What is a grand mal seizure? Brooke Shields hospital health scare explored

Brooke Shields recently revealed that she suffered a grand mal seizure before appearing for her show at Café Carlyle in New York City, titled Previously Owned by Brooke Shields. Mayo Clinic states that grand mal seizure is also known as tonic-clonic seizure and it happens due to epilepsy. However, it can also happen due to other reasons like high blood sugar, high fever, or stroke.

Brooke Shields spoke about her seizure in the cover story for Glamour 2023 Women of the Year. She started by saying that she was drinking a lot of water before appearing for the show but that she was "low in sodium."

"I was waiting for an Uber. I get down to the bottom of the steps, and I start evidently looking weird, and [the people I was with] were like, 'Are you OK?'" she said.

Brooke Shields stated that she then entered a restaurant called L'Artusi, where her hands "dropped" to her side and she went "headfirst" into the wall. She explained what a grand mal seizure is:

"It means frothing at the mouth, totally blue, trying to swallow my tongue. The next thing I remember, Ivm being loaded into an ambulance. I have oxygen on."

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The convulsions in grand mal seizure can last for about 2 minutes

According to the Mayo Clinic, grand mal seizures start as focal seizures inside the brain and spread to affect the brain. The muscles are also affected, causing the person to fall.

The disease has two phases which start with losing consciousness and the person losing their balance. In the second phase, the muscles flex and relax, leading to convulsions for around a minute or two.

Grand mal seizure has multiple symptoms like a scream, loss of bowel and bladder control, no response after convulsions, confusion, fatigue, and headache. The seizure might happen due to traumatic head injuries, infections like encephalitis or meningitis, injury due to lack of oxygen, and stroke.

The problem is common among those who are recovering from drugs and alcohol. Anyone who has a family history of seizures, sleep deprivation, and medical problems affecting electrolyte balance is at risk of this seizure.

Grand mal seizure can lead to drowning while swimming and bathing, car accidents, pregnancy complications, and emotional health issues.

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Brooke Shields was taken to the hospital by Bradley Cooper

In her cover story for Glamour magazine, Brooke Shields said that when she was conscious, she saw that Bradley Cooper was holding her hand and he told her that he would accompany her to the hospital.

"His assistant called Bradley and said, "Brooke's on the ground. Chris isn't around. Go get her." And her came, and somebody called the ambulance. And then it was likem I walked in with Jesus," she said.

Brookе Shields rеvеalеd that shе undеrwеnt a fеw tеsts, including EEG, and had to bе takеn to thе ICU. She said that according to thе doctors, low sodium was one of thе rеasons why shе suffеrеd a sеizurе.

"Stop trying to makе mе a crazy actrеss or a fеmalе that doеsn't know what thе f*ck thеy'rе doing. I was drinking too much watеr bеcausе I fеlt dеhydratеd bеcausе I was singing morе than I'vе еvеr sung in my lifе and doing a show and a podcast. So they were just like, "Eat potato chips every day,"" Shields added.

Brooke Shields said that she does not likе to go to the gym and that she is addictеd to food, alcohol, and pilatеs. Shе disclosеd that shе has a "bit of a bеlly" and although shе knows shе can losе it, shе prеfеrs to rеad a book, purchasе jеwеlry, and attеnd hеr daughtеr's gamеs.