Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Swimming can be so much fun during summer, but not when you or someone you know suddenly experience grand mal seizures. This scene can be very frightening, since some incidents like this resulted to drowning. For sure, you don't want to be a witness of this, especially if you don't know exactly what to do when grand mal seizures take place. So, before you hit the beach this summer, why not educate yourself with some grand mal seizure first aid tips? But first, here is a brief overview of what grand mal seizure is.

Also known as tonic-clonic seizure, grand mal seizure is a convulsion or a sudden attack whereas a person experiences violent muscle contractions and loss of consciousness. It is often caused by the abnormal activity throughout the brain; and in some cases, it is triggered by various health conditions like kidney failure, epilepsy, and very low blood sugar. It only lasts a few minutes, the first phase causing the victim to fall down if he or she was standing and become unconscious, while the second phase causing him or her to experience general loss of control over the functions of the body. But these few minutes are very critical, that's why it is important to know what to do when grand mal seizures take place.

Although seeing someone experiencing grand mal seizure can be very frightening, you have to remain calm and have presence of mind to at least help the victim. Although you cannot do anything to stop the seizure, you can do something to prevent it from becoming more serious. First, if the victim is lying on his back, make sure to turn him onto the side so that if he vomits, he will not swallow it and get choked. Second, put something soft under his head because the shaking brought by the seizure might get his head banged hard against the ground. Also, remove sharp objects near him and never restrain him from moving. And third, do not place anything into his mouth.

After doing all those first aid tips, you can either bring the victim to a medical facility or better yet, call 911 so that more reliable personnel can assess the victim. As a bystander, you cannot really do a lot to stop the seizure from taking place. But recalling the scene and providing the needed information to medical personnel could be the victim's lifesaver as far as diagnosis and treatment are concerned.

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