[smurf001]

Hi,
Im new to this site and hoping someone can help me.
I have a 16 year old son who has suffered from sudden blackouts for 4 years now.
4 years ago this was diagnosed as being a problem with low blood pressure causing him to blackout (visually).
Since then things have gotten worse.
About a year ago his blackouts would end with his heart racing so fast and hard it could be seen from a few feet away.
He was soon diagnosed as having a very slow heartrate (average resting rate of 45-50bpm).
Since then he has started getting chest pains (a tightness pain is described by him, although this seems to be worse when breathing in).
He also gets dizzy spells and sudden pains in his head when he stands up.
He has in the past had a 24 brain monitor (eeg) to check for epilepsy and recently had a 24 haulter monitor (ecg) and a tilt test at the children's hospital.
Other than that little has been done to diagnose him. The overall opinion from the consultant is that this is a bp problem as opposed to a heart problem but my faith is fading fast as he is generally being left to suffer and miss a lot of schooling in the process as he is frequently being sent home when chest pains arise.
I am at my wits end. Whatever this is, it is getting worse over time and I'm getting to the point where I don't like him being too far away. He has had to say no to a school trip already as we don't know what we are dealing with.
I would appreciate any advice or ideas please.
Thanks in advance,
Cheryl (a very worried mother)

[rosemcs]

(My child has serious heart problems and has stayed in the hospital many times.) Has a cardiologist done this testing? If so, has he also had an echo done on his heart? You mentioned an eeg on the brain and ecg monitor, but no mention of any ultrasound of the actual heart. I have experienced different hospitals using various methods in determining how they diagnose. Some state of the art hospitals now actually do lung scans and heart echos... maybe a cat scan if needed too.

It may not be a heart issue, but it does have to be properly diagnosed. I would recommend traveling to a hospital that is highly reputable for heart patients and finding out the cause. I can't imagine any cardiologist saying he can have such a low heartbeat and blood pressure problem, and not follow it up with a plan. These hospitals are designed to help you refer to the correct specialist. Find a pediatric cardiologist that has seen this kind of situation and is not guessing what the problem is.

You can also ask for a verbal consultation with a (pediatric) cardiologist from Boston, Cleveland Heart Center, Stanford, Texas, or any large hospital with complex heart patients. I assume you are in the U.S.

[shelbybrii]

I'm also sixteen, I have no blood pressure issues. But was recently hospitalized for slow heart rate... I always black out when I stand up and get really dizzy.. and have bad pains in my head. I am going to Texas children's hospital soon to have more tests ran.
Many people have suggested that it is bradycaria. But I would most likely say it has something to do with the heart as mine is a heart condition and I am experiencing the same thing.

Hope this helps.
-shelby