I’m going to share something that I haven’t shared before, largely because it was so traumatizing. But I think it’s useful for people to know about, parents in particular.
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Two years ago, Thomas was sick. He had some sort of virus, short of the flu. We took him to the doctor and gave him Motrin for his fever.
Afterward, we were heading to the car when Thomas suddenly went limp. He began seizing and wouldn’t respond to me or my wife.
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Afterward, we were heading to the car when Thomas suddenly went limp. He began seizing and wouldn’t respond to me or my wife.
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Sometimes, kids get fevers which spike so quickly that it essentially shorts out their brains’ control over their bodies. It’s not dangerous, but we didn’t know that in the moment.
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We rushed back to the doctor, Thomas in my arms. The doctor had seen it before and wasn’t overly concerned, though he wanted to ensure that Thomas was getting enough oxygen. He called paramedics just in case. By the time they arrived, Thomas had come out of it.
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The event, a febrile (as in fever) seizure, wasn’t dangerous. It was horrible and terrifying and it makes me emotional just to think about it. But part of that was because I didn’t know that this could happen.
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It’s taken two years for me to be able to share that it happened.
It was the worst. Should it happen to your kid, hopefully it is of some use to know that this might happen, that it’s not uncommon and that it’s not generally dangerous.
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It was the worst. Should it happen to your kid, hopefully it is of some use to know that this might happen, that it’s not uncommon and that it’s not generally dangerous.
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One point I should add: it apparently has a genetic component. So worth knowing your and your partner’s history.
