What should I write down after an absence seizure?

Short answer: get down how long it lasted, when it happened, and what was going on. Anything else is optional. A short note you actually make beats a perfect one you skip.

The NHS says doctors will ask about what happened before, during and after a seizure, and that it can help to bring someone who saw it to the appointment (NHS: Epilepsy). A few honest notes taken at the time make those questions much easier to answer weeks later.

The essentials

• How long it lasted, and whether that was timed or guessed
• Date and time of day
• What they were doing: reading, eating, talking, watching a screen, in the car
• What you saw: staring, eyelid fluttering, lip smacking, a paused sentence
• Anything that seemed unusual for them afterward, noted separately for the care team

Optional context, if it’s easy

• Sleep the night before (short, normal, interrupted)
• Screens, stress, or excitement around that time
• Meals, snacks, and fluids that day
• A missed or late medicine dose, if that applies
• Anything else you’d want to remember to mention

Observations, not conclusions

“Slept 6 hours, tired at breakfast” is an observation. “Lack of sleep caused it” is a conclusion only a care team can weigh. A diary can show what was going on at the time; it can’t show what caused an episode.

Uncertain is fine too. If you’re not sure it was an episode at all, log it and say so: “Maybe one? Teacher noticed a pause, not sure.” That’s more useful to a care team than leaving it out or treating it as confirmed. Only a clinician can tell you what the episodes are.

How Présence helps

After you stop the timer, an optional after-episode checklist lets you note what was going on around the episode with quick taps instead of typing, and notes are there for the rest. The app can also save a weather snapshot from Apple Weather when you log. That’s just context, not a cause.

Présence is a personal wellness diary, not for emergencies. It doesn’t diagnose, treat, monitor, or alert. This guide isn’t first aid. Follow your child’s individual seizure action plan. If an episode is different from their usual pattern or you are unsure what to do, contact their care team; get emergency help for immediate danger such as trouble breathing or serious injury.