November is National Epilepsy Awareness Month

The following information is from my good friend Kelly, best known here from Missing JT Snow. In honor of National Epilepsy Awareness Month - visit Kelly and her beautiful daughter Jenelle from this site (click here) about Jenelle's Journey with Lennox Gastaut Syndrome (a severe form of Epilepsy).

Graphic from brownielocks.com

"November is National Epilepsy Awareness Month!

Wear purple/lavender and help get the word out about Epilepsy!

Well you all know about our Jenelle. The scary times, the good times and hopefully all the things she is overcoming. We couldn't be prouder of our little girl, but we also realize the long, tough road it took to get to where we are today. Many of you often ask us what to do when you see someone having a seizure. Rather than go on about Jenelle, I wanted to share with you some tips about first aid when someone has a seizure.

Seizure First Aid:
Witnessing a seizure is frightening. Witnessing your child seizing is indescribable. Prior to our learning that Jenelle was having seizures, we had absolutely no experience with seizures or first aid for seizures. Now we are old pros and it is really something you just learn by fire so to speak. When someone is having a seizure, the hardest thing to do is remain calm, but it is the best and first thing you should do. Make sure the person seizing is comfortable and not hurting themselves (i.e. if they are repeatedly hitting their head on concrete - move them!) Start timing the seizure and wait it out until the seizure stops naturally on its own. What feels like 5 minutes to you may only be 40 seconds… its best to check your watch when timing. If the seizure goes longer than 5 minutes, call 911. And its is just as simple as that!

Here are some "Grand Mal First Aid" seizure things to do (taken from the National Epilepsy Foundation website):

Keep calm and reassure other people who may be nearby.
Don't hold the person down or try to stop his movements.
Time the seizure with your watch.
Clear the area around the person of anything hard or sharp.
Loosen ties or anything around the neck that may make breathing difficult.
Put something flat and soft, like a folded jacket, under the head.
Turn him or her gently onto one side. This will help keep the airway clear. Do not try to force the mouth open with any hard implement or with fingers. It is not true that a person having a seizure can swallow his tongue. Efforts to hold the tongue down can injure teeth or jaw.
Don't attempt artificial respiration except in the unlikely event that a person does not start breathing again after the seizure has stopped.
Stay with the person until the seizure ends naturally.
Be friendly and reassuring as consciousness returns.
Offer to call a taxi, friend or relative to help the person get home if he seems confused or unable to get home by himself.
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Please pass this along to your friends and family; and feel free to ask questions about Epilepsy. The more we talk about it, the more awareness we'll get! Thanks for the support for our Jenelle!
Kelly

"

You can also click the following links (or links above) to learn more about Epilepsy and what you can do to help...

Peace of Mind Jewelry - Jenelle's Epilepsy Bracelet ($10 of proceeds will be donated to the Epilepsy Foundation) http://www.peaceofmindjewelry.com/charity.htm#Epilepsy_Awareness

Make Every Day Better - http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/howtohelp/index.cfm