Hi, I just wondered if anyone has any ideas as to what may be going on with my Daughter please. She's almost 15 yrs old, this morning she was in her room, feeling fine, she remembers looking at the clock, it was 10.30am, the next thing she was aware of was that she awoke on the floor, on the other side of her room, feeling really confused, almost as though she had been asleep for ages. She had bumped her head on the door, although only a minor bump, and is now feeling a few more bruises developing on her arm and hip areas.It was then about 10.50am,as though she had lost nearly 20 minutes. She was really upset, shakey and confused, I phoned our Doctor who spoke to her, and reasured us that it was a faint, probably caused by postural hypotension, she usually has low blood pressure and her pulse is normally around 50-55. Immediately after she came around it was 133, and her BP was much higher than usual, which I put down to what had just happened.
We're going in the morning for some blood tests, for possible anaemia and blood sugar levels, then see the Doctor next week for the results. Another thing that I'm sure will be significant is that she has recently lost a lot of weight, at 5ft 4" she's around 100 pounds now, she's now trying to eat more. It's really scared her, so any suggestions would be great, many thanks.
That is a bit strange, I have fainted several times before and I always get some warning signs just before it happens, like dizziness and feeling sick to my stomach. Also, when I fainted, they only lasted for less than a minute but to me it felt like hours. Its unusual that your daughter was unconscious for 20 minutes.
The last time I fainted (about 18 months ago), the doctor tested my thyroid function, liver function, kidney function, blood sugar levels and also for diabetes and aneamia. I also had a CT scan of my brain. All the tests came back normal but my fainting was due to spending too long in the spa (it happened to me once when I was about 10, I had a long hot shower and passed out twice straight after I got out). I actually had seizures but I have also 'just fainted' before, without the seizures. The doctor also wanted to do an EEG (to test for epilepsy) but he decided that because my other tests all came back normal, it wasn't necessary. Like your daughter, I also had a very high heart rate after fainting, mine was about 120 and my blood pressure was a bit higher than normal aswell. Fainting is very scary, especially in my case because I had seizures too.
I also wanted to point out that I ended up with concussion the last time I fainted because I hit my head on a brick wall. The bump on my head didn't look too bad but I hit my head hard enough to cause concussion. Your daughter may have got slight concussion from bumping her head, even though it didn't look bad.
Is your daughter exhibiting any signs of an eating disorder? I say this with love because I have raised a daughter and I know how concerned we are as moms when our kids take sick. The weight loss and the passing out certainly could be connected. I will send up a prayer that everything checks out for her. Please DO keep us informed of how she is doing.
I am sorry that you have to go through this worry. You are doing the right thing by getting her in for some tests.
Hi everyone,
thank you so much for all of the replies and suggestions, I really appreciate your time and kindness. My Daughter has lost a lot of weight recently, though I'm sure she hasn't got an eating disorder, this has been a wake up call for her, she realises now that she wasn't eating nearly enough, and is trying very hard to up the calories.
I know she has low blood pressure and pulse rate, and wonder if these would improve if she were to gain a little weight? My feeling is that she could be anaemic too, it's very difficult for vegetarians to get enough iron, and supplements upset her stomach. She's had blood tests today, and we see the Doctor next week, so I'll post again then, again, thank you so much to all of you!
lincslady2: Have your daughter's hormones tested. Keep track of when these episodes happen. See if they're happening right before, during and after her period. Research something called Catamenial Epilepsy. It can start at puberty or menopause. It's the fluctuations of the hormones changing in the brain and making the brain cells misfire. Excess estrogen can cause it. Is she talking on cells phones, using the computer alot and exposed to fluorescent lights? Is she sleeping well? Is she under alot of stress? All of these are triggers. Keep track on a calendar to see when these are happening so you have evidence for the doctors. Also see if anything happens this week because today is the FULL MOON!!!! Yes, that's right. The FULL MOON could be a culprit. It effects me in a horrible way. Good luck.
have her blood pressure checked. My son started having faiting spells when in high school and after going to several different doctors and different tests it was determined that he had, had a big growth spirt and his body could just not keep up with it. He learned to watch for the signs that it was going to happen and he had to keep gatorade and crackers in his bookbag. We had to get a blood pressure reading from the doctor to give to the school nurse to have as a base line. Good luck.
