I
remember the first time I saw someone having a fit, it was scary, almost
traumatic. I was in a reading room in med school preparing for a test, when all
of a sudden, I heard a thud right behind me. Startled, I sprang out of my seat,
turning back to see one of my friends on the floor, convulsing. The fit lasted
a few minutes after which his friends helped him up and out of the reading
room. The incident ended my reading-in that reading room- then and
subsequently, for good. Being around someone having fits can be a scary
experience, especially when it’s a close friend or relative. It sometimes looks
like the person is about to die and nothing can be done to help.
Fits are caused by abnormal electrical
activity in the brain leading to involuntary movements of the limbs with a
change in the sufferer’s consciousness. Some causes in this environment
include:
·
Febrile illnesses; illnesses
that markedly raise body temperature for example malaria and respiratory tract
infections(in which case it is known as a febrile convulsion and it’s seen in
children aged 6months to 6 years)
·
Infections of the
brain(encephalitis) and the brain coverings(meningitis)
· Epilepsy; a condition in which
a person has recurrent seizures,
·
Head injury e.g. from trauma
One of the first things that people do
when someone around them starts fitting is to look for a spoon or any other
object available to put in the person's mouth. It’s believed that this will
prevent the person from swallowing his tongue or biting it. This is a dangerous
move as putting a spoon/any object in a fitting person's mouth can lead to injury
to the persons gum, damage to the teeth and they could even swallow the object(the spoon)
leading to injury to the person’s throat and obstruct breathing. The person
trying to help can also get injured in the process. Although a person
convulsing, can bite the tongue, the injury caused by this is less than what happens
when objects are put in their mouth.
Most seizures last for a short
time(seconds to minutes), and a good way to help is to move away furniture(or
any other object) that can injure the person e.g. tables with sharp edges, chairs. Also, loosen
any tight clothing around their neck and if possible, lie them on their side.
Place something soft under the person's head to stop their head from hitting
the floor, but do not restrain them. Finally seek medical intervention.
Don't cause more harm by trying to be
helpful. Don't touch that spoon.
Hey blogger!
ReplyDeleteWhat about something soft like a piece of cloth?
Its not advisable to put anything at all in the mouth of someone convulsing. I know people try putting objectsfor 2 reasons. firstly to prevent the person from swallowing their tongue (this is a myth,its not possible for a person to swallow their tongue), the second reason is to prevent them from biting their tongue,and putting a cloth wont prevent this. trying to put an object can also injure the person trying to help.
DeleteYou have spoken well Princess. Although from a medical perspective, I kinda understand and see reason why people might want to protect the tongue even though they might not know this.
ReplyDeleteThe tongue is a very vascular organ, richly supplied by blood vessels and injuries to it can lead to excessive bleeding.
However, this does not necessitate the sticking in of spoons or whatever objects as the case may be into the person's mouth neither does it make it right.
I have seen cases of people who lost several teeth and sustained several gum injuries as a result of forceful sticking of objects into their mouth.
Likewise, do not attempt sticking your fingers in, you might have them bitten off! You have no idea how severe fits can be.
Just as Princess rightly outlined, after all protective measures have been carried out, do seek medical help so a bleeding tongue can be sutured.
A clean cloth to apply pressure on the bleeding tongue can be used pending the time you get help
NB: But be sure the fits have stopped cos you may never know!
Weighing the damage that can be occassioned from fitting a spoon alongside the possibility of a bitten tongue, the spoon or any other object should be kept away. When we have two situations that necessitate that we make a choice, we should select wisely. Well said Doc. I'm also more concerned about how people around react to Fits. I was at a Fast food joint when one young man experienced one. You should have seen the look on his face after it subsided. He felt ashamed and was apologizing for causing a scene. We should be proactive around such people. Like you rightly said, we should rid his path of all objects likely to cause harm. Try our best (i know we're busy) to get such person to safety (medic)and not just to look at such people with pity-filled eyes. It makes them feel ashamed.
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