Child nearly fainting - what is it?

Well, guys, you really made me call the doctor on call.

He said:

If there is an underlying arrythmical or any heart problem it would demonstrate itself almost daily. The fact that he's energetic and running around every day without problems is encouraging.

The fact that 6 mo ago, in May, he was checked out extensively, every system possible, in the hospital - it there had been a problem they would have picked it up. This is encouraging, too.

He could not say why my son would have disjointed episodes. He sounded that since the last occurence happened a month ago, it is unlikely that they would find anything in ER (an EKG) now. I could go to the ER for my own peace tomorrow, or I could wait till Jan.8.

There.

I can't even bear to continue reading this post, I am so disturbed by this. Someone PM me if and when a proper diagnosis has been arrived at.

Sorry, but that's total bullshit, the doc just didn't want you to freak out. it would not necessarily happen every day.

And anyway, you are not with your son 24 hours a day. How do you know this isn't happening when you're not in the same room with him?

Like marty, this is getting difficult for me to read. I hontestly cannot imagine someone having a toddler nearly fainting for no apparant reason, and not driving straight to the doctors office. Why would you even question if this is something to address to your doctor?

BTW, no one "Made" you call the doctor, you just finally had the brains to pick up the phone.

Chai, are you an MD?



I am not with him 24 hours a day. When he sleeps, I am not in his room. The rest 12 hours I am with him every single minute.



Because my son is 99.9999999% healthy. I am not driving to my doctor's for every bruise, splinter, and running nose like it is pushed these days.



Chai, you did not have the brains to pick up a phone when your hubby nearly fainted. Something made you wait for 2 nearly faintings and a seizure. Do you allow another person to be in the same boat?

Yes, I'm still here...reading with anxiety. This is not a bruise or a running nose. I worked in Neuro-radiology at a 1200 bed University hospital for 8 years, a Level one trauma center for 3 states for a year and smaller community hospitals for 12 years. Did I also mention that I'm a mother of two??? In my opinion it is extremely irresponible for you not to seek the appropriate medical help for your baby.
How is the on-call Dr. monitoring your son's symptoms? Is he on a 24 hour heart monitor? My son had chronic ear infections, some with and some without fevers. A few of which he had febrile seizures where he collapsed to the floor shaking and temporarily unresponsive and wetting his pants. It took me one second to make the decision to take him to the ER for which he was diagnosed with a severe ear infection and prescribed anti-biotics for. When I've seen babies come into the ER and the mother says"Look, this is not normal for him,something is wrong" Doctors take this seriously.
You asked for advice and here it is. Get your baby seen!

Please don't be offended by the intensely strong reactions here and listen to what warnings are being said here. I was 99.999999% healthy too. it's that 0.000001% that can cause problems or death.

Also, while I'm thinking of this...just because someone checks out 100% 6 months ago with a few medical tests, does NOT mean they're 100% OK today. That's just whistling in the dark if you even THINK that.

By the way..what is HD?

Arrhythmia can be very inconsistant and episodic. the fact is that it can occur once a month...or even more infrequently. I HAVE arrhythmia and I've been advised of this by cardiologists and mine occured once in 6 months. It lasted 15 seconds and was caught on a recorder after a few months of recording. Had this lasted for a period of 30 seconds I would have been unconscious or dead.

Had I not heeded the MDs warning about my episodic arrhythmia, I'd be quite dead now. In fact, if I hadn't pursued it with all the testing they had available, I have NO DOUBT my arrhythmia would have caused my death. IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE OCCURING EVERY DAY.

I was not and am not now sickly -- in fact, I was an athlete and used to run long distances. Lucikly, with medical intervention 3.5 years ago, I'm well again, but now I have a pacemaker/defibrilator. This was a result of diagnostic testing and detection of having just ONE episode of Ventricular Tachycardia. This type of arrhythmia and other forms can and do happen to children of any age, too.

I got a sense from reading that it's a matter of some mistaken form of pride that you don't want to feel that your child is sickly. Forget that! Regardless of what medical system where you live has...SEE A Doctor and don't wait!

Now that weve got you scared, remember that there are a number of benign arrhythmias also. However, they can cause light-headedness and not fainting, nor the skin rash.

My son had neurally induced petit mal seizures as a child and we went bleedin nuts. We called 911 and were at the hospital immediately when the first occured. As a parent, evrey thing is serious (or it should be). Our sons was a function of a body growing faster than its wiring . HOWEVER, The doctors had to rule out more serious stuff(like brain assault or heart problems) before we arrived at that conclusion.

Please dont trivialize this, while it may just be a fleeting phase or a minor readjustment of the childs neural net, or a temporary condition for a growing kid, OR It could also be something very serious, and you should not be busy rationalizing that youve got an otherwise healthy kid(The kid shouldnt be fainting or be near fainting at all.. Youve only begun posting today. With the time youve wasted with us kvetching, you could have had your kid in the ER. Now start acting a bit more responsibly and get out from behind the computer and get to an ER.

By the way..what is DH?

designated hitter

Thanks for putting your finger on that one, farmerman -- a kid who is fainting or near-fainting, repeatedly, is not a healthy kid. Period.

Yeah sure, get all pissy because you can't take the truth.

No, I am definately NOT an M.D. Sherlock, that's why I'm saying get the kid to the doc and stop messing around talking to complete strangers on the internet.

So you're not with your child 24/7....how many times has this happened when you're not in the room, like when he's sleeping.

Fainting isn't a bruise or splinter genius, especially in a toddler. Apparantly he's not 99.999% healthy if he's fainting on you. Since you are not an M.D. either, it's not your call to say he's healthy when he's fainting.

My husband (jesus I hate that word hubby) had his 2 (or probably more) spells when I was not around. It wasn't until well after the fact he even recognized he was "loosing time". I'm not with this grown man 24/7 either, so wasn't there to see the episodes. However, within 10 minutes of the time I was there, we were pulling into the ER parking lot, you can be damn sure.

You've been waiting 3 months, probably asking your grandmother and neighbor down the street about this, but not a medical professional. You remind me of one of those people who's car is getting dragged by a train and they call their mother on the cell phone to ask what to do.

Your child cannot speak for himself or adequately describe what's going on. It's your job to see to his well being. Knowing a child is near fainting and staring out dazed is knowing there is a problem and not wanting to face it, hoping it will go away.

You knew 3 months ago there was a problem. Get the kid the help he can't get himself. Your coming on here and arguing and letting me know you're not pleased to me means nothing. Take care of your child.

am I invisible?

No, you're definately not invisible Ragman. I read your post with great interest and understanding.

It's pretty scary stuff at first, isn't it?


BTW, since arythmias have been brought up, just for general knowledge to everyone here, atrial arythmias, although something that needs to be addressed, are generally not life threatening.

Ventricle, on the other hand, is some serious ****. As Ragman said, not to many seconds have to go by before you die. In the case of my husband, he wasn't even aware what happened at the time. When I described what had gone on over the last few minutes, he had absolutely no knowledge of it.

Farmerman, I'm glad your son got help.

I see you made the same not-sickly point, Ragman, sorry. Just here for a minute and scanning quickly.

OK, we all hope that your son's episodes are on the benign side of conditions described by JPB and farmerman. It seems that every one of us is perplexed by the lallygagging about having your boy monitored, having him checked out for the not inconsiderable fainting-like episodes.

None of us posting so far are m.d's, but some have science doctorates and some have worked in medical fields for years.

I can understand someone not having a sense of urgency to start with on all this (barely, but I can), and don't agree with bludgeoning riviere, who by now has talked with one on-call md of whatever sort - might be an expert and might not.

Something not normal is going on, fainting isn't routine, and, as farmerman said, I wouldn't consider it lightly. I just don't get the waiting.

Child nearly fainting - what is it?.....Read on if you'd like.
http://www.dukehealth.org/dr_clements/fainting

http://home.coqui.net/myrna/sync.htm

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=2796877&dopt=Abstract

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=12089

http://www.uofmchildrenshospital.org/library/content/pa_fainting_hhg.htm

http://www.bassett.org/pdf/Pediatric%20Cardiologist.pdf

http://www.medhelp.org/forums/cardio/messages/34351.html

BTW, not to act as apologist, but many of is in USA are not aware of, or not too familiar with, the medical practices and how to seek medical treatment in places with a socialistic medical system ..as an example ...in a nation like Canada. It can take a hell of a lot of effort and stick-to-it-tiveness to be seen, diagnosed and treated on immediate basis at a public hospital UNLESS you show clear signs of a treatable illness.

I'll let those with Canadian citizenship describe this process. I only know from hearing the stories from close friends and relatives who live there ... that treatments for not-too-obvious medical maladies. It can be a real problem.

That seens to be true, Ragman, and squeaky wheels get can get observed quicker here in the US too. I myself absolutely bullied my way into a needle biopsy on, yes, 9/11, Ms Squeak, long story. I've no doubt there are multiple failures on all sides of health care issues in many countries. (Am presently aggravated with my own country, never mind anyone else's.)

My motto is squeak until clear on the issues.

I wonder if this is a dehydration issue.

What colour is your sons urine?

Ragman - dh = dear husband.

riviere - I'll join the chorus. Get thee to an Emergency Room. My parents both get atrial fib, and they most certainly do not get it all the time. Such things are generally diagnosed through use of a halter monitor, which gives data, rather than a doc on call doing so over the phone. GO.

What's the worst that could happen by going? You spend several hours in the ER on a holiday, are told nothing's wrong and you go home.
What's the worst that could happen by not going? Your child is permanently injured by some malady, or worse.

Put off the holiday for a day and get some peace of mind -- and treatment for your child if it comes to that. Christmas can wait a day but your child's health might not be so patient with a delay.