The Fundamentals

One of the fundamentals of epilepsy awareness is knowing the phases of a seizure. The Prodromal (aka Prodrome)– this is the first phase , but this phase isn’t the seizure itself. This is an odd feeling that a seizure is coming. Sometimes , during this phase you may experience nausea , a headache, or just simply feel nervous. This may come hours, or days before the actual seizure. Like many things with epilepsy, everyone is different so not everyone experiences the Prodromal phase. The second phase is known as the Aura. (WARNING! YOU’RE ABOUT TO HAVE A SEIZURE!) The Aura phase can be different for everyone, but it commonly involves numbness, odd smells, vision difficulties, déjà vu, fear, ringing in the ears, and many more based on the patient. Not everyone experiences an Aura, and their seizure has no warning. Although not commonly explained by doctors, the Aura phase is actually a small seizure and will show up on an EEG ! (We’ll get to that later). The third phase is the Ictal (middle) phase. This is the seizure itself. There are many signs of a seizure, and many types of seizures. But we’ll save that for another post. The last phase is the Post-Ictal phase. The name explains itself, but I’ll do some more explaining for you. Depending on the type of seizure the person had, and where in their brain the seizure activity took place, determines how long it will take to recover. Some seizures can take days to recover, some only a few hours, and if you’re lucky, even less. Common symptoms after a seizure during the post-ictal phase, the individual is confused, tired, and emotional (crying) it is best to give them space, but make sure they remain safe. https://epilepsyfoundation.org.au/understanding-epilepsy/seizures/seizure-phases/