Wednesday 03.10.2010
Myoclonic Seizures: During a myoclonic seizure, your muscles contract rapidly for a brief time. You make sudden jerking motions on both sides of your body or sometimes in one foot or arm. While you probably will not need first aid, you should see a healthcare professional if you've just had a myoclonic seizure for the first time.
Tonic-Clonic Seizures: During a tonic-clonic seizure (also known as grand mal or convulsions), you stiffen (the tonic phase) and your limbs and face begin to jolt and shake (the clonic phase). During the tonic phase, your breathing may slow down or even pause. In a typical tonic-clonic seizure, when the convulsive movements begin, breathing returns. The jerking and jolting of the clonic phase often lasts less than a minute. Tonic-clonic seizures occur in different ways. Some people experience only the initial stiffening; others experience only the jerking motions. For some people, a tonic-clonic seizure may begin with an atonic seizure. The muscles that control continence may be among those that contract and relax rapidly during the clonic phase. Although you may bite your tongue or parts of your mouth during a tonic-clonic seizure, you cannot "swallow your tongue" as some myths insist. After a tonic-clonic seizure, you may feel confused and thoroughly exhausted; you may also have a headache. Your body and your brain will need rest. Expect it to take a little while from a few minutes to some hours to feel entirely yourself again. If breathing does not return quickly after the tonic phase, if a seizure goes on for more than 5 minutes, or if another seizure or series of seizures follows the first, you will need emergency medical care.
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