Managing Epilepsy in Children: A Guide for Families
Introduction
Learning your child experiences multiple seizures can be a scary thing at first. Childhood epilepsy tends to be associated with a lot of general fear and anxiety, as the child’s family is often caught unprepared.
There are several researched methods to help with managing the symptoms of Epilepsy in your kids and how you can improve the living situation for both the child and yourself. Though it is perfectly normal to feel scared, it is equally important to take the initiative to understand the disease and find ways to make seizure management as easy as possible.
What is Epilepsy?
Epilepsy is a condition causing seizures, which are often a result of unregulated electrical activity in the brain. Seizures can be of different types and often present unique symptoms in every child.
Risk Factors of Epilepsy in Children
While these are not the direct causes of Epilepsy, the chances of your child developing seizures might be higher if they have or had the following:
1. A family history of Epilepsy
2. History of traumatic head injury affecting the brain
3. History of brain infections like meningitis
4. History of adverse issues affecting the brain at the time of birth
Cause for Epilepsy
Many types of Epilepsy and Seizure types are seen in children. Reasons of occurrence of seizures/epilepsy are numerous. It is as important to understand the cause of epilepsy as it is to treat.
Treatment of Epilepsy
Anti-seizure medications
Also known as ASMs, these medications form the first-line treatment of Epilepsy. Two-thirds of affected children may benefit from medical treatment, while the others may require other modes like surgery, vagus nerve stimulation, and dietary therapies.
Dietary changes
When your child does not respond well to medical therapy, dietary therapies may be an option in some epilepsies. Dietary therapies must be administered and supervised by a medical practitioner and a certified dietician.
Family support in Epilepsy
Even with a tricky health condition that requires multiple safety precautions to avoid seizures, children with Epilepsy also require normal socializing and physical activity like any other child. Hence, the parents and family members need to make their childhood enjoyable while maintaining an adequately safe environment for them to stay happy and maintain good psychological well-being as well.
Support groups and learning programs
Currently, there are a lot of support groups and workshops for parents and families dealing with children with Epilepsy, where you can ask your questions to people who have good experience and knowledge about the same. Communicating with parents and families who face the same troubles as you could be a comforting thing to do since you would feel understood and truly get some practical insight.
There are also several awareness camps, educational seminars, and workshops where expert doctors and scholars explain the various aspects of the disease and educate the concerned families about the condition and most importantly, how to support the child suffering from Epilepsy. This becomes greatly important to ensure a healthy and comforting home environment for the child.
Importance of a nourishing environment
As a thumb rule, a good environment in childhood goes a long way in any case, irrespective of the child’s health. It is very important to keep the child happy, healthy, and emotionally strong as well. One should not shield them too much from regular activities. The child must freely attend school and other common activities, and build good relationships with their peers, just like any other child of the same age would do.
Though it would be a good idea to have an eye out for the activities your kid is involved in, meddling too much is not so appreciated. Most doctors and pediatricians agree that Epilepsy is something that should not stop a child from achieving academic and physical goals.
Counseling the families
With increasing awareness of Epilepsy and seizures among the common public, it is not so much of a taboo right now as it would have been a few years ago. Anyone in the child’s school or surroundings are less likely to judge them or react inconsiderately. Rather, most of them would genuinely just offer help. Hence, if needed, it is important to counsel families regarding this aspect too.
FAQs
Q1. Are all seizures considered Epilepsy?
Ans. While Epilepsy is a condition always involving seizures, all seizures are not necessarily Epilepsy. To diagnose a child with Epilepsy, one should examine for multiple episodes of seizures not caused by any other medical condition.
Q2. When do symptoms of Epilepsy start showing?
Ans. The age at which your child develops symptoms might vary based on the type of Epilepsy. Some forms manifest during infancy, while some take as long as puberty. For the same reason, most pediatricians suggest parents stay cautious and watchful when their child has had any previous episodes of seizure or any risk factors pointing towards it.
Q3. It has been several weeks since my child had a seizure. Can I stop his anti-seizure medication?
Ans. No. Always consult your child’s doctor before making any changes to the treatment regime. Stopping them suddenly may result in aggravated symptoms or seizures that are more severe than usual.
