Can a febrile seizure happen as/after the fever "breaks"?

[TabithaB]

Can a febrile seizure happen as/after the fever "breaks"?

I just think my two year old daughter had a febrile seizure.  She was running a fever last night.  She has never really been sick or had much of a fever.  Her temperature got as high as 102.9 last.  I didn't give her anything for it because she didn't seem to be in any distress, not fussy, a little clingy, but drinking and nursing.  Seemed fine.  I had decided to react if it got any higher but it didn't .  

We dozed off and went to sleep when her temperature was down to 101.6. I woke up to her kind of quivering in my back.  She was arching her arms and legs back and quivering.  I am not sure how long this was going on before I woke up, but I am a pretty light sleeper so it couldn't have been but moments.  She started wimpering and crying just a little, kinda scared/startled, but nursed and went back to sleep.  She was pretty disoriented for a minute.  The strange thing is that her temperature when I took it was 98.9 when I measured it after she calmed down.

I am pretty sure that this was a febrile seizure. Now hear me out before you throw me under the delinquent parent bus. I know I coulda/shoulda have gone to the ER, but I don't want to go for them run hours and hours worth of tests to tell me to observe her and send me home.  I am not opposed to medical care, but I am opposed to unnecessary medical care.  She is unvaccinated also so I am cautious about going because they are probably going to want to run every test under the sun.  

She seems fine.  Comfortable.  Still wanting to nurse, She smiled said night.night and went back to sleep.  I can't see dragging out a comfortable sleeping child out in the middle of the night.  Not worried, the "fit" just seems a little odd after the temperature dropped.  The bed was still hot underneath her so I am guessing that i just dropped faster than her nervous system liked/could handle.  Any input?

(posted in Health and Healing also)

[skycheattraffic]

I would have gone to the ER but my DH has epilepsy so I would need to get to the bottom of it if it was my DD. Without the family history, I would call my dr's office to check or I would call telehealth to speak to a nurse to see if I need to get it investigated further. I understand your concern with unnecessary testing but I would defer to the experience of a health professional just to see if further action is needed. They may just tell you to keep an eye on it and maybe make a note for the time, date and circumstances of the seizure in case this info would be of use later. I don't think you were negligent for not rushing to the ER but I would get input to see what if anything is needed from this point on. Just my two cents :-)

[momma2alauna]

I was a nanny for young girl who had a two febrial seizures while I was taking care of her. In both cases she was running a high fever at the time, but after the seizure her fever went down. When a child has a febrial seizure, it is her body s way of bringing the fever down, so in most cases the fever should subside quickly. I was absolutely terrified the first time it happened and quickly called 911, but with the second, I set her on her side to prevent her tongue from going down her throat, and let the seizure run its course. In her case it was very obvious that she was having a seizure.

[~Adorkable~]

i hope you DD is ok and i agree that you should call her health care provider and let them know.

on a side note i want to mention that you cant in fact have you tongue go down your throat. in a seizure you are way more likely to have problems with fluids than your tongue. rolling someone on their side is smart for that reason, but just to correct a often repeated old wives tail, no tongue swallowing unless you are eating strange food that has it in it.

http://sciencebasedlife.wordpress.com/2011/06/27/its-impossible-to-swallow-your-tongue/

[momma2alauna]

Good to know! :)

That is funny because it was the 911 operator that told me to do that, when I called for help with her first seizure.

[~Adorkable~]

that does not surpass me in the least, when we hear these things for long enough they all seem like fact. ive taken to googling so many thing these days and am constantly shocked at what is not the way i thought it was.