Fainting/passing Out

My niece does this too. The sight of blood or something else that is particularly upsetting to her...faints straightaway!

Updated

My niece does this too. The sight of blood or something else that is particularly upsetting to her...faints straightaway!

Sounds like she is experiencing a vasovagal response/syncope.
I would follow up with your pediatrician or a pediatric neurologist. You want to make sure that any more serious conditions that can cause loss of consciousness are excluded.

Good luck.

It sounds like vasovagal syndrome. I have it. The fainting (I don't actually faint but many people do, I just feel like I have to be down on the floor) is caused by a sudden drop in blood pressure. The abdominal pain - which is extreme and sometimes you do vomit - is caused by your blood pressure being so low that your blood can't get oxygen to your organs. Keep gatorade in the house in case you need to hydrate her quickly. Hydration takes the blood pressure back up. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate after an episode, too. Mine started during menopause - never had a problem before. I had an episode in my doctor's office after a minor office procedure and that's how I was diagnosed. The doctor said if he had known I had severe vasovagal reactions, he would never have done the procedure in his office. Please discuss this with your pediatrician. The ER can only treat presenting symptoms so if the episode was over, they probably couldn't find anything. Don't let it go, though. It's not difficult to manage but you will want to know how to handle.

I've heard of this blood/fainting phenomenon and have even done it myself after blood work! I forget what it is called though. I think it's called a vasovagal response (??).

I also used to faint in church when I was a kid and an altar server (talk about embarrassing).

I would try to sit her down immediately after an incident and give her a sugary drink (and normally I don't recommend sugar!). Edit: perhaps it is even better to have her lie down and elevate her legs.

I would also check with my regular doctor just to rule out seizures, etc. I would ask the best way to handle this too.

Good luck.

I agree it sounds like vasovagal response, or syncope.
I was diagnosed with it in 5th grade after fainting during school.
I still experience spells and I am almost 25 now.
Mine are really bad during pregnancy.

Have her drink lots of water or sports drinks. Not just when she is feeling dizzy but all day everyday.

You've had some good answers. I like Ina's response. See a pediatric neurologist to rule out other things, too. The fact that she sleeps after these episodes might or might not mean there is some brain wave disturbance that goes on, making her need sleep.
A neurologist can help with that.

I used to faint... and it seemed to be at random... but universally it was caused by a couple things...

If I stood in one place and locked my knees for too long... out I would go. It happened during choir performances and sometimes doing dishes LOL!

The other main culprit was not eating for a long period. I was a child who would just forget to eat! I would suddenly run out of fuel and all of a sudden I would turn pale and my eyes would "go black" and i would wake up on the floor. If I ate a healthy snack with a little bit of carbs (like an apple or a granola bar) I would be as good as new!

The doctor eventually said that it was because I was low weight (natural bean-pole) and I had mild anemia... Iron and remembering to eat (and shift my weight when standing still) prevented many more episodes.

If you are worried, certainly get her checked out, but a few fainting spells are not necessarily a reason to panic. Do take her to the pediatrician and ask if they can test her blood for any deficiencies. Chances are this can easily be treated and prevented with simple measures!

Good Luck!
-M.

PS... I grew up to be a normal, pretty healthy adult!

I would also see a pediatric neurologist. It sounds like it could be syncope, but the period of sleep that follows is concerning. It is always good to rule out other conditions. Good Luck!

This is exactly how my daughter is. She is 5 years old now, but it started right around the time she turned 4.

She will faint or throw up even if she sees blood on a cartoon (Arthur!) and heaven forbid if she falls and gets a little cut or scrape. I had to pick her up from school about a month ago because she fainted after one of her friends was talking about getting shots. Now she doesn't even like watching me squeeze lemons!

I told her pediatrician about it, and she's not concerned. I'm sure she'll grow out of it eventually. I know she won't be going into the medical field :-)

I have this condition after alot of tests it was diagnoised as low blood sugar i take drops when i feel my blood sugar drops to avoid a spell. Name of medicine is A.S cor - norfenefrina i get it in mexico from my doctor but ask your doctor about it

Well, I can't say that I have to take a nap afterwards, but I have had the same problem since I was a young child. I do alot better with it now that I am older and mostly I think it is a mental thing. I have ways to help myself just not think about it now that usually helps but I still usually have to sit down close my eyes and relax and think about something completely different......unrelated to blood or needles. Sometimes I have to take a little nap or rest just to get my composure back. My problem was not so much my blood but just the thought of blood in general or seeing other people's blood freaked me out. Mine didn't bother me so much. But needles and anything to do with that make me feel that way too. I get this terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach (maybe the same kind of thing she is feeling she just says the throw up thing cause it is her stomach?). Then my vision starts to tunnel and my head starts spinning, get REALLY pale (already pale to begin with LOL) and the sweats and then I sometimes pass out. The passing out thing doesn't happen often now since I've learned out how deal with it, but it used to happen more. So whenever I start to feel that way, usually a drink (juice if possible) helps cause it increases the blood sugar quickly, then I lay down or sit down with head between my legs, close my eyes and try to relax and think of something different, hopefully pleasant while I regain my composure. Getting up and walking somewhere doesn't help cause the gravity effect takes more blood away from your brain, so try to stay put. My Dad and sister have similar reactions so I have always chucked it up to my genetics. It's hard to manage in school and stuff like that. I usually had to sit out on science discussions or videos when we were learning about blood, if another kid got hurt I had to go away and kinda be kept an eye on ..probably same will be true for her but it will be when she gets hurt so that makes things tricky. But I think honestly it's mostly just a mental thing.