William's Own Mystery

Ahhh, where do I begin.  I'm not sure if I have mentioned it here before or not, but a little less than a year ago, William began complaining about seeing blackness at various times.  He said that sometimes, especially if he was tired or just getting up from sitting down, everything would go black for a few seconds and then he would be fine.  Since he had recently gotten new glasses, I took him back in and asked the eye doctor if he knew of anything that could be causing this.  He said no, and made us feel kind of dumb for asking saying that it happens to everyone when they close their eyes tight for a second and then open them.  So we left and I just told William to let me know if it happened again.  

A few months later, it was still happening occasionally, so I decided to ask his pediatrician about it.  She said it could be from dehydration and just to make sure he was getting enough to drink.  So we did.  I am a huge water pusher anyway...just ask any of my kids, they will tell you!  So, time went on and these blackout episodes continued to happen and seemed to be happening more often.  He would also sometimes have a headache or be a bit dizzy when it happened.  William was in the doctor's office again for something (can't remember what) and so I asked about it again.  She said that it could be low blood pressure or an early sign of childhood migraines. She said to keep pushing the water and add more salt to his diet and let her know if they get worse.  

Then about two months ago he had one that really scared him.   He had used the bathroom, washed his hands, and turned to go toward the door.  He looked at the handle and started to reach out for it when everything around the handle began to go black and then it went totally black and he could not see a thing.  He said that he felt very dizzy and that he wanted to hit himself to try and make it stop, but he could not make his body move and he could not call out.  That one lasted longer than any of the others.  When he came out, he was about in tears from fear as he told me about it.  He then sat down on the couch because he was very tired.  

At  his well check just a couple of weeks after that, I asked the doctor about it again, because it just seemed like it was happening too often and lasting longer.  It was also happening at more random times.  She said she wasn't sure why it was happening, but maybe we should just have him checked out by our Neurologist to be sure.  So, I came home and emailed him, telling him briefly what was going on. This was just a few days before we were leaving for D.C. so he said to get in touch with him once we got back from D.C. and he would see if he thought William needed to be seen.  Bryce and Annalise have an appointment next week with Dr. N, so I figured I would just talk to him at that time.  William has had a few episodes since then.

That leads us to yesterday.   While I was out working with Bryce and one of his physical therapists with his power chair, I got a call from the principal at William's school.  He said that William had passed out on the way in from P.E.  He said that he had just gotten a little scraped up from the fall, but that he felt that I needed to have William checked out because of the fainting spell.  I couldn't get a hold of anyone close by so luckily the PT offered to stay with the kids while I ran down to get William.  I then called my mom who came over to stay with them while I took William in to the Pediatrician.  

William's war wounds.  Luckily just a few scrapes on the face.  It could have been much worse.

William was still pretty out of it when I picked him up.  He said that he had two of the blackout things happen while they were in P.E. and then while walking back, he had one that just didn't end.  He said that he tried to walk and felt himself run into the wall and begin to fall, but couldn't do anything to stop it.  The next thing he knew, he woke up with his face on a bunch of rocks and a bunch of people over him yelling his name.  

We saw a different doctor than normal.  He said that there is a whole list of reasons why a person could pass out.  It could just be from dehydration and heat exposure, but since William has been having these "blackout" episodes for a while, he wanted to do some tests just to be sure we aren't missing anything.  He also said that we should still talk to our Neurologist.  So, we headed out to get some blood work done.  

Then we stopped for lunch.  I joked with William that if he wanted some time out with me, he could just ask for it...he didn't have to pass out!  :)

At one point during lunch, he looked a bit "off"  and I asked him if he was okay.  He seemed a little out of it and said that he had that same feeling coming again.  He said he felt very hot, like his insides were burning up and he felt dizzy.  He lied down on the bench for a few minutes and pretty soon felt better.  We finished lunch and hurried over the the hospital for his EKG.

William getting all hooked up.  

When I told William that I wanted to take his picture, the lady doing the test asked William if it was okay.  He said yes.  She then said that she asks the kids that and if they say no, she tells the parents that pictures aren't allowed in this area.  "You have to stand up for the kids", she said.  I like her!

After the EKG, we headed home.  Luckily it was pizza night, so we stopped at Costco and picked up a pizza for dinner.  I was still full from lunch, so I passed on the pizza.  William ate it up.  That boy is skinny, but he sure can eat!

William had one more blackout episode last night so I kept him home today just to keep an eye on him.  He has been fine all day.  The doctor's office called us today with the results of the tests he had done and said that everything looked fine.  So I guess for now, we will just make sure he gets plenty to drink, lots of electrolytes, plenty of salt, talk to the neurologist, and wait to see what happens.  

Never, never a dull moment!