Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Questions About Symptoms for Chloee This Time...


You know, life wouldn't be fun without issues around our house.


I got a phone call from Chloee's teacher today telling me that she has been having episodes in the afternoon where she gets very sweaty and gets nauseous with headaches and feels like she is going to pass out.


Here is what I have come up with so far.....


So she has been telling me she is sick to her stomach for a long time, and always walks around the house with a throw up bowl, though she seldom actually throws up. She doesn't like loud noises, and before bed is always sick to her stomach, and has a headache.


She gets sick in the car but is fine on like roller coasters and stuff.

Her teacher notices that it is in the later afternoon that she gets this way, but he says it has gotten worse over the past few weeks.

I keep questioning her about it, and what she feels like, and she said that a kid in her class today asked her if she was okay because her eyes were "swirling in her head"

Do you think I should take her to a Dr.? I mean I obviously don't want it to be something serious and not take it that way, KWIM?

The nausea issue has been going on for about a year and a half now.

When I asked her tonight to explain things to me this is what she said:


They start as a little tiny headache in the middle of her forehead. Then she gets really hot, and she hears mice. (Eeek Eeek) is what she said. Then noises start to bother her. Especially when the class is noisy. But she says that she always has a small headache in her forehead. She said that she has even been getting them at night but she doesn't want to wake me up because she knows that Rhett keeps me awake.


These headaches started when we lived at the house we were renting, so around July or so maybe?


Have any of you dealt with this type of thing before? I am really worried about her now that her teacher is noticing it too.


Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

16 comments:

Niksmom said...

I'm sticking w/the blood sugar or food sensitivity issues. The timing seems very regular and would coincide with a certain period of time after meals (lunch, dinner). Start keeping a journal of what ad whenshe eats and how she feels. Ask her to rate the pain on a scale of 1-10 like at the hospital and see if it changes according to what she's eaten or any other factors.

Good luck!

Stephanie @ Ralphcrew said...

I'll bet she's got low blood sugar in the afternoon. My 3rd grader does the same thing with the headaches and all. Last Spring he had a CT scan and an EEG to rule out any serious issues. What a waste of money! Now, I make sure that he eats a good lunch and gets a morning and afternoon snack. It's easy because I have him at home all day this year. He hasn't been complaining as much lately. Look into low GI foods if you can. Best wishes!

Polly said...

Pam I am thinking Hypoglycemia also. Low blood sugar.

I had these syptoms while pregnant with both my kids.


It can help to eat a snack of some kind. Can she hide a granola bar in her pocket. :)

Sure hope she feels better.

Tina:0) said...

Sounds like a common thread... I was thinking low sugar (hypoglycemia), too! I have that problem myself, & her symptoms sound pretty familiar! Headache, nausea, etc.

I agree with the snack - maybe the teacher would be willing to trial it to see if it helps?! I always try pretzles. Hope she's better soon!

Chris said...

My first thought was blood sugar too, but I would take her to the doctor for a blood test just to be sure.

mommy to Kaden, Brody and angel Ava said...

I too am thinking low blood sugar. I kept lemon drops around at the begining of my pregnancy, or peanut butter crackers...they seemed to help. Another possibility I was thinking would be migraines...although I don't know why it would happen around the same time all of the time. I hope you find an answer soon.

Jodie said...

Low blood sugar could be the culprit. Also, I have had migraines since childhood. The sensitivity to light, nausea, etc sounds very familiar. I think it's a good idea to go to the doc. (Just what you wanted to hear!)

my--four--sons said...

This sounds exactly like what my oldest son does. He calls them eye aches. I took him to the doctor and he said he has migranes. He has done this for years. I was told as soon as the symptons start to give him ibuprofen and go straight to bed. I have also noticed that dehydration triggers his episodes. Also when he hasn't slept well or when his routine gets messed with.

I am not a doctor but this sounds alot like my guy. If he gets a headache I immediatly have to give him his ibuprofen and a throw up bowl and make him lay down.

Ann said...

I agree with the 1st poster about keeping a food journal. I did a behavior journal with my three year old an it helped us find a pattern and determine the trigger of his problems. You can learn a lot from keeping a journal.

jkribbit said...

Hi Pam, sounds like my input is the same as everyone else's :) The two most likely culprits are blood sugar issues and migraines. I would maybe keep a food diary (I know it can be hard with her being at school! but it can be very helpful). If it's migraines dehydration and/or specific foods can trigger it. If it's low blood sugar, high protein/low sugar foods are best. If you have her eat sugar to pump up the blood sugar, she'll have a worse crash later - the trick is to be consistent with high fiber and high protein foods to keep the blood sugar steady. I would recommend seeing the doctor just to rule out anything serious - but you could totally try diet change for a bit and see if it helps at all. Hope things work out for you guys!

Michelle said...

Does she eat school lunches? They are full of nitrates & preservatives, and kids who are sensitive can really be affected by that.

I would start packing a lunch (if you're not already) and adding in an afternoon snack.

another thought ... my brother had migraines as a child - especially during my parents divorce. I know she's a great kid, but she really could be internalizing some stress, ya know?

How sweet a girl - doesn't even want to wake you when she has a headache. Poor little chicky, I hope you can get this sorted out.

Leah Spring said...

I'm voting blood sugar too. Angela is pre-diabetic, and that is exactly what she does. She cannot go more than 2 hours without eating something. She eats breakfast at 7, a snack at 9 at school, HER lunch at 11:00 (the other 6th graders don't eat until 12:30 and that's too late for her.) another snack at 1:00, then she's home at 1:30, and continues to eat every 2 hours. If we DON'T do this, her levels get really low (she drops into the 40's) then skyrockets into the 200's, is very nauseated, and just wants to be left alone. It tooks us several months to figure out what was going on!

My Three Sons said...

Well being that everyone has already nailed it, it is probably one of the two mentioned. She really needs to keep a food diary and also have her keep a journal for her pain. Have her log between 1-10 with 10 being the worse and note the times. Also have her jot down her atomshere. Is it dark, cold, hot, loud, ect... I would call the doctor and ask them to do some bloodwork first for diabetes. Juvinele diabetes is really on the rise. This is were she would fast for 8 hours and then have her blood drawn. It will give you a number and it is the average of the last three months.
If that isn't it, then I would have her checked for migraines. I have those and when I do, light and noise bother me. I also get sick to my stomach. Sometimes my head hurts so bad that I can't even close my eyes in a dark room. But mine doesn't go away, it stays all day and sometimes a couple. It is by no means like clockwork. So that is why I'm leaning towards diabetes.
Pam, if you have anymore questions e-mail me or call me. I'm actually pretty educated in both symtoms.

Laura said...

Pam,
My Kelsey actually did pass out in school when she was in kindergarten....scariest phone call I ever got when the nurse said "Kelsey's collapsed - We've called 911 and the ambulance is on it's way"!

Anyway, after many hours in the ER, all her tests came back ok, and she was diagnosed http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/vasovagal-syncope/DS00806

Chloee is around the same age as Kelsey I think, and I know another little girl at Kelsey's school had the same exact thing.

Doctors said to keep well hydrated, and always carry something salty to keep on hand.

Good luck and keeping your sweet family in my thoughts and prayers.

Shari said...

After reading this, my oldest son had the same issue. His blood sugar would drop really low about an hour and a half after lunch. The docs couldn't figure it out so we made sure along with his teacher that he always had snack food on hand. That helped him, but I would still maybe get a Drs opinion.

Kari said...

I have no idea. Not to scare you but have they ruled out seizures. Chanelle rarely has seizures anymore. She used to have really severe grand Mal ones. The last few she had were Absent and very mild. She always has complained her tummy hurt just before she'd have a seizure. The seizures she has had in the past few years were barely dedectable. She was only gone for a few seconds. Chanelle always is exhausted and sleeps way longer than usual after these episodes. I sure hope they can figure this out. (((HUGS)))