Living with Epilepsy – What Parents Need to Know

The first time that a child has an epileptic seizure can be terrifying for an adult and living with and caring for a child who has epilepsy may be no less challenging. There can be a range of emotions to contend with and equally there may be practical problems that a parent will have to deal with.

Accept the situation

Parents may want to find a reason for their child’s epilepsy and though reasons such as a difficult birth, head injury, metabolism problems, brain malformations or certain other conditions may be responsible, very often there may be no reason or explanation for the child’s epilepsy. It is quite unlikely that any act or omission of the parent may have caused the child’s epilepsy.

Get a definitive diagnosis

Seizures can occur due to many different reasons – they could be due to high fever for instance, that has nothing to do with epilepsy so a proper diagnosis has to be made.

Some types of seizures are outgrown with time, so what kind does your child have is something you should look at.

Determine effective treatment

The management and medication for generalized and partial seizures may be significantly different.

Is cure possible or should palliative care be the way to manage a child’s epilepsy? A proper treatment plan has to be devised in conjunction with caregivers, doctors and so on to make sure that the child is attended to whenever required.

Consider the impact that anticonvulsant medication can have on quality of life for a child and so on.

Consider alternative treatments as well. There are many who claim to have benefitted from natural and non invasive methods of treating epilepsy; holistic approaches that have fewer side effects.

Have a reaction plan

If your child has a seizure you should know how to react and this requirement should be communicated to a caregiver, school teacher or any other person who is likely to be in charge of your child.

Find support

Find out as much about this condition as possible by looking at online resources and websites. Also try and interact with other parents who have a child with epilepsy.

Joining online support groups can offer not only comfort and a sense of not being isolated, it can also help parents develop effective management strategies by virtue of sharing and swapping stories and advise.

Reading about other epilepsy stories can give a parent valuable insight into what their own child is going though and what they as parents can do to make things better.

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