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5 Simple but Effective Tips to Help Your Epileptic Child

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Epilepsy isn’t common, but it is a well-known illness. Unfortunately, epilepsy can begin when you are a child and carry on for life. Here are some ways you can heal your epileptic children.

Keep a Record of Events

It’s hard to describe seizures because of all the symptoms, and your child may not remember a lot of what happened. However, recording a video of a loved one can help. It’s excellent for your allocated neurosurgeon and nurses since they can see how your child is doing. It’s also helpful to keep a record of the type, time of day, duration, and what they were doing when the seizure started. Then you can use this information to look for patterns. This will help you identify the triggers and symptoms of an upcoming episode so you can prepare for when it happens.

Help Before, During, and After a Seizure

It can be a terrifying experience to witness a seizure for the first time. When you have a grand mal seizure, your body and face may seem to deform at an impossible angle. These are frightening for siblings to witness. And worse for your child experiencing a seizure if they have focal epilepsy. With focal epilepsy, the patient is aware of what is happening and cannot do anything about it. It is best to stay calm and provide assistance by making sure your child doesn’t hit their head on anything and sees a familiar face when the episode ends.

Help Your Epileptic Child with Comorbidities

Each patient’s issues are different. Perhaps your child’s epilepsy coexists with long-term depressive disorders like bipolar. For instance, sometimes depression happens before or after seizures. In these cases, you can think of them as early indicators of an incoming episode, kind of like how your child might describe auras. However, other mental problems can start days before, rather than minutes, and last for days afterward. Made worse by the debilitating effect of epilepsy itself, full episodes can be exhausting and debilitating for your child.

Assist them Through the Post-Ictal Stages

Following a seizure, your child might be “posy-ictal” for a period. This means they are basically recovering from what has happened. However, an episode can cause bodily injuries, extreme tiredness, and confusion. And the effects can last from hours to days. For an adult, this is frustrating. You can only imagine what it is like for a child. So, give your child some space and provide comfort. It’s possible they are embarrassed about their conditions, so try to limit the number of people in the room and make sure they are as comfortable as possible.

Help Other People Understand

Epilepsy can be viewed as another problem. People often assume epilepsy is caused by drugs or alcohol. Clearly, a young child won’t be drinking or taking drugs. However, people tend to be judgmental nonetheless. It is helpful to explain to others that your child is epileptic when a seizure happens in public. And ask them to give you some space. It’s also a good idea to explain that your child has a condition to siblings, cousins, and friends. And that they aren’t any different than anyone else. Sadly, children are more understanding than adults.

Summary

As a parent, it’s horrid to see your kids go through epilepsy. But you can help by recording episodes and making your child comfortable before, during, and after a seizure.

Focus On Key Factors Regarding Your Health

If your New Year’s Resolution was to be healthier then you may be looking to find new ways to do this. It can be a bit of a minefield trying to navigate the world of health and wellness. Take a look below for five ideas that may help you. 

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Diet

The key aspect of being healthy is watching what you eat. This may sound simple but there are a lot of hidden nasties in food products, even in ones you deem to be healthy. There was a scenario not so long ago where a salad contained large quantities of salt, therefore the salad wasn’t very good for you. You should be aiming to consume one of each of the key food groups with each meal. These include carbohydrates, proteins, fats, dairy, fruits, and vegetables. If you struggle to eat these or are on a special diet meaning you can’t, then you might want to look into taking a multivitamin or supplement to help your body get what it needs. 

Water

As well as eating a well-balanced, healthy diet you need to also make sure you are drinking water regularly. You should aim to drink at least eight glasses of water a day, this equates to around two liters. This is just the minimum recommended amount, if you drink more than that then that’s great. Water helps keep your body and mind hydrated, without it you can end up with regular headaches, dizziness, and lack of concentration. 

Checkups

It is essential to your health that you attend regular checkups with your doctor. This not only ensures you are fighting fit but stops any unwanted health problems sneaking up on you. If you regularly suffer from sinus infections and flare-ups then you might want to mention this as there could be some treatment available. Believe it or not, some remedies help sinuses in the form of what you eat. Take a look at foods for sinus infection here, it might be worth a shot to get rid of it and prevent it. 

Sleep

Next, take a look at how well you are sleeping. You may not know it but the amount of sleep and the quality of sleep you get could be affecting you day to day. You should be aiming for around six to eight hours each night to function well. You can of course function on less than this but it is not sustainable. If you regularly wake up and have disturbed nights then this might be something to look into. It may be something as simple as your mattress being old and lumpy. 

Lifestyle

Finally, if you are wanting to be your very best self then take a look at the type of lifestyle you lead. If you are inactive, smoke, or drink then it may be worth changing this up a bit. It can be very tricky getting up and about, especially if you work long hours at home or in an office. Remember, you can enjoy everything in moderation. If you are having one glass of wine a week, then this is much better than enjoying one or two each night.

Tips For Helping Your Child With Their Homework

As a parent, you have a lot on your plate that you regularly accomplish without issue. However, the one task that catches a lot of parents off guard is having to help with your child’s homework. Most children view their parents as a fountain of infinite knowledge, which often leads to complications when you have no idea about what they are studying. The homework process is only made worse by the fact that your child would rather be doing anything else.

Homework does not need to be a chore, however. Let’s look at a few ways you can help with your child’s homework so you can put it in the rear-view mirror as quickly as possible.

Catch Up

Schooling has changed a lot since the current generation of parents attended. This means that many of the processes you learned will be out of date, which doesn’t help your child. You will find that math is a completely different animal entirely.

Instead of trying to learn these new methods alongside your child, try to get ahead of the topic before you lend them a hand. The adult brain is equipped to learn new things much quicker, and there are plenty of places online which can help you with getting better at math. It doesn’t take long, and you will find it much easier by giving yourself this head start.

Turn Off Distractions

The hardest part of any homework assignment is finding the motivation to sit down and do it. There is a lot in your house that can distract your child, all of which is far more appealing than doing more school work.

If you want your child to sit down and get their homework done, you are better off removing all of these distractions before you start. This way, they have no option but to finish their homework before doing the things they enjoy.

Take An Interest

Every parent acts as a barometer for what is normal in a child’s life. They will no doubt hear about how boring their school work is from their peers, which is why it is your job to change this narrative.

Asking your kids questions about their school work gives them the confidence to talk about their subjects in a non-pressured environment. This may give them a newfound enthusiasm for their school work, especially if they see you taking an interest.

Talk To The Teacher

It doesn’t matter how long you spend sitting at a table with your child. Nobody knows what your child needs to achieve except their teacher. Every teacher approaches their job differently, and this may be why your child is struggling with concepts that you think they are good at. It may just be that their teacher is looking for them to tackle their problems from a different angle. Therefore, you may find it beneficial to talk to your child’s teacher to learn more about what they expect.

Summary

Doing homework with your child shouldn’t feel like a chore. Take our advice, and you’ll be able to successfully help your child so you can move on and enjoy the rest of your free time together.