Teenager with dizzy spells and fainting

[mickeyboat]

DD17 has experienced three dizzy spells in the past two weeks. They tend to happen at the end of the school day. Once she was standing, but twice she was sitting in her desk. She has fainted twice in the past three years - once after locking her knees during chorus class and once before dinner when she hadn't eaten much all day. The second time was the day she got her period, and her periods tend to be long and heavy.

She swears that she is eating and drinking, and I don't have any reason to doubt that because she eats and drinks plenty at home, even though she is fairly thin (5'5 3/4" 118 lbs). She has maintained that weight within a couple of pounds for the past two years. I have never seen or heard her vomit

I don't believe she is using drugs, either. She hates spending her money and doesn't socialize much outside of school except at football games and other school events. She spends most of her extra time at home and with us.

I am thinking that if she was doing something like drugs or if she had an eating disorder, she would probably not be telling me about feeling dizzy and asking me to take her to the doctor.

I have taken her to the doctor twice - once after she fainted and again last week. She had blood work done to check her iron, thyroid, liver function and blood sugar and all were normal. Her blood pressure is normal. Her doctor ordered an EKG at her last appointment, and although I have not heard back from the cardiologist who read it, the pediatrician said she didn't see anything abnormal on it. The pediatrician performed a neurological exam, which was normal as well. She does not have headaches, although she does get tired easily. She gets "hangry" when she doesn't eat regularly.

I have recommended she eat something small during each of her blocks at school and to make sure she is drinking a lot of water. I told her today I want her to keep a log of what and when she is eating and drinking, and when she has a dizzy spell. We have an appointment to go back to the doctor in two weeks.

The pediatrician does not seem all that concerned. She told us to have her try eating more salt. She said that if she doesn't have any more dizzy spells, we could cancel the next appointment. I really want to be not all that concerned, too. But I am.

Does anyone have experience with a teen's dizziness and fainting? What was the resolution?

TIA!

Denae

 

[DopeyDame]

My younger sister was a lot like that. I don't think it's totally uncommon in teenage girls. Their bodies are growing and their homones are totally in flux. It's good that they ruled out serious cardiology or neurology issues. Assuming that's fine, just making sure she has plenty of liquids, enough salt, and enough iron in her diet should be fine.
My sister did out grow it in her early 20s.

 

[asta]

One of my daughters has fainted five or six times at seemingly random times. Her doctor did not seem that concerned and did not recommend testing. I assume that it is not that rare.

 

[Jaspers]

This situation sounds really familiar as I also have experienced something similar quite often. Once we went to the hospital to get a proper diagnosis it was apparently orthostatic hypotension, which means that when a person stands up or stretches suddenly, it causes the blood pressure to fall and that can cause dizziness or even fainting. I've fainted a couple of times because of that. For me dizziness also happens sometimes when I've been standing up for too long.
At least I've heard that it isn't rare and many teenagers experience it.

 

[mnrose]

Hmmm. Having personal experience with eating disorders, I can say that my antenna always goes up when I hear of teens fainting. Is she cold a lot when others are not? Does she wear hoodies and sweatshirts most of the time? Does her hair appear to be thinning or unhealthy looking? Is she more irritable than normal (for a teen girl....and we all know they are very irritable...LOL). Is she eating DURING the school day (you say she is "eating normally"), but do you know that she is eating at school? I'm sure you also know that teens who are purging can be VERY good at it to the point that you would not even know. Even when parents DO know there is an issue, they are unable to detect it 100% of the time. It's a secretive illness.

I will also say that a sure sign of eating disorders is if there are certain foods which were previously enjoyed which are now "taboo." Has her diet, even though she appears to be eating well at home, become more limited? Has she become vegetarian or vegan recently?

I must say that it is somewhat concerning that she has not gained any weight for two years. It is normal, and expected, that teen girls gain weight (even without a gain of height) throughout their teen years as they add muscle mass, etc. Look at a growth chart for teen development and you will see that. "Staying the same" is not the norm.

But, if all other factors listed above are not concerning, then it could be something else. Still it's worth keeping your eyes open to the possibility of an eating disorder. I'm happy to point you in the direction of some excellent on-line resources for further information (just beware that there is a ton of misinformation out there too, and that most pediatricians are woefully uneducated about detecting eating disorders).

 

[MamaLema]

I have no real advice, but I do remember having fainting spells as a teenager. No one ever figured out the reason, and they stopped in my early 20s.

 

[goofy4tink]

Locking your knees cuts off blood flow...that can easily cause fainting. Not eating/drinking can stress out the system, so eating smaller portions more frequently might help.
My dd used to just drop when I would do her hair! She went through all sorts of tests. A pedi cardiologist said there is a 'thing' that girls can have where if they're having their hair brushed, curled, stroked, something is triggered and down they go. My dd got to the point that she recognized the signs snd she would just sit...no matter where she was.

 

[mickeyboat]

Thank you all for your replies. They help a lot. I hope this is something she outgrows!

mnrose - thank you for the info on eating disorders. That didn't even occur to me until we were sitting in the doctor's office last week. I will be on the lookout for the symptoms you mentioned. I don't notice anything like that now. I think she is eating at school. I pack her lunch and things are missing when she gets home. She just texted me that I forgot to put a fork in her bag today. She actually made a list of snacks she wants me to pack and prepared several of them last night.

 

[Poohforyou]

My dd went through the same thing last year. We took her to the doctor for extensive blood work including a full iron panel. She has iron deficiency anemia. It caused all her symptoms. She's been on a high dose of liquid iron for a few months and her blood work is much better. There's only 3 things out of range vs 11.

My dd is also very tiny and doesn't gain weight easily. She's hovered around 80lb her all time in hs (she's a senior).

Good luck.

 

[laughinplace199]

Is it hot where you are? My DS15 tends to get dizzy and/or pass out when he gets overheated. It started when he was 9 years old and still happens sometimes, though not too often now that we know what triggers it.

 

[ShirikiUtundu]

It would never, ever cross my mind that a teenager who is under 5'6" and 118lbs has an eating disorder. That is a perfectly normal weight for that height, especially as a teenager.
It sounds like a blood sugar issue, orthostatic hypotension (this happens to me with regularity), or some sort of a vasovagal response.

 

[Poohforyou]

One suggestion, if your doctor hasn't done this. Have her BP checked sitting, standing and on both arms. In some people there's a wide range, especially with sitting vs standing.

 

[bjscheel]

My niece had something, it has a name but I can't come up with it. It was heart related. She would black out. You mentioned the doctor said more salt. I know for my niece she was supposed to eat bacon, chips, and salty foods when she had an issue. She grew out of it as she got out of the teen years.

She also was a very picky eater, though, and the lack of variety in her diet might have made it worse. She has gotten better about that.

 

[DawnM]

A friend's daughter is in the hospital right now being tested because she keeps passing out. She has been there 2 days now and they are running all sorts of tests, but she has also passed out in the hospital multiple times since getting there!

She has no eating disorder. They are thinking it is neurological and are doing an MRI today.

 

[chiefmickeymouse]

Both of my kids (16 and 19) have POTS. It stands for postural orthastatic tachycardia syndrome (excuse my spelling). Basically it means the blood pools in their extremities when they change positions and causes fainting or dizziness. Does she feel fainty after hot showers or baths? Is she heat intolerant? The treatment is beta blockers, super hydrating and extra salt in the diet (gatorade helps). I don't know if that's what's wrong with your daughter, but if it is I can tell you that POTS improves as you get older and past the teen years.

 

[mom2rtk]

My friend's daughter went through a big workup for this. They decided she had a low blood volume and had her pushing water (100 oz/day) plus high sodium snacks (to help her body absorb and retain the water). I don't think she's had an episode since. My daughter did this once in the spring. My brother's daughter did this a couple times in recent months as well.

I hope you figure it out. But I see no reason not to go ahead and push fluids and make sure she keeps well hydrated while you wait to see.

 

[Snowflakey]

My DD, who is now 20 and is the same weight at your DD went through the same thing at that age. She passed out 3 times total. I was freaking and her doctor wasn't worried one bit. She did have heavier periods and we put her on birth control and you know, it hasn't happened since.

 

[aejammers]

It sounds like her blood sugar is low, especially since you say it happens at the end of the school day. Does she also feel a little shaky? If she has an early lunch period then by the end of the day her blood sugar could certainly be low. The fainting just before dinner after having not eaten much earlier would also point to low blood sugar. Your advice to have her eat a little bit throughout the day would prevent the lows.

Hope she feels better.

 

[Jaime4004]

It sounds like her blood sugar is low, especially since you say it happens at the end of the school day. Does she also feel a little shaky? If she has an early lunch period then by the end of the day her blood sugar could certainly be low. The fainting just before dinner after having not eaten much earlier would also point to low blood sugar. Your advice to have her eat a little bit throughout the day would prevent the lows.

Hope she feels better.

That's the first thing that I thought of because it used to happen to me. Fainting/dizziness started at age 12 ANd it took many years to figure it out that it was hypoglycemia, because the blood glucose is always normal when tested at the doctors. It's low when you're having the symptoms. Still happens but now I know what it is, it's easier to control.

 

[Magpie]

Check her blood sugar, check her iron levels (anemia is common in young ladies), but there's a good chance your doctor might not find anything.

My daughter has postural hypotension - meaning she greys out pretty much every time she stands up. She's passed out a few times, too. It first showed up when she was a teenager, and though her doctor said it'd probably go away when she stopped growing, it hasn't. Her fingers also turn white when she's stressed, so clearly her circulatory system isn't the greatest (nothing wrong with her heart, though).

To combat it, she eats regularly, stretches before she stands, makes sure to stay hydrated, and should be exercising more than she is.

I figure it's hereditary. I grey out when I stand up, too, though not as dramatically as my daughter.