Fainting

Mom2Cinderella · September 2011

This may be my first post on this board, but I'm pretty active over on the pregnancy boards.

I have a 3 (almost 4) year old daughter who has been having episodes of dizziness. This started about a year ago that we know of when she told us she felt like her legs couldn't work and she felt dizzy. Back then the pediatrician attributed it to low blood sugar due to the symptoms. We started giving her juice every morning soon after waking up and havent had problems. Now this last week she has had a few days where she felt momentarily dizzy-once at school when it was very warm and they were outside playing, once in the AM when my DH was walking her to school, once after nap when the teacher was waking her up and then yesterday was the worst because she actually fainted. Yesterday she wasn't doing anything when it happened-she was just standing next to my DH playing with a calculator and she just collapsed and woke back up within seconds. No shaking or clenching or anything. We took her to the ER and the doctor checked her urine and did an EKG and checked her blood sugar. Everything looked normal and he said he sees this and it is almost always dehydration or low blood sugar. He said it is really hard to check the blood sugar unless you do it right when the fainting occurs. Our daughter had had some apple juice and food after it happened. He sent us home, told us not to worry but that he would refer us to a cardiologist just as a precaution, but didn't expect them to find anything and he would send every patient. I should also mention my daughter did have a work up at a cardiologist about 2 years ago because of a totally unrelated situation and everything was normal (EKG, echocardiogram).

In between dizzy spells she is acting perfectly fine. I am sooo scared. I know what the er doc said, but I've been seeing things on google that are terrifying like heart arrhythmias, etc. I feel like something could happen at any second. I have to wait to call the pediatrician tomorrow and then schedule an appt with the cardiologist which we all know could be weeks until I can get in. I'm so scared of what could happen before then.

I guess I'm just hoping someone can share an experience or something. My husband refuses to even consider that there could be an underlying issue. He won't even listen to me so I'm all alone and feel so bad every time I look at her.

ilovemygirls · September 2011

I would absolutely push every medical professional to get to the bottom of this. It is not normal and no one should be telling you that it is. My first reaction to your post was that it could be something neurological - not to freak you out even more but unfortunately I have had a lot of experience w/people I know having brain tumors & that struck me when reading this. I'm so sorry you're not feeling support from your DH. Guys deal w/things very differently & he is likely just as worried as you are, but just really can't 'handle' thinking about the possibilities. You be a mama bear for your girl because you KNOW something isn't right. I said a prayer for you & your daughter and that the doctors will take steps to find out what is truly going on. ((HUGS))

Mom2Cinderella · September 2011

Thank you for your reply and your prayers and thoughts. I am definitely trying to get in with a neurologist. I have to call back tomorrow because of how their scheduling works. Her initial neurological exams given by the ER and her pediatrician were good-her balance was good even with her eyes closed, she was able to follow their fingers, she was able to do simple coordination tests, etc. ANd in between episodes, she is completely fine-it's not all the time that she has lack of coordination,etc. But thank you for your concern and I'm definitely going to have them check her out, but I'm hoping that because of what the pediatrician said about her initial exam, that it isn't that. But I know, that I will definitely feel better hearing that from a neurologist and/or after having an MRI or CT scan just in case. They also didn't think it was seizure related because she didn't have any shaking or clenching of her teeth, and she wasn't exhausted after coming to.

AgrippaRidesAgain · September 2011

How frequent are the episodes? Has she been tested for diabetes? A friend of mine has a daughter with type 1 diabetes who always has very low blood sugar.

Mom2Cinderella · September 2011

AgrippaRidesAgain:
How frequent are the episodes? Has she been tested for diabetes? A friend of mine has a daughter with type 1 diabetes who always has very low blood sugar.

Technically not yet, although the ER doctor threw out the low blood sugar idea. She had eaten before we got to the hospital so it's hard to know what it was when it actually happened. But they did get a blood sample and the level was normal and the urine sample didn't show any proteins spilling into it. Her ped. said it is really rare for a child to actually have hypoglycemia, but he did write us a referral for a fasting blood work.

Right now, the ped. and cardiologist nurse believes it is blood pressure related, which fluid intake, food intake and salt intake can all affect. So, it is definitely scary and we have a follow up appt with the cardiologist next month and hopefully the neurologist in two weeks. I am willing to examine all possibilities and rule out everything.

mrsashby · September 2011

It could def be something with her inner ears-her vestibular system. That will make you dizzy for sure. As crappy as it sounds you might want to get an MRI of her head to see if anything shows up. I agree with seeing a neurologist like the PP mentioned.

cmanmom · September 2011

I work for a pediatric neurologist and I would def. recommend trying to get in to see one. She could be having seizures, there are many different kinds of seizures - most people don't even know that a seizure can be as simple as staring off into space. Not all types are the body shaking incontinence types. They could do an EEG to help, that is a brain wave study...it doesn't rule out seizures one way or another, it's just a better test for them than an MRI.

HTH

Mom2Cinderella · September 2011

cmanmom:
I work for a pediatric neurologist and I would def. recommend trying to get in to see one. She could be having seizures, there are many different kinds of seizures - most people don't even know that a seizure can be as simple as staring off into space. Not all types are the body shaking incontinence types. They could do an EEG to help, that is a brain wave study...it doesn't rule out seizures one way or another, it's just a better test for them than an MRI.

HTH

Thanks. I just scheduled an appointment for next Friday with the neurologist at CHOP. Should I be freaked out by seizures????

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