I wasn't quite sure which forum to use, I hope this one is okay for my question.
My husband (34 yrs old, no history of medical problems, non-smoker/non-drinker) went for a yearly checkup today. The doctor ordered routine blood work. My husband has always been afraid of having his blood drawn or receiving injections such as flu shots, etc. I remember last year that the nurse asked him if he'd rather lie down for the flu shot, but he didn't and was able to handle it without consequence.
When his blood was drawn today, however, he was apparently so tense and nervous that the nurse had to draw blood from both his arms to get enough for testing. The nurse asked throughout and afterward if he needed to lie down, but he declined because the worst was over and he thought he'd done well. Within seconds of the last time she asked him, he said he suddenly felt extremely exhausted, so he put his head down on his arm, which was still resting on the little flip-out table attached to the chair.
The next thing he knew, he came to in the floor and the nurses were in a panic, checking his pulse, running to get the doctor, asking him a lot of questions to determine how coherent he was. He told me about this morning and said they'd checked his pulse and blood pressure, and the doctor checked him with a stethoscope. The doctor told him it happens occasionally, no big deal.
What my husband neglected to tell me until tonight is that when he came to and before the doctor got to him, the nurses asked if he'd ever had a seizure before (he hasn't) and told him that in addition to fainting, he'd also had a convulsion! I asked him what the doctor said about it, and he said he didn't ask the doctor and the doctor didn't mention it.
I was worried that he'd fainted (out of sheer fright, I imagine), but learning he'd also had a seizure added a new element of concern for me. Could you please tell me if this is common with fainting and whether it can be caused by anxiety? Also, is this of significant concern that we should ask his doctor to investigate further? I'm terribly worried now that I know he didn't just faint but also had a seizure.
I should add that as a child, my husband had fainting spells every now and then...usually when he was anxious or terribly afraid of something, but sometimes for no reason at all that anyone could discern. He said he had an EEG and some other tests at the time and that the doctors never found anything at all wrong with him. Those episodes stopped when he was a young teen, and he'd never fainted since...until today. His cousin did have epilepsy, and in fact, sadly died in her 20s from complications related thereto. So there is one person in the family who had a history of seizures.
I'd love some reassurance if this is not so out of the ordinary or some guidance in where to turn, what to ask if we should have this investigated further. Thank you SO much for any help you can offer us!
Bunny