Bethany fainted today...

[threecubs]

We discovered a small rash on her upper thigh earlier this week, and it seemed to be getting worse. So, I made an appointment with the doctor for this afternoon. She examined it and thought it looked contagious, but wasn't sure exactly what it was. So, the nurse went to take a sample of it to send to the lab, and the scab on the largest bump was hard to get a sample from, so the nurse had me hold onto Bethany gently so she wouldn't jerk while the nurse scraped it slightly with a small razor blade. Bethany got really scared, but it was over and done in a second. So, as we were leaving Bethany started feeling dizzy. She sat in a chair in the waiting room and I could tell something wasn't right. I was just about to tell her to put her head between her knees, when she arched backwards and went completely stiff! Her eyes were glassy and she shook slightly. She started to hold her breath like she was pushing and her face turned red. Her lips were kind of crooked. I cried for help but no one heard me! Poor Ian had just come out of the bathroom and was scared (but I was totally oblivious to him!). She came out of it quickly but was frightened because she couldn't hear me. Her hearing came back and she seemed stable enough so I went up front and finally the receptionist came out. They brought her back and gave her water, checked her heart and blood pressure. Poor baby was crying. She asked where she was, and that she thought the whole visit had been a dream because when she was passed out, she was watching Campbell's Soup commercials on tv, then all of a sudden she was in the waiting room! I swear I thought she was having a seizure. I've never seen anyone faint before, although I have been close myself twice but never went out. I thought she would just kind of, you know, softly fall over and close her eyes or something. I never thought it would be so dramatic! Scared me to death. :(

[mirage1]

Oh my gosh, Toni, that would have scared me, too! Poor kid, and how curious that she was having dream type stuff in that brief time.

How does she feel now?

[Amanda_Reyasmom]

We discovered a small rash on her upper thigh earlier this week, and it seemed to be getting worse. So, I made an appointment with the doctor for this afternoon. She examined it and thought it looked contagious, but wasn't sure exactly what it was. So, the nurse went to take a sample of it to send to the lab, and the scab on the largest bump was hard to get a sample from, so the nurse had me hold onto Bethany gently so she wouldn't jerk while the nurse scraped it slightly with a small razor blade. Bethany got really scared, but it was over and done in a second. So, as we were leaving Bethany started feeling dizzy. She sat in a chair in the waiting room and I could tell something wasn't right. I was just about to tell her to put her head between her knees, when she arched backwards and went completely stiff! Her eyes were glassy and she shook slightly. She started to hold her breath like she was pushing and her face turned red. Her lips were kind of crooked. I cried for help but no one heard me! Poor Ian had just come out of the bathroom and was scared (but I was totally oblivious to him!). She came out of it quickly but was frightened because she couldn't hear me. Her hearing came back and she seemed stable enough so I went up front and finally the receptionist came out. They brought her back and gave her water, checked her heart and blood pressure. Poor baby was crying. She asked where she was, and that she thought the whole visit had been a dream because when she was passed out, she was watching Campbell's Soup commercials on tv, then all of a sudden she was in the waiting room! I swear I thought she was having a seizure. I've never seen anyone faint before, although I have been close myself twice but never went out. I thought she would just kind of, you know, softly fall over and close her eyes or something. I never thought it would be so dramatic! Scared me to death. :(

So scary! I'm glad she's ok

[threecubs]

Oh my gosh, Toni, that would have scared me, too! Poor kid, and how curious that she was having dream type stuff in that brief time.

How does she feel now?

She's feeling pretty good now. She actually had lost her tv privileges for a couple of days, but when we got home I let her get all comfy on the couch and watch tv :embarass:. She is feeling pretty tired still (it's been about 3 hours now). I'm about to help her get ready for bed and snuggle with her a little, maybe read some books. I haven't had too many scary things happen with my kids, but it seems that all of them have been with Beth!

[hamamelis]

Oh Toni, that must have been frightening! Did the dr office have any inkling why it happened? Stress reaction to the thing with the nurse?

[threecubs]

Oh Toni, that must have been frightening! Did the dr office have any inkling why it happened? Stress reaction to the thing with the nurse?

Yes, they, and I, think that is probably it. She was very well hydrated, had normal meals, etc. It was nearing dinnertime, but it wasn't that late (about 4:30). The only two times where I almost fainted were once when I had blood drawn, and once when I had some family members talking about really stressful events that had happened in the past. The doc said that it tends to be hereditary, so I am thinking she probably gets it from me. :embarass:

[gfrach]

Hugs to you and Bethany!! That would be very scary!!

[Nirinjan]

That sounds really scary Toni! I hope that both you and she got a good night's sleep and feel like new this morning. ((((HUGS))))

[Storymama]

Amelia is a fainter too, and I think it's hereditary too (from Jon's side.) I fainted once as at age 11, but it was right before I first started my periods and I was someplace with really strong, noxious odors - it never happened again, but oh boy was it weird! Jon's got a sister that fainted from stress a LOT as a kid, which seems to be Amelia's thing too. Not "oh, I can't take this anymore" stress but stuff like you describe for Bethany - unexpected fright, an extremely painful blow, etc. She has also acquired a Sight of Blood fainting, which I could do without (and so could she, I am sure.) Sweeney Todd is her favorite movie right now :rolleyes:.

If this turns out to be more than a one time thing for Bethany (I hope not!!) like it is for Amelia, it's likely she'll learn the warning signs, and be able to avert most of the faints with the head down thing. Unfortunately for her and you both, it takes passing out a couple times to get the hang of avoiding it :meh:.

I would have been seriously frustrated to not be heard yelling for help in the doctor's office . . . I might even (after we'd all rested a day) want to hear the doctor's plan for making sure such acute episodes don't go unnoticed in the future.

I really hope today is a much smoother, UPRIGHT day for you!! What a scary experience!

[Sherri]

Hopefully, nothing like that will happen again, but if it does, I would recommend seeing about an EEG soon after. The sudden arching of the back and shaking and odd lip posture sound potentially seizure-like--OTOH, a dizzy person who arches her back and holds her breath is pretty likely to pass out, and an icky procedure can make one lightheaded. I also know that I have gotten shaky when going in or out of a blackout. I hope it doesn't happen again in either place.

Sherri

[Sue]

If I saw that I would have freaked and thought the same thing you did! DH used to pass out from needles, until he got MS (he has to give *himself* a shot 3 times a week. ) but I never saw it happen, just heard about it from the waiting room. He got to the point where he would warn the doctors it could happen, and they woulsd alway keep in in for 5 or 10 minutes. :grouphug::grouphug: I am glad she is OK. I hope the rash is minor and clears up soon!

We discovered a small rash on her upper thigh earlier this week, and it seemed to be getting worse. So, I made an appointment with the doctor for this afternoon. She examined it and thought it looked contagious, but wasn't sure exactly what it was. So, the nurse went to take a sample of it to send to the lab, and the scab on the largest bump was hard to get a sample from, so the nurse had me hold onto Bethany gently so she wouldn't jerk while the nurse scraped it slightly with a small razor blade. Bethany got really scared, but it was over and done in a second. So, as we were leaving Bethany started feeling dizzy. She sat in a chair in the waiting room and I could tell something wasn't right. I was just about to tell her to put her head between her knees, when she arched backwards and went completely stiff! Her eyes were glassy and she shook slightly. She started to hold her breath like she was pushing and her face turned red. Her lips were kind of crooked. I cried for help but no one heard me! Poor Ian had just come out of the bathroom and was scared (but I was totally oblivious to him!). She came out of it quickly but was frightened because she couldn't hear me. Her hearing came back and she seemed stable enough so I went up front and finally the receptionist came out. They brought her back and gave her water, checked her heart and blood pressure. Poor baby was crying. She asked where she was, and that she thought the whole visit had been a dream because when she was passed out, she was watching Campbell's Soup commercials on tv, then all of a sudden she was in the waiting room! I swear I thought she was having a seizure. I've never seen anyone faint before, although I have been close myself twice but never went out. I thought she would just kind of, you know, softly fall over and close her eyes or something. I never thought it would be so dramatic! Scared me to death. :(

[renee]

We discovered a small rash on her upper thigh earlier this week, and it seemed to be getting worse. So, I made an appointment with the doctor for this afternoon. She examined it and thought it looked contagious, but wasn't sure exactly what it was. So, the nurse went to take a sample of it to send to the lab, and the scab on the largest bump was hard to get a sample from, so the nurse had me hold onto Bethany gently so she wouldn't jerk while the nurse scraped it slightly with a small razor blade. Bethany got really scared, but it was over and done in a second. So, as we were leaving Bethany started feeling dizzy. She sat in a chair in the waiting room and I could tell something wasn't right. I was just about to tell her to put her head between her knees, when she arched backwards and went completely stiff! Her eyes were glassy and she shook slightly. She started to hold her breath like she was pushing and her face turned red. Her lips were kind of crooked. I cried for help but no one heard me! Poor Ian had just come out of the bathroom and was scared (but I was totally oblivious to him!). She came out of it quickly but was frightened because she couldn't hear me. Her hearing came back and she seemed stable enough so I went up front and finally the receptionist came out. They brought her back and gave her water, checked her heart and blood pressure. Poor baby was crying. She asked where she was, and that she thought the whole visit had been a dream because when she was passed out, she was watching Campbell's Soup commercials on tv, then all of a sudden she was in the waiting room! I swear I thought she was having a seizure. I've never seen anyone faint before, although I have been close myself twice but never went out. I thought she would just kind of, you know, softly fall over and close her eyes or something. I never thought it would be so dramatic! Scared me to death. :(


Oh how scary for her! Poor baby.

I've passed out twice after giving blood and once after having J. which they said was from orthostatic hypotension. It is scary.

I hope they figure out the rash soon (I also had a mystery rash several months ago...thought it was scabies...they scraped it but were never able to tell me what it was). Big hugs to you both.

[aleutsi]

I swear I thought she was having a seizure. I've never seen anyone faint before, although I have been close myself twice but never went out. I thought she would just kind of, you know, softly fall over and close her eyes or something. I never thought it would be so dramatic! Scared me to death. :(

I fainted from illness in front of my mom when I was in Jr high. She thought I was having a seizure, too. It was the day of my uncle's funeral, I had strep and was told I could not go.. so I got up out of my sick bed, washed my hair and put on a dress & heels and walked into the kitchen to show her just how NOT SICK I was.. along the kitchen counter were about 4 metal trays we had used for breakfasts in beds, they had left over breakfast scraps on them.. It was quite dramatic the way I drug each and every one of them down to the kitchen floor with me, with all their cymbal like banging and my flopping around like a fish.

{{{{{HUGS}}}}} I really hope she's feeling better. Poor girl.

[Storymama]

Is she feeling herself again? I forgot to say above, that Amelia's fainting tendencies are MUCH MUCH worse when she is getting sick (or is already sick) - I meant to pass that on above! (So. . . I am worried B is coming down with something too!)

[threecubs]

Is she feeling herself again? I forgot to say above, that Amelia's fainting tendencies are MUCH MUCH worse when she is getting sick (or is already sick) - I meant to pass that on above! (So. . . I am worried B is coming down with something too!)

Hi Mandi. I meant to come back to this sooner and reply and say thanks to everyone!

Yes, she is back to her old self now, and has been enjoying telling her story to everyone who will listen! My MIL suggested she write it down, so she spent a long time getting it just right in her notebook. :)

Yesterday morning we went to church and we ended up leaving a bit early because she was feeling a bit tired. Her cheeks were a little flushed, but her classroom was warm and she didn't take her coat off the whole time, so I thought that may have been part of it. Much later in the afternoon we went to my nephew's birthday party at a super-jump party place. They had those really big bounce contraptions that even adults can go in. She had a blast and didn't seem out-of-sorts at all. So, all seems to be well again!

Hopefully we'll find out tomorrow about the test results, and I may mention being concerned that no one heard me when I yelled for help. It's a very small office with one receptionist and one nurse, and they just happened to be all in the back at that moment.

Thanks for letting me know about Amelia's experiences with fainting, and I'll be sure to keep an eye on her to see if she may be coming down with anything! Apparently my littlest sister is prone to fainting as well, when she has bloodwork done. It's interesting how you don't know how prevalent something is in your family until you experience it and tell someone and the stories come out! My mom told me of a time she fainted and hit her nose on the dishwasher when I was little.

[threecubs]

So scary! I'm glad she's ok

Thanks, Amanda. :)

[threecubs]

Hugs to you and Bethany!! That would be very scary!!

Thanks, Rach. {{{hugs}}} :)

[threecubs]

That sounds really scary Toni! I hope that both you and she got a good night's sleep and feel like new this morning. ((((HUGS))))

She cuddled up with me that night, and she was a bit tired in the morning, but by that afternoon she was much better! Thanks, Niri. :)

[threecubs]

Hopefully, nothing like that will happen again, but if it does, I would recommend seeing about an EEG soon after. The sudden arching of the back and shaking and odd lip posture sound potentially seizure-like--OTOH, a dizzy person who arches her back and holds her breath is pretty likely to pass out, and an icky procedure can make one lightheaded. I also know that I have gotten shaky when going in or out of a blackout. I hope it doesn't happen again in either place.

Sherri

Thank-you, Sherri. Thank-you for the suggestion, and if it does ever happen again I'll be sure to ask about an EEG. It was quite frightening to watch and not at all what I expected a faint to look like!

[threecubs]

If I saw that I would have freaked and thought the same thing you did! DH used to pass out from needles, until he got MS (he has to give *himself* a shot 3 times a week. ) but I never saw it happen, just heard about it from the waiting room. He got to the point where he would warn the doctors it could happen, and they woulsd alway keep in in for 5 or 10 minutes. :grouphug::grouphug: I am glad she is OK. I hope the rash is minor and clears up soon!

Thanks, Sue. I should be hearing something about the test results tomorrow! :)

[threecubs]

Oh how scary for her! Poor baby.

I've passed out twice after giving blood and once after having J. which they said was from orthostatic hypotension. It is scary.

I hope they figure out the rash soon (I also had a mystery rash several months ago...thought it was scabies...they scraped it but were never able to tell me what it was). Big hugs to you both.

My MIL was telling me that she had orthostatic hypotention when she was pregnant with my DH too, and that she had several fainting spells, one when she answered the door to a stranger. Can you imagine how scared that person must have been? LOL :)

[threecubs]

I fainted from illness in front of my mom when I was in Jr high. She thought I was having a seizure, too. It was the day of my uncle's funeral, I had strep and was told I could not go.. so I got up out of my sick bed, washed my hair and put on a dress & heels and walked into the kitchen to show her just how NOT SICK I was.. along the kitchen counter were about 4 metal trays we had used for breakfasts in beds, they had left over breakfast scraps on them.. It was quite dramatic the way I drug each and every one of them down to the kitchen floor with me, with all their cymbal like banging and my flopping around like a fish.

{{{{{HUGS}}}}} I really hope she's feeling better. Poor girl.

Thank-you, Annie. {{{hugs}}} She's doing much better! What a dramatic faint you had! Wow!

[Storymama]

FWIW, the single fainting spell I ever had I reportedly jerked and scared bystanders who thought it might be a seizure too. I guess it can happen. But better safe than sorry! Unfortunately, stress can trigger seizures, too - it does bear sorting out.

[Jill]

I'm so sorry - I didn't even see this till just now! That had to be SOOOO SCARY! I am so glad she's ok. OMG I think I would have fainted myself in response. {{{hugs}}}

[BlueMama]

{{{{{Toni & Bethany}}}}}} I hope she's feeling better by now! That would have really freaked me out to see my kid faint :(.

[~PQ]

Oh my stars!! That would have had me terrified, you did so good keeping as calm as you did!