My husband has just been diagnosed with a brain tumour. The doctors have said he might develop seizures and have started him on tablets to prevent this happening. If he does have a seizure what should I do?

Seizures are caused by sudden electrical overactivity from the nerve tissue within the brain.

Seizures can also be called fits, attacks, spells, convulsions or turns.

They can be divided into two main groups: partial seizures and generalised seizures.

Partial seizures. These are often minor, no more than a momentary loss of speech or an abnormal sensation (like smelling burning or thinking you are watching what is happening rather than actually being there). These usually cause no problems.

If this happens to your husband.

• Stay with him until he recovers and is fully aware of his surroundings.
• Make sure there is nothing dangerous nearby that could cause him harm.
• Afterwards talk gently to him and reassure him.
• Make a note of when the seizures happen. If they become frequent your husband can let the doctors know and they can adjust his medicines.

Generalised seizures (tonic-clonic seizures) are more noticeable.

Sometimes they begin with a brief change in sensation, known as an aura. This can be tingling in an arm or leg, or seeing very bright lights, an alteration in smell or taste or a sudden feeling of anxiety.Often there is no aura and the seizure comes on without any warning.

The first sign of a seizure is as the person loses consciousness. Their muscles stiffen, and they fall to the ground. Sometimes the person may seem to cry out. This is caused by muscles in the chest contracting and forcing air out of the lungs. After a few seconds the person's muscles begin to contract and relax repeatedly. This causes twitching and jerking movements. The person's breathing may be irregular. Occasionally they may lose control of their bladder and wet themselves. After a few minutes the jerking movements stop and the person becomes limp. They may stay unconscious for a few minutes. When they wake up they will not remember the seizure and may have a headache or feel dizzy or confused for a while. They may feel very tired and go on to have a normal but deep sleep.

During the seizure there is complete loss of consciousness so you will not be able to communicate in any way with your husband.

Unless they hurt themselves as they fall, people usually suffer no harm as a result of the fit and will be physically and mentally back to normal soon afterwards.

Because they happen so suddenly, seizures can be alarming to the people who are around and so it is easy to panic. Here are some useful points to guide you through what to do if your husband has a seizure.

• Stay calm.
• Protect your husband from injury by moving harmful objects out of the way.
• Put a cushion or something soft, like a rolled up jumper, under his head.
• Once the jerking movements have stopped, roll him onto his side, (into the recovery position) this helps his breathing.
• When your husband regains consciousness talk to him gently and reassuringly.
• Stay with him until he is fully recovered.
• Don't try to restrain your husband during the seizure.
• Don't try to put anything into his mouth. this does no good and can cause harm.
• Don't give him anything to eat or drink until he is fully recovered.

Because there is no lasting damage from the attack there is no need to call an ambulance unless your husband injures himself or the seizure goes on for longer than 5 minutes (this is rare).