What kind of things should I write down after my child's seizure?
It's helpful to write down answers to as many of the following as you can.
- What were they doing when it started?
- How did it start?
- Which part of the body was first involved?
- How did it progress?
- Did it include both arms and legs?
- If it only involved one side, which side was that?
- Were they aware of it happening?
- At what point did they lose awareness?
- Did they lose consciousness?
- Was there a change in colour?
- How long did it last?
- Were they sleepy or disorientated afterwards?
- Afterwards, did they have trouble moving one side of their body?
- Did they miss any medicine today?
- Has there been a recent change in medicine?
- What did they feel before or during the seizure?
Videoing the seizure
- It is really helpful for you to video the seizure to show your doctor.
- Make sure your child is safe before you start videoing - or get someone else to video for you while you help your child.
- When you video a seizure it is good to get your child's whole body in the screen not just their head.
Using a calendar or a seizure tracking app
If your child has frequent seizures, it's a good idea to record the date - either on a calendar or in an app. This is helpful for your doctor.
There are different apps available for recording seizures with different features such as the free app called Seizure Tracker.
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Seizure tracker app
The free seizure tracker app is available in the google play store and the apple store.
Acknowledgements
The content on this page has been developed and approved by the Paediatric Neurology Clinical Network, Paediatric Society New Zealand.
