Son fainted in school today!

[ro44]

I have a 18 year old who fainted in school today while listening to a lecture on sexually transmitted diseases. He fell out of his desk and hit his head. Was only out for a few seconds. He was very embarassed about this. This is the first time he has ever fainted. A few years ago, I was in the car with him and I was talking about aids and blood and stuff and he turned white as a ghost and felt sick. I took him straight to the pediatrician and he said he had a vaso vagal attack. He said he thought it was from the conversation we were having. I know people can faint at the sight of blood but it seems unusual to faint just listening to someone lecture about it.

I was just wondering if anyone can relate to this? I didn't take him to the doctor today. Didn't find out about it until hours later when I asked him about the bump on his head. He recovered quickly and was very embarassed that he fainted. Anybody experienced this?

[LucyA]

Hi Ro44,
I'm sorry to hear tha your Son fainted. I remember when I was younger my brother fainted twice in school, once in a science lesson and once in a sex education lesson. I'm glad to say that this doesn't happen anymore, he's now 27 and leads a perfectly normal life with no fainting, but just gets a bit squeamish when people talk about blood and stuff. My Dad and I are a bit like it too.

All I can suggest is talk to him about it and work out what he wants to do about learning about this stuff at school. I'm guessing he'd rather not be fussed over and will just want to leave it.

Good luck to you and your son, I'm sure he will be fine and this will pass just as it did for my brother :)

xx

[ro44]

LucyA,

Thanks so much for your reply. It helps to know he's not the only one. Yesterday was actually his last day of high school, so he won't have to sit through anymore lectures like that, I hope. Thanks again for your comment.

[samc100]

I once fainted at school ( 16 yrs old) about the talk on child birth ( no pictures were needed to make me pass out.... It was shameful!

And I have since managed to give birth without fainting so it could a mix of the teenage hormones and the brain feeling a little off it that day.

I am sure your son will learn to avoid topics that make him feel queasy.

[traciec39]

sorry to hear about your son, hopes hes ok now.

On a funny note...i would faint and get a nosebleed every time i went to a jumble sale!!!!!

Needless to say i dont go to them any more.

dont worry,,,maybe he hadent eaten enough?
luv Tracie

[mumof2]

I'm very squeamish about blood, circulation etc. I have fainted twice - once a few weeks back when my sister was telling me about when her friend's baby had heart surgery and once a few years ago when cousins MIL kept going on about someone having a blood clot - didn't know her very well so didn't like to ask her to shut up!!!

Very normal!

[Evan]

This is a long time after the thread was started, but I had a rather similar experience when I was about your son's age. I fainted when reading about someone having a heart attack. I too was very embarrassed about fainting, especially as it happened in front of my mother. Very sensibly, she decided it wasn't worth taking me to the doctor: I would have hated being made a fuss over. It has never happened since.