Visit to the ER - Hypchondriacs, HELP!

[1Prince2Princesses]

I know there are a few of you out there who do a LOT of research on different medical conditions...

I need your help!

Yesterday, my son's school called me to come get him. He was complaining of chest pain, dizziness, and shortness of breath. I raced to his school like a bat out of hell to get him, and called his Dr., who said to take him to the ER immediately. So we spent the next several hours in the ER having tests done. His heart is good, his lungs are clear, and they ruled out heartburn/indigestion. They did EKG's, x-rays, blood work, urine test... you name it, they did it. They said there is NOTHING WRONG with him. Huh? They gave him Motrin and sent us home.

Now, my son has a tendency to overdramatize illnesses. I feel like I did the right thing by taking him, considering he was complaining of chest pain, but WTH?!? I personally was thinking maybe he's having symptoms of anxiety, but the Dr's said no to that, too.

Anybody ever had this happen? DH thinks it was just an excuse to get out of school, but he only missed the last 20 minutes, and his last class is library assistant, so I'm sure that's not it. Maybe he's just the world's worst hypochondriac.

 

[Christine]

Why did they think that it could not be an anxiety attack?

 

[1Prince2Princesses]

Why did they think that it could not be an anxiety attack?

Beats me. They asked him if he was nervous or upset about anything. They pretty much agreed he was too young for anxiety issues, which I thought was BS.

 

[mickeyboat]

I am not a doctor, and I don't play one on tv, but it sounds like a panic attack to me. I might think about documenting all of this while it is still fresh in your mind, observe him for more signs, and get a second opinioin from his regular pediatrician.

It must have been scary for you!

Denae

 

[Christine]

Beats me. They asked him if he was nervous or upset about anything. They pretty much agreed he was too young for anxiety issues, which I thought was BS.

Yeah, that's definitely BS and the kids cannot really *know* if something is bothering them always.

Let me tell you what happened to my son last week.

He is 12 years old and goes to before/after care at his school. He went off to school fine and dandy. After an hour at being at "before" care, I get a call that he is having stomach cramps and feeling like he has to "go" a lot. I ended up leaving for the day and getting him and he ended up being fine.

What happened was that one of his caretakers arrived at school and got hit with the Norovirus. Apparently, while there, she was having awful cramps, moaning, having to run to the restroom etc.

Well, I guess it kind of freaked my son out and he got nervous and ended up getting "Sympathy Norovirus."

So, kids can definitely get nervous about stuff.

It could be that he was feeling a little unwell and then kind of panicked about it. That is something my son would do.

 

[debbi801]

How frightening for you and your son. I agree with another poster, document it all while it is fresh in your mind and get a second opinion. It sounds like an anxiety attack or panic attack.

 

[1Prince2Princesses]

I am not a doctor, and I don't play one on tv, but it sounds like a panic attack to me. I might think about documenting all of this while it is still fresh in your mind, observe him for more signs, and get a second opinioin from his regular pediatrician.

It must have been scary for you!

Denae

I thought it sounded like a panic attack, too, once I got past the fear he was having a heart attack or something equally horrible. That was SO scary.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

I haven't gone through anxiety issues with kids, so can't comment on that, but I don't blame you for bringing him to the ER. I would take chest pains seriously, too. Hopefully that will be the end of it, but you know him best and know if he tends to have anxiety issues so that might be something to explore if you think it's a possibility.

 

[Hedy]

I am not a doctor, and I don't play one on tv, but it sounds like a panic attack to me. I might think about documenting all of this while it is still fresh in your mind, observe him for more signs, and get a second opinioin from his regular pediatrician.

It must have been scary for you!

Denae

Exactly what I was going to say.

 

[piglet too]

Another thing that it could be, is a pulled muscle or pinched nerve in the rib cage. My DS12 just did this in the fall, and his sypmtoms were very similar to what your son had. He first started with the chest pain, which led to shortness of breath because it hurt more when he breathed. That led to dizziness because he was not breathing right and it kept snowballing.

 

[lindalinda]

My son had chest pains recently too. I took him to the DR. and it turned out it was a certain type of "growing pain" I'm sorry I forgot the name, but basically in some boys the sternum causes pain when its growing. I would take your son in to the regular Dr and see if it could be that. Try not to assume its hypochondria. Sometimes Drs just dont know whats wrong, even if there is pain.

 

[FinallyBoughtDVC]

Beats me. They asked him if he was nervous or upset about anything. They pretty much agreed he was too young for anxiety issues, which I thought was BS.

Sounds like a classic anxiety attack - or even a reaction to some type of food.

I will have a reaction similar to this when I have anything with MSG in it.

It may not be a bad idea to have him see an allergist - especially if the symptoms occur again.

Poor guy - even if he was being a "hypochondriac" - something in his day made him have these symptoms - (most kids would pretend their stomach hurt - they wouldn't get into all these other symptoms).

 

[1Prince2Princesses]

We reviewed every single thing that went into his mouth yesterday, and ruled out an allergy. It could be a growing pain, I suppose... the pain was around his sternum. He was also complaining of the feeling of a lump in his throat, so I think it's probably anxiety.

I also want to add that I have no doubt he was in some kind of pain. I'm just frustrated with getting no results.

 

[paigevz]

12 is NOT too young for panic attacks. It does sound like a classic one to me.........of course, I am not a dr., but I'd get a second opinion.

 

[CathrynRose]

I dont understand why it couldnt be an axiety attack?

Do most 12 y/o's get them - probably not, but why couldnt it happen? Is he stressed out at all?

And - I dont always get them when Im freaked out - Ill get them when Im overwhelmed at all. Can I tell you that pre-every-Disney-trip, I get one? I almost get a smidge scared when I start planning it, cuz I know Ill have one.... it's not a "stressed out" attack - it's almost like a "overwhelmed. thinking to much" attack. Does he have a lot on his mind?

And if this is the case - what I have tried to do with my youngest, cuz he gets stressed the way I used to - try and get him out of the anxiety pattern early. My mom didnt do anything wrong by not really taking my "panic" seriously - but she didnt know what to do, so she'd stay "Oh, just stop!" - You know what I mean???

So, I kinda try and tell Danny what Ive read (taking a breath in and making the blow out longer forces the body to relax, for instance) when I see him getting overwhelmed....

So, I babbled for a while.... my opinion, I dont see why a 12 y/o couldnt have one.

 

[floridafam]

I can't answer as to what it might have been but I did want to say not to feel guilty for taking him to the ER.

It could have been anything and it could have been serious. You did the right thing and now you know all of those things they tested are clear so you can more clearly diagnose what the real problem may be.

I hope he feels better an you ge to the bottom of this.

 

[1Prince2Princesses]

I dont understand why it couldnt be an axiety attack?

Do most 12 y/o's get them - probably not, but why couldnt it happen? Is he stressed out at all?

And - I dont always get them when Im freaked out - Ill get them when Im overwhelmed at all. Can I tell you that pre-every-Disney-trip, I get one? I almost get a smidge scared when I start planning it, cuz I know Ill have one.... it's not a "stressed out" attack - it's almost like a "overwhelmed. thinking to much" attack. Does he have a lot on his mind?

And if this is the case - what I have tried to do with my youngest, cuz he gets stressed the way I used to - try and get him out of the anxiety pattern early. My mom didnt do anything wrong by not really taking my "panic" seriously - but she didnt know what to do, so she'd stay "Oh, just stop!" - You know what I mean???

So, I kinda try and tell Danny what Ive read (taking a breath in and making the blow out longer forces the body to relax, for instance) when I see him getting overwhelmed....

So, I babbled for a while.... my opinion, I dont see why a 12 y/o couldnt have one.

I was thinking of you when I posted this thread.

I'll try that... I don't have a lot of experience with anxiety attacks, but I do think that's what is going on. Actually, they had a really long writing test yesterday, which could have triggered it. He's a very emotionally sensitive kid, too.

Thanks to everyone for your input. I think I'll call the doc and set up a follow-up.

 

[Christine]

Sounds like a classic anxiety attack - or even a reaction to some type of food.

I will have a reaction similar to this when I have anything with MSG in it.

It may not be a bad idea to have him see an allergist - especially if the symptoms occur again.

Poor guy - even if he was being a "hypochondriac" - something in his day made him have these symptoms - (most kids would pretend their stomach hurt - they wouldn't get into all these other symptoms).

I would agree that he's probably "not" a hypochondriac. Having hypochondria and having anxiety are very different.

 

[Aidensmom]

He is NOT to young for it to be anxiety. I would really encourage you to follow up with his pediatrician also. There are a LOT of things that can cause those symptoms, some of them pretty benign, but others that need treatment (hyperthyroid, etc).

You did the right thing by taking him to the ER. There are plenty of us adults who have been there for the same thing. Those symptoms are nothing to take lightly.

Good luck in finding out the cause. Hopefully it is just stress. I think ALL 12 year olds are under it and just don't realize it, remember when we were that age?

 

[Jennasis]

One dos not need to be "STRESSED OUT" or "WORRIED ABOUT SOMETHING" to have a panic attack (which is what it sounds like your
DS had). When my DH has them (which is not so much now that he's got the right medication), I often ask him "what were you thinking about" hoping to find a trigger. his answer is always a resounding..."nothing"..."I was just sitting there and then BAM...it hit me."

The ER docs are idiots. Find a new doctor. Although one panic attack does not mean GAD (general anxiety disorder) it could be the start. You can help him with proper therapy and medication. Don't wait for him to worsen.