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Can anyone explain to me why my dd passed out at the dr yesterday?


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So we are at the ped. office for check-ups for dd #1 and dd #3 (8yrs. and 4 yrs. respectively).

 

Neither child was nervous or upset in any way. They checked out great (except for an ongoing heart murmur in my 4yo, but the dr says it sounds "vibratory" and "musical" and she is not worried at all. I guess I trust her.) No shots were needed but both girls had a 'finger prick' to test iron. Oldest dd went first to show sister that it doesn't hurt. She was brave, hardly even flinched. She hopped off the table, little sister took her turn and cried a bit. I consoled the younger, big sis handed me a tissue, I dried lil sis's eyes and handed the tissue back to dd #1 to throw in the trash and she fell out in the floor! She was "out" for 20 - 30 seconds but it felt like forever. The nurse came in the room but only after I cried 'help'. She was not concerned even a little. Stroked dd on the head a bit and told her to get up and sit in the chair. She told me it's common and then left the room. The doctor was just around the corner in her chair typing notes and didn't even get up to come check on dd.

 

Anyway, I guess I'm glad they didn't panic because it helped me stay calm. In the moment I am trying to calm dd so I just figured "oh well, I guess this happens all the time" and I sat with dd until she felt able to walk out and we left.

 

But, now I wish I had asked WHY she fainted. What caused it? Why did they act like it happens all the time? Does anyone here know the answer to these questions?

 

They didn't take enough blood to matter, just the routine finger prick to fill the tiny tube. Was it nerves even though she didn't seem nervous? And why was it so delayed?

 

Thanks for sticking with me this long! :001_smile: This is a combination of vent because it was traumatic seeing your daughter fall in the floor and be unresponsive, even just for a few seconds, and a genuine search for answers.

 

My sweet dd who has NEVER been scared of the doctor (actually she's always seemed to enjoy it, I think she likes the attention) is now saying she's afraid to go back because she's afraid she will pass out again.

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Hm, I wonder if the needle made her more anxious than she knew from the finger prick.

 

My husband is a tattoo artist and body piercer and it's not at all uncommon for people to pass out when he pierces them. Something about those needles! Or for some people it's the sight of their own blood!

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She has had shots and finger pricks before with no problem. She has been with me when her younger siblings have gotten shots and finger pricks with no problem.

 

Just something about this time got to her.

 

It was several minutes past her 'turn', I was consoling dd#3 after her prick and asked dd#1 to hand me a tissue. She even grabbed a tissue out of the box and said in her usual, chipper tone "well that's perfect, this is the last one" and then 10 seconds later she hit the floor. Part of the time she was unresponsive her eyes were open and her pupils were HUGE, if that matters.

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It's probably vasovagal syncope. It's common and can be triggered by all kinds of stuff including experiencing medical stuff, like needles etc... For lots of people it's a one off and it could be something like being tired or hungry or too hot or too cold could have made it different this time.

 

It's not normally anything to worry about. My son has this and blacks out and has seizures at pain and strong emotions and he has had a couple of hundred incidents of it so it's annoying for him, he has been properly diagnosed with it and had a few tests but he has a lot of incidents. I know lots of people who faint at the sight of blood and needles and things like that and one person who faints when he gets stomach ache.

Edited by lailasmum
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I remember reading...so not an expert on this...that it has something to do with an inborn safety mechanism. When you faint your blood pressure drops as does your heart rate, so, blood flows at a slower rate. If you were receive a wound that caused bleeding it would be a good thing for that blood to start flowing slower so you wouldn't loose as much before it congeals.

 

Don't know how much truth is in that.

 

The other reason could be because many times a person may not seem nervous but unknowingly is holding their breath or breathing more shallowly in addition to tensing up the muscles. I think it's called vasovagel response.

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Vasovagal syncope

 

My dd passed out watching me get blood drawn. She was 6 and had watched before, with no problems. They were only concerned because she hit her head.

 

I almost passed out watching the same child get stitches. I guess I know who she gets it from. I knew enough to sit down.

 

One explanation I read is that in wartime, this response is beneficial. The fainting people would be assumed dead and live to fight (or faint) another day (and have children with an increased likelihood of fainting at the sight of blood.)

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My DD has not fainted.....yet. It started 2 years ago when she got a couple booster shots. She seemed fine right after the shots, then as we were leaving the office I noticed she was very pale and her lips were WHITE. A couple months later, she got her ears pierced, again she turned as white as a ghost. That time she almost fainted. I haven't asked a Dr. about it, except my BIL and SIL (an M.D. and a P.A.), they were both like, "eh, very common". So I'm not worrying about it for now.

 

 

:grouphug: I'm sure it was very stressful, I would have been in mommy-panic.

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It's probably vasovagal syncope. It's common and can be triggered by all kinds of stuff including experiencing medical stuff, like needles etc... For lots of people it's a one off and it could be something like being tired or hungry or too hot or too cold could have made it different this time.

 

 

This happens to dh whenever he gets pricked for a blood draw or a shot. Doc says it's common. He hasn't actually fainted but come close. It has gotten a little better as he's gotten older but it still causes a reaction.

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It is called a vasovagal response, and it's quite common. Many individuals have different triggers for it. A trigger can be either physical or even psychological trauma. In fact, when I was 8 years old, and my sister 5, and we both went in for a check-up and had our blood drawn with a finger prick, I was much like your daughter! I didn't faint, but I definitely had a reaaction. I was very calm, and after a few seconds, informed the nurse I needed to throw up. Which I did, in the trash can. Afterward, I felt much better. :D

 

I have a mild vasovagal response to the sensation of needles, IVs, etc. The sight and smell of blood or injury doesn't usually phase me, but the feeling of a needle triggers automatic wooziness.

 

Getting a shot or simply having blood drawn isn't a problem. But, when I go to give blood or other more lengthy invasive medical procedures, I tell them up front that I feel faint, and that it's best if they raise my feet above my head, which keeps blood from pooling in extremities and leading to loss of consciousness. (Basically, vasovagal reactions result in a loss of tension in your cardiovascular system, so the blood vessels stop contracting and pushing the blood to your vital organs and your brain. You need a certain pressure to maintain that flow to maintain function. Ergo, a bottoming out of blood pressure = loss of consciousness.)

 

I would say that if your daughter has to have needles in the future, make sure you give her lots of fluids beforehand to boost blood volume (and pressure), and make sure she sits with her head between her legs, or better yet, reclining with her feet above her head, for several minutes afterward.

 

P.S. Also, ear piercing may prove an interesting experience. :lurk5:

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That happens to me, with the delay and everything. They don't let me give blood anymore, lol, because I end up needing to lay in their chair for too long afterwards. But it happens even with small amounts of blood, ear piercing, etc. My body shoots my blood pressure high for a minute, then to compensate it drops it WAY low right afterwards. So for me it is about 1 minute afterwards. No fun. I'm really careful now when I give blood and have something ice cold to drink which seems to help, with sugar in it. Oh, and my midwife takes my blood with me laying down, rather than sitting up, which helps a lot.

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I've fainted at doctors' offices on several occasions - the first time being when I was 13. I have to not be told what they're doing to me, not see any of the equipment, etc. I just have to look away and kindly tell them to talk to me about other stuff - the silly, trivial stuff. :D

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I may just be and adrenaline/anxiety reaction.

 

My oldest (almost 13) never had any issues with shots or blood draws until he turned 11. He's had many immunizations and routine blood draws/finger pricks in the years before this. All of sudden since he turned 11 every time he has any blood work or shots he feints. It's the weirdest thing, but the docs and lab techs said they best they can figure is he gets himself more worked up than it appears and then once it's over the body dumps all that adrenaline and he blacks out for about 30 seconds to a minute.

 

Now we just let them know he has to lay down while they are doing what they need, because at 102lbs and my height he's just to much to catch when he slides out of the chair/off the exam table.

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So we are at the ped. office for check-ups for dd #1 and dd #3 (8yrs. and 4 yrs. respectively).

...

I dried lil sis's eyes and handed the tissue back to dd #1 to throw in the trash and she fell out in the floor! She was "out" for 20 - 30 seconds but it felt like forever. The nurse came in the room but only after I cried 'help'. She was not concerned even a little. Stroked dd on the head a bit and told her to get up and sit in the chair. She told me it's common and then left the room. The doctor was just around the corner in her chair typing notes and didn't even get up to come check on dd.

 

Not for anything, but why didn't you insist that the doctor come over and check on your dd? :confused: Common or not, if the doctor was sitting right there, I would have wanted to ease my mind that everything was OK. (I'm sure your dd is fine, BTW, but I think if anything like that ever happens again, you need to be more assertive.)

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I faint sometimes from relief. It is an overactive nerve....maybe your dd was being brave, and when it was all over and didn't hurt so much as she thought....she just let go. That happened to me lots of times....

 

Dd faints too. It is scary, but more common than one would think.

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Vasovagal syncope

 

My dd passed out watching me get blood drawn. She was 6 and had watched before, with no problems. They were only concerned because she hit her head.

 

I almost passed out watching the same child get stitches. I guess I know who she gets it from. I knew enough to sit down.

 

One explanation I read is that in wartime, this response is beneficial. The fainting people would be assumed dead and live to fight (or faint) another day (and have children with an increased likelihood of fainting at the sight of blood.)

 

 

Fascinating!!!

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It's probably vasovagal syncope. It's common and can be triggered by all kinds of stuff including experiencing medical stuff, like needles etc... For lots of people it's a one off and it could be something like being tired or hungry or too hot or too cold could have made it different this time.

 

 

 

We were at the ped's office a few days ago because of fainting/dizzy spells with my youngest son. The nurse told us that vasovagal syncope is VERY common (especially in teenagers and preteens).

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My guess is that it's an adrenaline/anxiety reaction too. Maybe she is old enough to be thinking more about it now, or had an empty stomach, or whatever. I used to almost faint a lot when I was a child, but it only happened in the morning, for some reason. My triggers were always the same, but they just didn't affect me as much later in the day.

 

A doctor once told me that if I think of something that makes me really mad when I'm feeling that way, it will help counteract the light-headed/woozy feeling. It gets your blood flowing to your head again, or something! I don't know if there's any truth to that or not, but it almost always seemed to work!

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Happens ALL THE TIME in the ped's office. Seriously. Once a day, at least. Sometimes the kids, sometimes the parents. :D If someone knows they are prone to it, I have them lie down for the shot or needle stick. Parents who do it have to sit in a chair or leave the room while their kids are getting vaxed...because I sure as heck am not going to break my back trying to catch them.

 

The doctor did not need to check your child afterwards. He knew it was nothing to worry about. And it's not. Have her lie down the next time she needs a shot. Otherwise it will happen again.

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Not for anything, but why didn't you insist that the doctor come over and check on your dd? :confused: Common or not, if the doctor was sitting right there, I would have wanted to ease my mind that everything was OK. (I'm sure your dd is fine, BTW, but I think if anything like that ever happens again, you need to be more assertive.)

 

Yes, I am more concerned that your doc didn't come check on you & dd than the fact that she fainted.

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It's probably vasovagal syncope. It's common and can be triggered by all kinds of stuff including experiencing medical stuff, like needles etc... For lots of people it's a one off and it could be something like being tired or hungry or too hot or too cold could have made it different this time.

 

It's not normally anything to worry about.

 

:iagree:

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Both of my kids do almost the same thing. Neither one has actually fainted yet. Apparently it's very common in medical situations. My DH and I are the same way.

 

Next time just take extra care that she is well hydrated before hand and lying down during any procedure involving needles. Hugs to you and your DD! :grouphug:

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I do the exact same thing. It's not the sight of the needle or blood because I make very sure not to watch either in case that is the trigger. It doesn't matter though. Something about having the needle go in my skin does me in every time. I had trouble changing out my earrings when they were first pierced for a few weeks even. When I'm pregnant and get sticks all the time, I get over it after a few months, but it always comes back if there's a break of time. Lots of people in my family are the same way, and my daughter is the same way too. She was 3 the first time she did it. It was about 10 minutes after they'd pricked her finger and she nearly passed out.

Now I know to expect it, and I even warned our new nurse when she went for her check-up a few months ago. Even so, the nurse was the one that freaked out a little bit. I had to keep telling that everything's fine. This is normal for us. I believe Vasovagal syncope is the correct term, but I've never been officially diagnosed.

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My younger sister passes out with anything medical! From when she was a little girl - turning her earrings would do it! To now an adult woman - she passed out during a culposcopy! She's mid 20's and still usually gets our mother to take her to the doctors JIC!

 

I'd look for causes like diet - what had she eaten/drank so far?

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Yes, vasovagal syncope. Very common. Nothing to worry about. (But keep an eye out for it next time she has to deal with needles or gets cut and bleeds, etc.) ... That said, I agree with others that the pediatrician SHOULD have come back in and checked with you. Yes, your dd was assuredly in no danger, but he should have come in to reassure *you* and to demonstrate a basic neuro exam so you would know she was okay.

 

Was your dd over-heated or had she been dehydrated at *any* point in the last day? It's been very hot in much of the country this week... Ds is a lot more likely to pass out if he's even mildly dehydrated *or* if he's low on sodium (so, lots and lots and lots of physical activity and *water*, but not adequate salt). In the summer, I start his days with a cup of miso soup, and if he's engaged in lots of sweaty activity outside, I add electrolytes with sodium to his water bottle.

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Something about having the needle go in my skin does me in every time. I had trouble changing out my earrings when they were first pierced for a few weeks even.

I think it's EXACTLY like that for my DD. She had the same kind of reaction when we had to take her earrings out and put them back in. She got kind of woozy when we put the earrings in.

I'm thinking she's going to be wearing these "diamond" studs forever.:lol:

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