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Original poster

7yo seeing coloured spots & dizzy in morning - stop me panicking

31 replies

Mascarponeandwine · 15/07/2018 22:13

Does this sound concerning? My 7yo has been seeing the occasional coloured spot in his vision for a second at a time, then it disappears. It can happen a few times a day. This has been going on for 6 weeks, it comes and goes. He had a full exam with a senior ophthalmologist who gave him the all clear. Then this morning he said he woke up and his head hurt (back of head and area near chin) and he felt dizzy (sensation of falling forward) but once he’d had a drink of water he was fine.

I know I’m getting ahead of myself but am so worried he has a tumour. He has another eye appointment in a months time in the big teaching hospital (it’s a routine one as he wears glasses) so was going to ask about this then. Should I be panicking, or see how he is over the next few days? Does it sound sinister? Would something sinister progress quicker than 6 weeks?

Apart from those two instances he’s fine- strong and healthy.

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PotteringAlong · 15/07/2018 22:15

I think he’s more likely to be sitting up too fast!

SeaToSki · 15/07/2018 22:15

Take him to the GP. He might have an ear infection

ThePricklySheep · 15/07/2018 22:16

Could it be either a migraine with aura or POTS, which might give dizziness/faintness to the point of affecting vision when standing up or standing for a long time?

Original poster
Mascarponeandwine · 15/07/2018 22:20

I don’t know, it could be anything but of course I go to worst case scenario Sad The ophthalmologist presumably tested his brain pressures? His retinas were normal.

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ThePricklySheep · 15/07/2018 22:28

So when is the coloured spot? Is it do do with standing do you think?

Coconutcreampie · 15/07/2018 22:29

I used to get like this from about ages 7-15, I had very naturally low blood pressure and I was just getting up to fast, especially when I was getting out of bed I. The morning. Nowadays I get up much slower but on the odd occasion where I have had to jump out of bed the spots/dizziness/nausea come back.

Easy way to test. When he wakes up tell him to lie still for a few minutes before gradually bringing himself to a sitting position. Maybe allow him a glass of juice whilst in bed, then after 5 or so minutes he gets up and see if it stops happening. Likewise during the day if he's sitting down and gets up suddenly try getting him to get up slower and gradual

Eppia · 15/07/2018 22:30

Could it be caused by dehydration in this hot weather? Headache, seeing spots and dizziness are all symptoms. Is he very good at drinking during the day? Overnight he could be sweating and thus more dehydrated by the morning.
You say he improved after a glass of water.
Maybe make sure he has more fluid tomorrow and monitor?

GrainneWail · 15/07/2018 22:34

Could he be dehydrated given how warm the weather has been in the last few weeks?

GrainneWail · 15/07/2018 22:35

Cross Post Smile

Original poster
Mascarponeandwine · 15/07/2018 22:40

He says the coloured spots appear randomly and sometimes there’s more than one of them. Today’s were red and green. They last only a few seconds at most and then disappear. He notices them one - four times a day.

I was reassured by the ophthalmologist conclusion. But the headache and off balance this morning has worried me again.

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Original poster
Mascarponeandwine · 15/07/2018 22:42

Could be the heat (it’s very stuffy here). He’s drunk well today so we’ll see what happens in the morning.

Does it sound worrying?

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TheHandmaidsTail · 15/07/2018 22:46

Low blood pressure I bet. I've had exactly this, and it is getting up to fast. So no I wouldn't be worried

Original poster
Mascarponeandwine · 15/07/2018 22:52

He did say his forehead, top of head and upper back of head didn’t hurt at all

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BlingLoving · 15/07/2018 22:57

Low blood pressure. Get it tested at rest. The heat may be making it worse - try adding some extra salt to his food.

Skittlesandbeer · 15/07/2018 23:05

My money’s on low blood pressure too. Given there’s no pain.

When it happens during the day, is it also connected to moving/standing up after having been still for a while?

I’ve had LBP all my life and was taught a little trick to cut through the momentary dizziness. You need to cause yourself a small amount of pain to get a small jolt of adrenaline. I squeeze my hand into fist, letting my fingernails jab into my palm. Only hard enough to cause a very brief mark. Obviously not breaking the skin, or anything drastic like that. I barely register it as pain, but my body does. If his nails are too short, try a little pinch on the arm instead. It really works very fast.

It can stop me fainting, which is the only real risk with LBP.

Other than eye tests, have you consulted anyone else? Surely your GP could rule out (or in) a whole swag of other conditions?

Original poster
Mascarponeandwine · 15/07/2018 23:09

I’m not sure if the spots are connected to moving. He doesn’t know either I don’t think.

Haven’t been to GP yet, ophthalmologist said not to worry too much as his very thorough exam was fine. It’s only tonight he said about the back of head hurting this morning and the off balance when he got up. But a drink of water sorted it...

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Original poster
Mascarponeandwine · 16/07/2018 09:41

He woke up this morning with a temperature and stuffy nose. Perhaps the dizzy spell is just part of a virus and unrelated to the coloured spots. I really hope so.

The coloured spots are not related to movement apparently. They appear occasionally and randomly when he’s watching tv, getting into bed, walking, eating dinner etc.

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SweatyCat · 16/07/2018 10:05

I would take to GP, could be a form of occipital lobe epilepsy, best to get checked out

Original poster
Mascarponeandwine · 16/07/2018 16:06

I think we’ll watch and wait for a bit until we can get a gp appointment

Reading about the occipital epilepsy - the coloured spots sounds similar but he doesn’t have any other symptoms of a seizure. He acts more like these coloured spots are floaters - he’ll say in a perfectly normal way “I can see a spot there, now it’s gone”. The headache didn’t come on at the same time as the spots appear either.

Would the ophthalmologist have referred us to neurology if there was the slightest chance of something like epilepsy or a tumour? Would they have seen signs in his eye movements?

Sorry, I know no one probably knows and we need to get to gp. It’s just the waiting bit that’s hard.

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Curtainshopping · 16/07/2018 16:12

I’m not a doctor but I imagine that if his headache was caused by a brain tumour, then a drink of water wouldn’t fix it. Try not to catastrophize!

Original poster
Mascarponeandwine · 17/07/2018 12:07

I’m trying, it’s so hard! He was fine all day yesterday, no spots or pain anywhere at all. I was so relieved - a tumour wouldn’t give you the day off I guess. Then this morning he said he saw two spots of different sizes when he was getting dressed. I’m hoping it’s just the heat Sad

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Coconutcreampie · 17/07/2018 14:09

OK this might sound stupid but ask him to sit very still in a quiet room and focus and ask him to see if he can make himself see the spots again. Reason I ask is if I concentrate I can see the floaters in my eye and they appear as different coloured and sized spots to me too. It could be that when he's feeling nauseous he concentrates so hard they become more apparent to him, kind of like a red herring iyswim.

Original poster
Mascarponeandwine · 17/07/2018 18:37

I just asked him to stare at a cream wall and tell me if he could see any spots. He stared for two seconds then said “No because it’s not happening right now”

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moosemama · 18/07/2018 09:18

I have something very similar with my ocular migraine. Some people see a jagged shape or zig-zag lines, but I have always had coloured spots that appear, expand a bit then disappear.

Ocular Migraines

If it helps, I was under a neurologist for 10 years for various things, including complex migraine (basically, I experience multiple types) and had just about every test possible. The neurologist, whose specialty was migraines, reassured me that these were ocular migraines and nothing to worry about, despite the visual effect not being typical.

With the dizziness, if it isn’t the virus, I would think low blood pressure is the most likely culprit. Have a glass of water before getting out of bed will help, as will pumping his fists open and closed and getting his legs moving before he stands up.

Dehydration is also a migraine trigger and can cause headaches.

Honestly though, if you are still worried, get him checked over by the GP.

Original poster
Mascarponeandwine · 18/07/2018 13:39

He’s not had any more headaches or dizziness since Sunday morning. A couple of these spots yesterday, that’s it. He said they’re either red or green, not always circles (can be irregular shaped), can be tiny or bigger. they appear and disappear twice quickly as they move across his vision. Then they darken and fade away. The whole thing takes a few seconds.

It sounds a bit like floaters, but in colour.

I think it’s been going on a couple of months. If it was something progressive then we might see other symptoms by now.

So am less panicky than a few days ago!

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