Help with daughter's symptoms - dizzy, faint

[sunny_one]

Thank you for providing this service. It's very important and helpful.

My almost 8-year-old daughter has been having 'hot flashes' for approximately the past nine months. During these episodes, she gets dizzy, feels faint, appears pale, feels very tired like she can barely keep her eyes open, clammy hands and feet, her stomach begins to hurt, she feels slightly nauseous, gets a headache, has a hot feeling in her head, and feels the blood pulsating in her forehead. It can take up to 1 1/2 hours for her to recover from this. Sometimes it takes only 5-10 minutes to recover. She is normally very active and boisterous, but she becomes very quiet and must lie down during these episodes. She has fainted once while in a shopping mall, but hadn't eaten much during the day and told me she needed to eat or drink right away before she fainted - we were standing in line to get food when it happened.

I have tested her blood sugar during one episode, but it was not low - my husband is diabetic, so we have experience with glucose levels. She had an MRI in April because of the fainting incident, but it was normal. The episodes can occur without, during, or after activity. Sometimes she gets them when she lays down to go to sleep, sometimes while she's playing sports, sometimes while she is just sitting.

We are now scheduled to see a pediatric cardiologist, as I have had symptoms of MVP Syndrome for the past 13 months - I have a bowed valve with no leakage. Seemed like the next step to find out what's going on.

Two years ago she had a lot of gastrointestinal problems - x-ray showed her bowels were backed up - she also had an endoscopy which was totally normal. Her stomachaches have mostly disappeared and we always attributed it to growing pains - she has always been tall for her age. At about the same time as the gastro problems, she began getting itchy hives on her hands, feet, thighs, buttocks and torso. An allergist tested her, but we never were able to determine what they were caused by. He had prescribed Zantac to control the hives, and while she was taking the Zantac is when she first experienced a 'hot flash'. Her allergist changed the medication to Clarinex, but it didn't make any difference. She also has just begun growing pubic hair - two weeks shy of her 8th birthday, which seems a bit young.

Wow, that looks like a lot when it's written down, she's such a great kid and loves to be active, this is really causing us concern. We’ve always been lucky with health and happiness, but we’re being tested these days.

Can you give me any ideas of what direction to go in to find a diagnosis for her 'hot flash' episodes? What tests we should ask for or specialists we should see? Could Zantac have caused this?

Should we be concerned about her developing pubic hair at this age? Could this be related?

[Kevin Pho, MD]

It is unlikely that the Zantac could cause this.  

Regarding the hot flashes - there are no obvious reasons that come to mind right now.  I would test for the basic endocrinologic diseases including prolactin, thyroid, LH/FSH, estrogen and testosterone.  

Regarding the fainting spells - it is reassuring that the MRI was normal.  Another possibility would be seizures - and this can be evaluated by a neurologist.  Tests such as an EEG can be considered to evaluate for the presence of any seizures.  

Typically the start of pubic hair occurs after breast development - around age 11.

For further evaluation I would suggest a referral to an pediatric endocrinologist and neurologist.  

Followup with your personal physician is essential.

This answer is not intended as and does not substitute for medical advice - the information presented is for patient education only. Please see your personal physician for further evaluation of your individual case.

Thanks,
Kevin, M.D.

[sunny_one]

I just got a copy of the MRI report that went to the neurologist. It says the following:

Impression: There is a cystic density located on the floor of the left temporal fossa. The appearance favors arachnoid or leptomenigeal cyst. However MRI with an associated diffusion study would be beneficial for evaluation and/or confirmation.

When I called for test results in January I was told that the MRI was normal. Now that I have this report, I questioned the office receptionist, who told me that the doctor had ordered the films and read them himself which is why he said it was normal.

I have scheduled another visit with the neurologist in two days to hopefully find answers.

What does the impression mean? What questions can I ask?

[AmySurber]

Have you fond out anything new?  My daughter has s cyst in her brain that is attached to her pituitary gland and each MRI - 2 times per year they say it is normal.  Drs will tell you normal until that cyst changes in size, shape or texture.

[sunny_one]

We have been to see a specialist at Barrows and he has ordered an MRI - it was a CT scan that she had originally. The cyst in in her temporal lobe. I went back to the first neuro, but he thought her symptoms were typical of a migraine. At Barrows they said it is very atypical and so will do further testing. The doctor was somewhat reasuring, telling us that many people have these cysts and it's very rare that anything has to be done about them. I hope your daughter is doing well.

[charchar]

my daughter had done the same thing with the passing out or near passing out since she was 4yrs. old and same as you the dr.s would check her blood sugar and test for diabetes and also sent her to a neurologist and found nothing .She would feel weak and shakey and lose all color and she would have to lay down and it would take 1 to 2 hours before she would feel better and sometimes it would just take about 20 min. And she got more and more spells as she grew older. She was very active then and now she is 18 and she was very active in high school, all state in softball and played basketball and cheerleader ,she would come off the feild or the court and have to lay down and there was times where she would crawl off the field becaus she was blacking out and couldn't see .She learned to deal with this and we never found out why she would do this UNTIL after graduation she started having these spells almost everyday and she couldn't function anymore she lost weight(5ft.4" and 106 lbs) and she had a spell at work and then another  and another all in the same day .I had enough with "nothings wrong". Her dr. sent her to a cardiologist and he put her on a heart monitor to wear for a week and then he scheduled a tilt table test and she passed out during it . She took meds. and just got worse .He scheduled another tilt table test and she passed out once again this time with him standing in the room with her when she passed out and Finally !! we have a DR. who believes us now! He said her heart  would start to slow down then her blood pressure would bottom out, she needed a pacemaker ..that really scared us at first , but she wasn't getting any better doing nothing. She had her pacemaker put in July 21. 03. And she said she has never felt this good in 14 years!It is like day and night difference and she has her life back . We can't thank this dr. for hanging in there with us. The meds. might of helped us if we would of caught this years ago. So keep on... don't let them give up or tell you nothings wrong. It looks like you are heading in the right direction.

[14yrold]

hey erm im not sure what im doin because i just found this site but i need some help from someone...im 14 almost 15 and i keep gettin dizzy spells  i go really light headed and my body feels all floppy then my pupils in my eyes go pin sized then when i recover from bein dizzy witch normally takes 6 seconds my pupils in my eyes go back to their normal size..is this normal?.. what's wrong with me.. can someone please help me... my mum doesnt seem to care :(
x x

[Shell2121]

A related discussion, 10 year old daughter having hot flashes was started.