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Original poster

Help - 6 year old fainted an hour ago what do I do?

41 replies

shrooms · 14/10/2007 13:58

This is really weird and really scary. My 6 yr old dd passed out almost an hour ago and is now in bed having come round but wanting to go to sleep. She is really really pale.
I am hoping that she'll just sleep it off but I am worried as it's so unlike her and fainting seems really weird for a little one.

They were playing in the living room when ds shouted for me to come in and she had just said she felt funny and collapsed. She even wet herself a bit .

What can I do? Will she just get over it? x

OP posts:
Alethiometer · 14/10/2007 14:01

Did she bang her head?
If so, don't let her sleep.
Call the emergency doctor, or NHS Direct.

ChipButty · 14/10/2007 14:02

Ring the out of hours doctor and get her checked over. I wouldn't hesitate.

DaisyWhoooo · 14/10/2007 14:02

Personally I would go straight to A&E. Hope she's OK.

Original poster
shrooms · 14/10/2007 14:03

Thanks for speedy reply. No, ds said she didn't really bang her head as they were sitting down anyway. And floor has carpet. Will phone NHS and see what they say.
Ds is watching her for me while I flap around like an idiot. DH is at work.

OP posts:
ThreadyKrueger · 14/10/2007 14:06

Definitely contact NHS so that she can be looked at. But don't worry too much. Some children can be prone to fainting without any serious underlying condition, I think: my brother was like this as a child.

newknifenewslain · 14/10/2007 14:14

Don't faff with NHS direct they'll either call an ambulance on you and be totally OT or they'll call an ambulance on you as is what is needed. Either way, if she does not usually faint then you need to get this checked at A&E or Emdoc at hospital now!

Original poster
shrooms · 14/10/2007 14:17

Right. Thanks. I talked to NHS and they said to take her to a+e anyway as she is still so pale and dizzy. Heart rate fast too. So worried. Okay. I guess I just drive them both there. X

OP posts:
bodycolder · 14/10/2007 14:17

I would go to A&E if there is one near Otherwise agree ring NHS direct

ChipButty · 14/10/2007 14:19

Please let us know how your DD is later. Take care. xx

bummer · 14/10/2007 14:19

shrooms only just seen this, imagine you are on your way to a&e. Feel sure it will be just sugar dip or something but really must be checked out especially as she wants to sleep. Just want to say hope all went well.

LIZS · 14/10/2007 14:21

hope she is ok , best get it checked but may be something as simple as low blood sugar, level, low blood pressure or an awkward head movement or ear/sinus infection upsetting her balance temporarily. Good luck

anniebear · 14/10/2007 15:07

Hope she is ok, let us know

Original poster
shrooms · 14/10/2007 18:05

Hi guys just a quick update. Dh got home and took over at the hospital as they're keeping her in. I have just come home to feed ds and settle him for the evening then dh will come back and I'll stay the night with dd.

Upon getting to a+e dds heartrate had climbed really fast and she was still quite out of it. She was sick which may have been due to closing her eyes in the car. Staff were great and she was seen straight away. Put on heart monitors, blood taken ect. Heart rate was recorded at 214 at maximum so bloody fast and they said her ecg looked like a form of arrythmia which is apparently quite common in children but not to the point of passing out so they were quite worried. Oxygen was given as she felt puffed out. Her blood tests showed that her blood sugars were a bit low which may have bought it on but that's not for sure.

They tried giving her massage to the heart to slow it down, and getting her to take big breaths but it wasn't working and they injected her with a drug to slow it. She was much better within 5 minutes.

After half an hour or so she was almost normal colour, talking and sitting up eating marmite on toast so you can imagine how relieved I was. She is being monitored on kids ward and will need to have tests apparently but they think it might just be a one off.

Ds (8) has been fantastic all day - he was cuddling dd in the car and telling her she would be okay, and did his best to stay all calm in the waiting room. He was so grown up. Kept me sane.

We have packed some things and I'll be off in a while to stay with the lo. Thanks for your help. x

OP posts:
DaisyWhoooo · 14/10/2007 18:23

I'm glad she's OK. Well done to your ds!

Scanner · 14/10/2007 18:35

I feinted a lot as a child, mostly if it was hot/I was in pain or hadn't eaten for a while.

Assuming the hosp think she's fine there are a few things that really help. My mum was a fainter and in fact fainted in a public place in her 20's, hit her head on concrete as she fell and was in a coma for weeks. So I had this drummed into my head - when you feel even slightly wobbly you lie down - regardless of where you are, how potentially embarasing it is. If you can slightly raise the feet by tucking a pillow under them, it helps too. For me I often get a whosing sensation in my ears about 30 secs before a faint, now if I get that I know to lie down and often it prevents the faint. My Mum and I have both found that the traditional putting your head between your legs advice makes it much much worse and will bring a faint on. The best thing is to lie down and if poss eat something sweet ie. digestive biscuit/tea with sugar. You also tend to go from very hot to very cold so one moment will be asking for 100 duvets and the next throwing them off.

I know I was sent for brain scans etc as on occasion I'd twitch, which frightened the living daylights out of my Mum, but there was no apparent problem. As I got older I learnt how to control it and it's been a long time since I fainted (5 years ago after having cvs when pg with ds). Although it was a pain, it certainly wasn't debilitating I just knew because of Mum's story that I had to lie down immediately.

LilBloodRedWantsGore · 14/10/2007 18:35

I'm glad she's okay - you must be so proud of your DS!

claireverityswickedsister · 14/10/2007 19:46

Oh so pleased she's enjoying marmite but all sounds very worrying for you. Glad you were dealt with swiftly, etc.

Hope tonight is uneventful and that you have some more clues as to 'why' soon.

Alethiometer · 14/10/2007 21:47

So glad all is well.

GrumpyWomenRuleOK · 14/10/2007 22:10

Really hope DD is better tomorrow - I was a regular fainter in childhood as well - just like Scanner, and I was also sent for a brain scan,. Don't remember the racing heart, though. I think as a general rule a short faint in a child is seen as OK if recovery is rapid (because the act of fainting restores blood to the brain) but in your dd's case the recovery period didn't happen, and she continued with symptoms. Fingers crossed for tomorrow and the healing power of Marmite...

saggarmakersbottomknocker · 14/10/2007 22:19

What a worry for you shrooms. ds sounds like a star

Hope it's a 'one off'. dd has heart problems so I know a bit about the tests - they'll no doubt do an ecg and maybe a 24 hour monitor too.

Original poster
shrooms · 15/10/2007 12:10

Hi everyone - I am back and DH has once again gone back to take over so I could shower and see ds ect. Have run Ds in to school a bit late to try and keep him busy and in a routine.
Things are okay at the hospital - dd slept pretty well through the night, and heart beat was not too bad, still a bit fast but stable. She had a bit more oxygen as apparently her 02 sats were slighlty under, and this may have been just because of the medicine she had been given earlier making her very tired.
She looks well this morningm though, and is up and about playing with puzzles.

The morning doctors said that her ecg yesterday during the 'episode' looked like something called superventricular tachycardia (sp?) which is really common but she had it quite bad, so they will have to keep an eye on her. She will probs come home tonight as she continues to be well.

I am just so surprised
She has always been so healthy and active and we don't really have any heart probs in the family. I remember her saying that she got butterflies when at ballet a couple of months ago and I feel really bad for not doing something as I just thought nothing of it but the doc said it was probably the start of a palpitation. But it was so scary for her to just collapse like that and be so ill.

Still, today's a new day and at least we got seen and they actually found it straight away - what luck...

On a positive note, yes I am sooooo proud of ds filling in for his dad yesterday. He was a total star. He is my little hero!

Thanks for all your messages and advice. Please keep it coming as I am new to this and being in medical research you'd have thought I'd be all cool about it and know my stuff but it's just different when it's your baby isn't it?

xxx

OP posts:
bodycolder · 15/10/2007 12:41

That all sounds positive,it makes you really appreciate the NHS when something serious happens.Your ds sounds so sweet Good for him!

Littlefish · 15/10/2007 12:50

Shrooms, I had superventricular tachycardia from when I was 12 years old, until I was 28. I'll be back later to fill you in with the details, but must go now because dd needs her lunch.

If it is SVT, there are various things they can do.

Suffice to say, I'm still here, going strong and with no heart problems at all.

LilBloodRedWantsGore · 15/10/2007 14:03

Shrooms - you sound so strong and positive! Well done, you! Wishing you all the best.

Marina · 15/10/2007 14:06

Your ds sounds wonderful shrooms - I bet it was a huge help just to have someone to wait with
Do hope she's out of hospital soon and they can sort out appropriate treatment for her
I'd have been petrified

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