Febrile Convulsions

I knew the name and imagined how horrible it would be to have your baby have one. Well last night my heart stopped as Max had one for 40-60 seconds.
Just before he went to bed he had a dry cough and a runny nose so I gave him some cough medicine and he fell asleep quickly. He woke at 12.50 and was very upset, his temp was about 38.5 but he was refusing panadol and quickly becoming distressed. i got some panadol into him and he lay next to me moaning in our bed. I got up to clean up some of the spilt panadol and he was not a well boy. At 1.15 i lay there trying to sleep, thinking he had finally drifted off.
THEN suddenly he started to shake and my heart stopped, I picked him up and he was fitting. His eyes rolled back in his head and his body was stiff and jerking. PANIC SET IN. Darren called 000 and I screamed out for a wet wash cloth, for 40-60 seconds i really thought I was loosing my baby boy, I was calling out his name saying "don't you die, you can't die". I was pacing and panicking and Darren was white as a ghost, almost in tears like me, but I think we were in too much shock to cry. The wash cloth brought him back round but he was sooo quiet and still moaning, he was breathing very quickly and sooo pink and hot.
The 000 lady was wonderful, she talked me though monitoring him and it felt like the ambulance arrived in 5 minutes. They stripped him off to his nappy and took his temp, 39.5. I was terrified he was brain injured as he just kept starring at the roof. They assured me he was just resting and in a little shock. I thought they would leave once they checkked him but no, he got into the ambulance and were off to hospital. He was still soooo hot and coughing badly. Max was monitored until about 4am and they sent us home as he was better and they did not want him to catch any off the bugs going around.
He sat in the car in his nappy only. The doctor insisted I not dress him. He looked so tired and fragile. Max fell asleep on the way home. I stayed up to talk with Kirsten and Darren went off to work, as I insisted he need not stay home. As I lay in bed I played it all over in my head. It still brings tears to my eyes, I still want to hug him and kiss and and THANK goodness he is still here and fine!
This morning he played quietly and only ate a little. He drank lots of water and happily played with his toy puppies. They said as we left he had an upper respiratory infection and to keep my eye on him.
I am thanking my lucky stars and happy we have a fantastic 000 service this morning. I now have a 2 page handout on Febrile Convulsions - but i pray i never have to deal with another one again.