My 14 yo son passed out 2 wks ago and has had 2-3 migraines since. Took him to the dr last week and he was pronounced fine.
This morning he walked into kitchen and was talking to me. Suddenly he stopped, both arms out, backpedalled a step or two, and fell back into the wall…he didn’t collapse, he went down like a newly cut tree. By the time I got to him he looked like he was having a mild seizure…left arm jerking, head movements, etc. He came around in a few seconds w mild confusion and feeling extra-tired.
Got an appt for 4p but in the meantime I’m feeling a little freaky. Sorry fir the typing…my computer is a goner as he was holding it at the time so I’m posting from mynook.
A possible seizure? Can you take him to the hospital now? What time is it in your timezone right now?
Prep him really well before your appointment about anything unusual he may want to let the Dr know about. My niece had mild nausea for about a month preceding her mild seizures and it turned out she had a small tumor on her brain which was resolved.
I have no advice, I’m sorry. I do have lots of sympathy, though. You must be so frightened. I hope the doctor figures it out soon, and that its something minor and easy to treat. I’m sending supportive thoughts your way.
It’s 130 here. Spoke to the pediatrician about taking him to the ER but she seemed okay with seeing him in her office. Truthfully she will probably see him more quickly than the ER will get to him. But I’m going over now to rouse his dad, who is a paramedic, to see what he advises…
One of my nieces was diagnosed with epilepsy around the same age and with similar symptoms.
Just another possibility.
Just spoke to his dad. It takes a lot to shake up a paramedic. He says it is not unusual for someone to look like they are seizing after a faint, but def want to find out what is causing the symptoms so we will go ahead w the pediatrician. Time seems to be moving in slow motion right now, I just want the appt time to get here!
While you’re waiting, it might be a good idea to write down a list of all the recent “episodes” that you can think of- something like the [approximate date, time of day, duration and symptoms of the incident. Just in case these are all relevant to each other. If you’ve been to the doctor since these things have started happening, make a note of when you went and what they told you, even if it’s the same doctor. Sometimes seeing everything in digest form can make it easier for a doctor to process all at once, especially since at the same time she’s going to be examining your son. IANAD, but this was suggested by an ARNP buddy when I recently talked to her about a neighbor’s kid and his nearly identical episode.
Sounds scary but hopefully it’s something easily diagnosed and treated.
In the meantime, do yourself a favor and stay off the internet (especially WebMD). You’re just going to make yourself completely crazy.
Follow what your doctor says, but don’t freak out. Is he under any stress that you are aware of, other than being 14??
About 12 years ago my wife was away on business with her bosses of a family business, who she loved very much, but she was about to tell them that she was leaving to take a much better paying job. Sometime during dinner she found herself on the floor after having a seizure.
Many tests and an MIR later, her doctor put her on some anti-seizure medication. These meds have been reduced over the years and there was never another incident. Her doctor told her that sometimes people get one and that is it.
Maybe it’s something simple, like his girlfriend is pregnant or something like that. 
Whatever the cause there are medical treatments to address most all of these concerns now. He may never have another incident, but this will need to be addressed before he starts driving a car.
[nonmod]Sounds scary as hell. Hope you find out good news soon. [/nonmod]
[mod]Moved from MPSIMS to IMHO, home of medical threads. [/mod]
Luck to him.
We saw the dr. She felt that it possible that he is just dehydrated so told him to get more water and salt in his diet. But due to the atypical faint and the seizure-like symptoms she also ordered an EEG and EKG. They’ll call tomorrow with appt times for us.
Now that the crisis is over I feel like crying myself to sleep. Holy shit, that was scary, even while one part of my mind was saying, hmm…looks like a seizure…the other part of my mind was in total freakout mode.
I passed out several times in my adolescent years for no apparent reason. At least 3 times between ages 12-14 that I remember. Lightheaded, followed by ringing in the ears and closing tunnel vision followed by… PLONK
I had what very much appeared to be a Grand Mal seizure when I was 16. Lost consciousness in the shower, violent convulsions that resulted in me bashing my head against the shower wall multiple times before being carried out, biting the shit out of the side of my tongue (still have the scar) and I felt like I ran a marathon when I regained consciousness several minutes later. EEG and EKG showed nothing. Doctors had no explanation. Nothing like it has happened in the 25 years since.
While it’s just an anecdote, rest assured that these things do happen for no discernible reason sometimes. Try to relax and take care of yourself. Best wishes to you and your son.
Tell your doc you would like a CT scan of his head. It seems to me someone really should do that.
My son had an eeg and ekg last week and I just got word today that everything looked fine. The doctor is scheduling an echo and if that goes well, it looks like Mr Black Belt needs to drink more water and probably eat on a more regular basis to keep his potassium and sodium where it should be.
Thank goodness. That was scary as hell, and I don’t scare easily!
Good to hear that its something easy to fix. Thanks for the update, I had been hoping for positive news.
Glad to see that he’s okay. It could well be an isolated occurrence, brought on by something he won’t have again. They’re not that uncommon, it happens more than is acknowledged, for one reason or another. I’ve had two, my girlfriend’s had several, a friend had one; all brought on by completely different reasons. I like to call them ‘A Major Brain Fart’. Whatever it is, it isn’t as bad as people think.
“Mr. Black Belt” sounds like he needs to realize “living” is more important than “making weight.”
He just got his black belt in TKD so he’s pretty excited. Watching that test nearly made ME pass out.