Newly Diagnosed With Grand Mal Seizures? Two Tips To Help You Stay Safe
If you have been diagnosed with grand mal seizures, you need to take some steps to help you stay safe while you are having a seizure. This is especially true if you have seizures that are not completely controlled by medications. Below are two things you should consider doing.
Use a Seizure Response Dog
When you have a seizure and it is in public this is a very dangerous situation for you to be in. To help in a situation like this, you can get a seizure response dog. This type of dog is trained do certain tasks while you are having a seizure and after the seizure is over. This may include rolling you over on your side to keep your airway open, alerting other people by barking, blocking you from intersections and stairs, and helping you rise to a standing position when the seizure is over. The dog may lay on your or next to you to provide you with comfort during the seizure.
No breed is better than another when it comes to a seizure response dog. If you already have a dog, it may be able to be trained to do this. The trainer will know within a day or two if it has this ability. If not, they will train a dog that will work better for you. If you hire a trainer, it is important that they are experienced in training seizure response dogs to ensure your dog will keep you safe.
Make Your House Safer
You need to make some changes to your home to keep you safer during a seizure. If you have rooms in your home that have hardwood or tile floors, consider carpeting these rooms, as it would be safer for you to fall on carpet than a hard surface. Of course, carpet would not work well in a kitchen but you could put throw rugs on the floor.
Because you may not have controlled seizures, you should never be left alone in the room while there is a fire going even if there is a screen. If you use a space heater in your home, make sure the one that you have cannot be tipped over.
If you have young children, block stairs with a safety gate. Put a safety gate for any room you do not want them to have access to in case you have a seizure when you are alone with them.