ONE minute Jan Harvey's young son, Max, was playing happily, the next he was rigid. His jaw was locked, he went purple and his eyes were blank and staring.

Max, who's two-and-a-half, had suddenly had a convulsive fit. It's something which is far more common than you might think and something every parent should know how to deal with.

Max, who is now fully recovered, ended up in the Horton Hospital, in Banbury, with his distraught mother at his side.

"It was the most awful experience. The hospital staff were great but there's nothing more upsetting than seeing your child ill and helpless," said Jan, 36, a divorcee who lives with Max in Little Coxwell, Faringdon.

"He was lying there delirious and frightened and I couldn't take my eyes off him for a minute. The overwhelming feeling of love and maternal instinct is so powerful in situations like these," explained Jan.

"It's hard to put into words, but it was almost like the umbilical cord had been reattached. I sat by his bed all night and willed him through. Then, at around 3.30 in the morning, he suddenly turned round looked at me and said "Hello Mummy". That's the moment he came back and I could finally relax.

"Max had had something called a confebrile convulsion. As far as I'm aware, it's caused when a child has a virus and high fever together," explained Jan.

The episode was one of the most terrifying things that's ever happened to her, especially since she wasn't there when the fit took place.

"But I'm glad I wasn't because I wouldn't have known what to do. My mother was with Max and she did.

"That's one of the main things to come out of this - the importance of knowing how to deal with a convulsion. It's far more common than you think and it's vital that adults act quickly," said Jan.

Max had been staying with his grandparents in Bicester when he had his fit.

"They were looking after him while I was working. He had been a little under the weather with a virus that was going round, so he was playing indoors and they were being very protective. "My brother had had epileptic fits as a child, so Mum was used to dealing with those. Max did get very hot, so she stripped him off and tried to cool him down with tepid water. Apparently, almost all children who have convulsions recover completely within five minutes," said Jan

"It's important to time the fit by the clock. A worried mum's five minutes could, in reality, be less than a minute, so you do need the clock," said Jan.

Max now stands a 50 per cent chance of having another fit before he's five, although the convulsions do tend to trail off after that age.

"What concerns me is that I've heard of several other children who have had convulsions too. That's just within my social circle, so it must be quite a common thing.

"I think it's important for all mums and dads to know how to cope." said Jan. What every parent should know ACCORDING to consultant paediatrician Dr Anne Thomson confebrile convulsions are very common in young children.

Dr Thomson, who is based at the John Radcliffe Hospital, in Oxford, sees at least one child a day who has suffered from one.

"They are terribly common. Probably about one in ten children will suffer from a confebrile convulsion. If parents don't know what they are, then they can be quite scary," she said.

The convulsions result from a combination of a virus and a high fever.

Dr Thomson said: "Most convulsions will last five minutes or less and the child will make a full recovery without any problems.

"What we usually say to parents is that they should try to keep a child with a high fever's temperature down, by giving them Calpol and perhaps stripping them off, or giving them a tepid bath, but not when they are convulsing.

"The most sensible thing to do when a child has a convulsion is to make sure the child is in a safe position - not at the top of the stairs or anywhere dangerous - and, if possible, place the child in the recovery position until the fit is over. "It's a good idea to ring your GP afterwards to let them know what's happened but it isn't always necessary to go to hospital.

"Young children have a lower threshold when it comes to having fits. they usually grow out of them and it's very unusual for a child of five or six to have a first-time confebrile convulsion.

"We don't know what generates the fits. Anyone can fit, it's just that children have a lower threshold. Parents should be aware that they are very common and that the children are fine afterwards." THE FACTS ABOUT FITTING

A convulsion is an attack in which the pers

on becomes unconscious, with jerking arms and legs. It is caused by a storm of activity in the brain, usually brought on by a high temperature

A child will not normally require regular tablets or medicine afterwards, but your GP will advise.

Confebrile fits are not epileptic fits. The word epilepsy is applied to fits without fever, usually in older children or adults

The child is unaware of what is happening and is not in pain

Ninety nine children out of 100 who have had a convulsion before the age of five never have convulsions after reaching school age

It may happen again. Of ten children who have had a confebrile convulsion, about three or four will have another one. The risk lessens after the age of three. WHAT TO DO

If your child has a fever, take his/her temperature regularly. keep the child cool, give plenty of fluids and regular doses of children's paracetamol medicine. Do not exceed the stated doses

If your child has a confebrile convulsion:

Lay the child on his/her side with the head at the same level as the body, or slightly lower

Time the fit. If the convulsion lasts more than ten minutes, dial 999. In any case, ring your GP surgery to let them know what's happened

Do not slap or shake the child

Do not put anything in his/her mouth. If you put your fingers in, then you should expect to be bitten

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