worried about daughter's blackout

February 24, 2006

As some are aware my 21yo daughter has been struggling with dysmenorrhea on a

daily basis. She has also just got over a chest infection, and also has hurt

her wrist. Anyway on the way to work today she blacked out in the street -

ambulance was called and when she came to a short while later they said her

blood sugar was low. She has not been diagnosed yet but gets potential mito

symptoms such as numbness down one side, headaches, dizzy spells, nausea. On

the spot ECG was normal but Dr has ordered blood tests and halter monitor 24 hrs

to check for cardiac things. My main concern was could this have been a

seizure or a stroke but the gen practitioner thought if it was a grand mal

seizure she wouldn't have recovered so quickly, and if it was a partial (focal)

seizure it wouldn't have made her black out, and said the ambulance officers

would have recognized it if she had had a mini stroke. He ended up saying she

probably just had been overdoing it and wasn't quite over the chest infection

but it seems a bit bizarre to me. She said it just happened out of the blue and

she didn't feel it coming on - has never happened to her before. I was

wondering if anyone has any clues. thanks Pamela (MELAS A3243G)

February 24, 2006

Pamela

I have passed out from low blood sugar. At that time, my blood sugars

tended to be low and I was stressed when it happened - at the entrance

to an elevator (but in a hospital). I started limiting my carbs and

eliminating all simple sugars, plus increasing my protein. This took

care of it. I also carried cheese and crackers with me, so I could be

sure to never go too long without a meal. If they think it was her low

blood sugar, this might be something to try. Alpha Lopoic Acid can

also stabilize blood sugar. I could usually tell when my blood sugar

was getting low, but when stressed it dropped very fast. I would also

suggest a glucometer to check blood sugars.

laurie

> As some are aware my 21yo daughter has been struggling with dysmenorrhea on

> a daily basis. She has also just got over a chest infection, and also has

> hurt her wrist. Anyway on the way to work today she blacked out in the

> street - ambulance was called and when she came to a short while later they

> said her blood sugar was low. She has not been diagnosed yet but gets

> potential mito symptoms such as numbness down one side, headaches, dizzy

> spells, nausea. On the spot ECG was normal but Dr has ordered blood tests

> and halter monitor 24 hrs to check for cardiac things. My main concern was

> could this have been a seizure or a stroke but the gen practitioner thought

> if it was a grand mal seizure she wouldn't have recovered so quickly, and if

> it was a partial (focal) seizure it wouldn't have made her black out, and

> said the ambulance officers would have recognized it if she had had a mini

> stroke. He ended up saying she probably just had been overdoing it and

> wasn't quite over the chest infection but it seems a bit bizarre to me. She

> said it just happened out of the blue and she didn't feel it coming on - has

> never happened to her before. I was wondering if anyone has any clues.

> thanks Pamela (MELAS A3243G)

>

February 24, 2006

My girls have passed out with neurocardiogenic syncope after standing for

periods of tiem and when changing positions too quickly.

Joanne Kocourek (mom to , lies, and )

visit us at: http://www.caringbridge.org/il/annakris

February 24, 2006

Joanne Kocourek servedogmom@...> wrote: My girls have passed out with

neurocardiogenic syncope after standing for periods of tiem and when changing

positions too quickly.

This happens regularlly to my son. He has orthostatic hypotension and he hits

the ground quite often (in spells). He's out for a few seconds. Happened to me a

lot as a teen but still happens periodically at 42.

Mom to the two best kids in the world!

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/thomasandkatie

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February 24, 2006

I have blacked out at least 3 times in my life that I remember. They all came

with no warning and I have generally been out about 5 minutes I have been told.

Twice were when I was standing for a long period of time--once in church for my

8th grade graduation, once at graduation from advanced training for the

military. Both times it was also hot. The other time I had just parked my

car to go into a store and looked at the clock. Next thing I know it was about

5 minutes later.

A MRI spectropsy in 1997 showed " evidence of seizures " .

My mother used to just faint and fall to the ground even when she was on anti

seizure meds. She was diagnosed with " epilepsy " in the late 1970's. We now

suspect it was MELAS as my sister was diagnosed in 1996. My sister actually had

the grand mal type seizure once in 1994 and twice in 1996.

On the other hand low blood sugar can also cause you to black out. I have never

actually blacked out from low blood sugar but have started getting dizzy and

started seeing spots before I was able to get sugar. When that happens most

time I get a wierd nausea feeling in my stomache first, sometimes I do not.

After I take some form of sugar it takes 5-10 minutes to recover depending on

how low my blood sugar is.

But if it was a black out from low blood sugar it is my understanding that you

do not recover unless you have taken some form of sugar--that is why you are

supposed to keep a source of sugar readily available and why they have emergency

glucose kits.

As far as a mini stroke--we think my son had one back in 2002 when he was 10.

He woke up for school as normal and then when I went in to see how he was coming

on getting dressed he told me to go put on my spaceboots. He also called his

cats gloves and sooty when their names were mittens and smokey. We had the one

cat for 4 years and it was his favorite cat so cannot imagine him forgetting the

name. Then I made him a hot dog and he asked for more red stuff (ketchup). He

also could not remember how to play his gameboy. Anyhow, after that he ate and

went back to sleep. A few hours later he woke up--was talking like an 10 year

old not a 2 year old and was doing his 4th grade math problems with no problem.

This info may or may not help you.

Janet Sample

(family history of MELAS)