My son had a "hypoglycemic fit" today. It was very scary. Any diabetes or migraine experts around?

[QuintessentialyHollow]

We got up around 8 this morning, the kids had a bowl of cheerios with milk, and fresh strawberries and blueberries. We then went to 9.30 morning mass.

When we got home, the boys were told they could have a few minutes on the trampoline before doing homework.

Ds1 came in and were mooching around for a bit. Then he showed me a letter with a name and address on it and asked "What does it say here?" Some of the letters were missing for him. He then told me he could see me, and he could see what was on my right, but no my left. He was really worried. I suggested he eat some fruit and drink some water and lie down a bit.
He did, but came back and told me it was not any better. He then said he had an insane headache. This was followed by hunger, so he had a roll with salami.
He projectile vomited.

Long story short. Took him to A&E and the doctor said he had a hypo-glycemic fit. We need to check his eyesight out at the opticians, and get an appointment with GP to investigate diabetes.

His blood sugar was low, and the doctor said he was dehydrated.

What do you reckon?

It was quite scary, I thought he was having a stroke there for a moment.

Not sure where the docs got the idea of a hypoglaecemic fit from. I guess it is possible but sounds like a terrible migraine to me, the dehydration and low blood sugar due to not eating or drinking because of the headache. Loss of field of vision followed by bad headache and vomiting is very normal for a migraine.

There is a very good book on migraine (if you like that sort of thing) by the famous neurologist Oliver Sachs.

However, migraines mimic all sorts of far more serious neurological complaints so I would also ask your GP to refer to a neurologist, just for peace of mind.

Well I'm diabetic and had physical fits when I was younger if I was asleep only. Otherwise there was only one episode where I got confused but I didn't have symptoms like your ds had.

I'm no expert but I agree with the previous poster that it sounds like a migraine. I'm not sure why his sugar level would have been low though it could just be because he was sick?

On the other hand the headache could have been caused by his low sugar level. Sorry I've not been much help I hope you get it sorted

How old is he?

Like Larry, I think it sounds like a migraine too.

My DD gets them - linked to strawberries, incidentally. Starts off by her not seeing properly. I think it may be something to do with their age? She started getting them aged 8. Growth spurt sort of thing?

However, diabetes is not to be messed with so definitely get it checked out further and hope he's OK.

We have a LOT of diabetes in my family. I have several cousins, and their children with this illness.

I also first thought migraine, as my niece gets them quite badly, so ensured to turn off the lights and close the curtains in the living room as he rested on the sofa, and he wore sunglasses on the way to A&E. He said it was better with dimmed light.

His blood sugar was quite possibly low because his stomach was so empty, after all he had lost all his breakfast.

So we need to investigate migraine as well as diabetes. He is 9.

Unless he had a fit in the ambulance or in A&E when you weren't there, then I don't see how he had a fit [seizure]

He did not have a seizure, the doctor called it a fit, but she then went on to describe it as an "episode", I reckon that is more accurate.

I have just spoken with his surgery, and we have an appointment at 11.
He said it sounded more like a migraine!

I see.. that maks more sense, an episode which was likely the aura [visual disturbance] followed by a migrainous headache

the trigger being a slightly low blood sugar after exercise

hope he is better now

I've had exactly that with a aura followed by a migraine. It's very scary, but I have only had it that severe twice where whole letters are missing. Usually it's just one eye goes a bit fuzzy.

Any news Quint?

my niece was diagnosed with diabetes in november OP.
OP if you need anything just PM me, i am happy to help

I took him to see the gp today, she was lovely, and very thorough, I just love it when you feel a doctor is really listening and really know their stuff. She was asking a lot about the time span, how long the visual disturbances lasted, the headache, how soon after he started vomiting, etc. She was really listening, and addressing him a lot. She let him do all sorts of coordination exercises and tested his motor skills and coordination, his reflexes, and checked the back of his eyes.

She did ask him to do a urine sample just because we have so much diabetes in my family, but she was confident this was nothing to do with diabetes.

She is leaning towards migraine. We will keep a headache diary, making note of any visual disturbances or vomiting. Basically any combination of the three things he experienced. We are to come back in three weeks, earlier if he has many episodes like this. We should also see an optician, and he has an appointment on Monday in a week.

Having googled Migraine, it seems pretty classic, it all fits. The timing, the visual disturbances, the special partial head headache, etc.

I am happy with the result. Not happy that he has just suffered a really bad migraine (possibly the first of many to come), but happy that it is nothing more sinister, as google is not a friend when trying to match symptoms.

I reckon I know the trigger. Late night in front of the tv watching a movie, the light had been off in the room to create a cinema effect, then early up to go to Church. He was really tired.

oh bless him. I suffer from migraines, which started in childhood and that is exactly how mine have always been too!

hope he is ok now

Oh I'm so pleased the GP was so thorough, nothing worse than feeling like you have been fobbed off.

Also, although migraines are awful, I'm so glad it's not diabetes. :)

So glad its not diabetes. Migranes are horrible though.

I am also very pleased it is not diabetes. Migraines are not such unfamiliar territory, and hopefully he will not be as badly affected as my niece, who ends up three days in a dark room every time they strike.

Just out of interest hypoglycaemic is abnormally low blood sugar .. Usually when you are on diabetes treatment and it has made the sugar too low. Diabetes causes high blood sugar.

I dont know, maybe the a&e doc got her degree on mail order....
I posted before we saw his GP who spent significant time talking to him, and who said that the A&E diagnosis was highly unlikely, and resembled migraine more than anything else.

yeah I know .. hypoglycaemic fit sounds a bit drastic lol.. if it were that would have thought they would at least have referred to paeds
just clarifying like