Child Passing Out

P., is he on any meds for the ADHD? I assume if he was the dr. would have already checked into that - but the reason I ask is I am on Prozac and when I started it I experienced whooshing sounds in my ears. It made me feel very anxious at the time too... so I don't know maybe there is something to hat anxiety attack thing? I don't know - just an idea. I have not had a child go through this though. Good luck.

I just read this and didn't see any responses that were previously written, so I hope I'm not repeating. Any heart condition should be monitored by a specialist and not taken lightly. Irregular heart beat with syncope (fainting) can be a life-threatening emergency. You should be sure to see a Pediatric Cardiologist and continue to follow up for years to come. I am a cardiac nurse. We just had a little girl in my town die from this at a soccer game. I know this sounds harsh and terrible to say, but having your son closely monitored is important.

This may have absolutely nothing to do with your son's experience, but it's worth a try...

When I was somewhere around 14-16 years old, way back when, I had just finished dinner. As I turned around at the sink I told my mom that I wasn't feeling well. I tried to walk a few steps and, before I could say anything more, I keeled over into a faint on the floor. My mom called 911 as I was coming out of the faint. I said I was fine but she finished the call anyway. Shortly thereafter, the ambulance attendants arrived and did a simple assessment.

Afterwards, we had several tests done to rule out any unforeseen issues, none of which were conclusive. But one of the ambulance attendants suggested that it might have been gas. Talk about embarrassing for a young teen! But I actually think that was what happened. It was probably an astute observation by the ambulance guy.

This is what I felt: sharp pain in my upper stomach, right below my rib cage, enough to affect my breathing. Then everything started to feel far away and then I blacked out. When I woke up, I remember ringing in my ears--a common response to pain. Then I felt fine, albeit surprised and concerned.

It seemed to have been an isolated incident. I don't remember my heart racing, but it might have been. This was over 30 years ago, so I might be forgetting details, but I think I got most of the story right. It was a strange incident to say the least.

Hope this might help.

A little about me:
I am a 47-year-old married mom of an 11-year-old who borders on ADHD.

P.,

I don't have a child who passed out, but as a child I would pass out if I was sick. I remember passing out in the lunch line at school, and the cafateria workers thinking I was faking. Any way my mom came and picked me up and brought me to the hospital and five doctors stood around me and watched my blood pressure drop very low and the doctors could not figure out what was going on. This was the first of many times i passed out over the years usually due to an illness though. I do remember that you get a sound in your ears and you cant hear any one talking. and when I woke up my heart was racing, but it only lasted a minute. And every thing seems louder when you wake up. Perhaps he got very nervous about it afterwards and this caused his heart to race longer.
I would definately try to work with his pediatrician to find out what it is that is causing it. Perhaps he needs to go to a specialist if the pediatrician is not sure. It is very scary when you see something like that happen to your child.
Good Luck
D.

You don't say where you live, but, your son needs to see a cardiologist. It is very possible that he had a seizure, so after the cardiologist, he may need to see a neurologist.
Best of luck.

I don't know anything about what your child has, Sorry. But, if it were my child I would not stop until I found out. Sounds like you are doing that, so good job. I doubt it is an ear problem. Could be anxiety I suppose... I just cannot even guess, really. Also sounds like you have a good pediatrician. That is great! Hang in there!

P., I feel for you this must be so terrible for the both of you. I don't have a diagnosis for you, but can tell you that I've had episodes of fainting on and off for 12 years. Different doctors feel differently about it, some think that it is a fairly common thing, and others have tested me for everything from epilepsy to heart defects. All tests turned up normal. What you (he) described about the experience is exactly the same as myself, I know its coming on, and afterward there is a heightened sense of sound/light for a few minutes. Also, fainting is the direct result of blood not getting into the brain, so yes the rushing sound is blood moving quickly back in. I notice when I took wellbutrin (a stimulant) to quit smoking it got worse. It is possible that ADHD medicine may be contributing. You should push for an EEG and EKG, to rule out serious possibilites. Best of luck, my thoughts are with you and your son.

Is your son on medication for ADHD? If he is these medications are a stimulant . They do make the heart race . It is a side effect to all Stimulant medications . A good exampple is ....have you ever had pneumonia ? Did you need a nebulizer treatment ? After your treatment you can breath better but it races your heart too . Another example is caffeine, Do you like coffee because of the caffeine ? Does it help you wake up ? Same efect on your child with the ADHD medication . I would say he either needs to be admitted to a pediatric cardiology center for a day or two for a medication adjustment or to try a different med or discuss with your doctor about taking him off all these stimulants altogether . Have a behavoir specialist, a primary care physician ,and a pediatric cardiologist all working together sharing information about your childs heart and his ADHD . Be careful . My son has mytral valve prolapse ,a heart murmur .I am discussing with his primmary care physician ( his dr that knows him best ) about weening my child off these drugs altogether . There are other resources out there for ADHD . There are foods like almonds and diet control ( red Dye number 40 is real bad for ADHD kids ) it is in alot of foods read labels . There are certain herbs you could try like eve of primrose . WEB Md is a wonderful tool for research . You are a very wise woman to be concerned about your sons heart and possible seizure disorders . There are alternatives out there . Get busy get educated you can cure your sons ADHD with patience understanding and meeting with his teachers and explaining all that is available for you and your child . You know your child bestmake the doctors and teachers listen to you get your son an ed tech at school if need be but be aware they tend to just push kids along make sure they know you want your son mainstreamed into reg classes little by little not just stay in special ed . Another warning is if he is on straterra or conceta his liver enzymes should be checked at least twice a year . If he goes to the dentist and does have a heart condition while on these medications be aware he may be advised to take antibiotics a one dose count one hour before any drilling or cleaning is done because of the possibility of infection or exposure to bacteria to his heart from an open saliva wound . Good luck hope all this helps . I am not trying to scare you just educate you .it is a full time job . If you are consistent and firm and follow through your son will be fine . Hundres of millions of people live with heart murmurs and do not know it . I discovered my sons by pure accident he had an ear infection on Christmas Eve two years ago took him to the E.R his dr s husband also a pedictrician looked at me after listening to his heart and quoted he has a murmur huh ? i was floored . He discovered it because my kid had a fever and it elevates the heart murmur to an echo . Also because of the meds . Tell your teachers do not bother to call you if it happens again if it lasts for more than 30 seconds send him to the nurse if it does not subside in under 3 minutes call 911 then call you . Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas . M. M p,s I bet your son is very bright and smart and capable of the work , right ? if you can get his behavoir under control without meds the world id his for the taking . We tell our kids dont take drugs , but what are we doing putting them on drugs ? drugs are a wonderful resource but sometimes not needed.

Hi P.,

I can't say that I have any experience with this kind of thing at all, but it sounds like you could use some moral support. It must have been terrifying. All I can offer is I will say a prayer for you and your son. Keep working with his pediatrician... it sounds like you have a good one.

I hope it all gets resolved quickly and he gets well again soon.

Jenn

My husband had an anxiety attack but I don't recall any noises in his ears. I'll get back to you.

I passed out as a child all the time. This may be different, however. It wasn't until I was 35 years old that I finally got a doctor to 'listen' to me. They did an Echo and found that I had a hole in my heart which was repaired and I have been fine every since. Again, this sounds very different than what you are saying but the point I want to make is to push for the tests that will be able to determine what is going on.

You are your child's best advocate. If it doesn't sound right (i.e., the clogged ears making the child's heart race, then question the doctor and have a second doctor come in to back him up.) My parents listened to the doctors because they were thought to be a 'God' of some sort. I would push and do as much research as you can. I did have a doctor tell me that I was very lucky.

G. P