Doctors and leaflets use many special words. Here is what the words in this app mean, in plain language.
A condition of the brain that makes a person have seizures again and again. It is common, it is not contagious, and it is not caused by a curse or by anything the person did. Many people with epilepsy live full lives with the right treatment.
A sudden burst of unusual electrical activity in the brain. For a short time it can change how a person moves, feels, behaves or how aware they are. Most seizures stop on their own within a few minutes.
Something that makes a seizure more likely for some people, such as a missed medicine, poor sleep, stress or illness. A trigger is not the cause of epilepsy, and many seizures have no clear trigger. Noting possible triggers helps you and your doctor look for patterns.
Whether the person knew what was happening during the seizure and can remember it afterwards. From the outside this can be hard to tell — choosing "Not sure" is fine.
Starts in one part of the brain. The person stays awake and aware and can remember it. It may be only a feeling (see "Aura"), or movement or tingling in one part of the body.
Starts in one part of the brain and affects awareness. The person may stare, not answer, or repeat movements such as lip-smacking, chewing or fiddling with clothes. They are often confused afterwards and may not remember it.
Starts in one part of the brain and then spreads to both sides, usually becoming a seizure where the whole body stiffens and shakes. There may be a warning feeling first. In this app, log it as "Whole body stiffened and shook" and mention the warning in the notes.
The kind most people picture. The body stiffens (tonic), then jerks (clonic). The person is not aware, may fall, cry out, bite their tongue or wet themselves. It usually lasts 1–3 minutes, followed by confusion and tiredness.
A short blank stare, usually lasting a few seconds, sometimes with fluttering eyelids. It starts and stops suddenly and the person carries on as if nothing happened. More common in children, and it can happen many times a day.
Sudden, very quick jerks of a muscle or group of muscles, like a small electric shock — often in the arms or shoulders, and often soon after waking up.
The muscles suddenly go floppy. The head may drop or the person may fall. It is very brief but can cause injuries.
It is completely fine not to know the type. Describe what you saw in the notes; a short video helps the doctor most.
A warning feeling at the start of a seizure. Doctors count an aura as a small seizure itself (a focal aware seizure). It usually lasts seconds to a few minutes. Sometimes it stops there; sometimes a bigger seizure follows. Many people get the same aura each time — tell your doctor if yours changes, lasts longer or comes more often. To log an aura on its own, choose "Stayed aware" as the type.
Changes some people notice hours or even days before a seizure, such as irritability, low mood, headache or poor sleep. It is not a seizure itself, and not everyone has one.
Everyone is different. Some common examples:
The time after a seizure while the brain recovers. The person may be confused, sleepy, have a headache, sore muscles or feel low. It can last minutes to hours. Stay with them until they are fully back to normal.
Lying on their side, with the top leg bent to keep them steady. Use it once the shaking has stopped — it keeps the airway clear if there is saliva or vomit.
A seizure that lasts more than 5 minutes, or seizures that come one after another without the person recovering in between. This is a medical emergency — call for help. That is why this app shows an alert at 5 minutes.
A medicine some doctors prescribe to stop a long seizure or a cluster of seizures, often given in the nose or the cheek. Give it only as your doctor's written plan says. You can save that plan in Profile so it shows during an emergency.
How many minutes into a seizure this app shows the emergency alert. It is 5 minutes unless your doctor has told you a different time. You can change it in Profile.
