family, or friends have had a recent seizure, your doctor will monitor the symptoms. Then, you or your family will be asked to undergo medical tests, such as blood tests, neurological tests, and electroencephalogram (EEG) tests. Usually, you will be referred to a neurologist.

2. Drug administration

The first treatment for epilepsy patients to suppress their symptoms is drug administration. Some drugs are usually prescribed sodium valproate, carbamazepine, lamotrigine, levetiracetam, or topiramate. Before a drug is prescribed, the doctor will usually ask about the patient's medical history.

Patients who have liver or kidney disease, are allergic to certain substances, are pregnant or are planning a pregnancy should tell their doctor this. After the drug is given, the doctor will observe the effectiveness of the drug in reducing the frequency of symptoms and side effects that appear.

3. Advanced medical procedures

If treatment with epilepsy drugs is not effective, the doctor will order further medical procedures in the form of surgery. The goal of this surgery is to remove the areas of the brain that trigger seizures, block the nerve pathways of the brain that cause seizures, and insert special devices into the brain to reduce the risk of brain damage or sudden death.

After the surgery, you will be asked to stay hospitalized for a few days and avoid strenuous activities.

First aid in patients with relapsing epilepsy

The majority of people diagnosed with epilepsy can control the incidence of their seizures with medication and surgery. However, up to 30-40 percent of people with epilepsy are required to continue to live at risk of seizures because available treatment therapies do not completely control their seizures.

If you are with someone who is experiencing epileptic tonic-clonic seizures (seizures followed by muscle stiffness and loss of consciousness that puts an epileptic patient at risk of falling), treatment measures you can take include:

• Stay calm and stay with the person.
• Time the seizure from start to finish.
• Loosen clothes around his neck.
• Remove sharp and dangerous objects (glasses, furniture, other hard objects) from the person.
• Ask those nearby, if available, to step back and make room for that person.
• Slowly lay the person on their side as quickly as possible, put a pillow (or something soft) under their head, and open their jaws to open a better airway while preventing the person from choking on saliva or vomiting. A person cannot swallow the tongue, but the tongue can be pushed backwards causing obstruction of the airway.
• Keep in touch with the person so you know when they are sober.
• After the victim regains consciousness, he may feel dazed. Stay with and calm the victim. Don't leave the victim alone until she feels completely fit again.

Avoid this in the first treatment for epilepsy patients

• Restraining the seizure or restrain the person. This could result in injury
• Put any object in the victim's mouth or pull his tongue out. This can also cause injury
• Feed, drink, or take medication until the victim is fully recovered and conscious

Seek immediate medical help if…

• If this is her first seizure (still seek help if you are unsure).
• The seizure lasts more than five minutes, or the first seizure is immediately followed by a follow-up seizure without pause (status epilipticus), or if the victim cannot be awakened after the seizure and shaking is over.
• The person cannot be fully conscious or has difficulty breathing.
• The seizures occur in the water.
• The person is injured during the seizure.
• The person is pregnant.
• You hesitate.

If the seizure occurs while the person is in a wheelchair, vehicle passenger seat, or stroller, allow the person to remain seated as long as they are safe and secured by a seat belt.

Support the head until the seizure is over. Sometimes, victims need to be lifted out of the chair when the seizure is over, for example, if their airway is blocked or they need sleep. If there is food, drinking, or vomiting, remove the person from the chair and immediately lie down on their side.

If it is not possible to move the victim, continue to provide support to the head to ensure that the head does not droop back, then discard their mouths when the seizure is over.

Other epilepsy patient management measures

Epilepsy treatment is not only done when the symptoms recur, also not only in the form of first aid for the sufferer. You also need to take precautions. This is done so that the patient remains safe in his activities when the symptoms recur. Guide to safe living for families living with epilepsy patients, as reported by the National Health Service page:

Home treatment for epilepsy

• Install a smoke detector to avoid fires that may occur when epilepsy relapses.
• Cover sharp or protruding edges or corners of furniture with soft cushions to avoid injury when you fall during recurrences.
• Make sure the floor of the house is prone to getting wet, for example in front of the bathroom door or porch to always be equipped with a doormat. The goal is to avoid slipping when symptoms recur.

Handling epilepsy in carrying out activities

• Do not allow the patient to exercise alone, especially water sports such as swimming. You or your caregiver should always supervise them while doing these activities.
• Ensure that the patient always wears protective equipment when exercising, such as a helmet or knee and elbow pads when cycling.
• It is better not to allow patients to drive anymore. You or you can also ask for help from other people to escort the patient if you want to visit a place.

Epilepsy treatment at school

• Make sure the school and friends know the child's condition.
• Always prepare medicines that need to be taken by children. Give a label to each drug and have the dosage adjusted so that the child doesn't drink the wrong thing.
• Children with epilepsy may have difficulty receiving lessons. Therefore, try to consider your child to take a special class so that your little one gets better guidance in participating in learning activities.