blackout and lack of oxygen

[sandragail1]

My son feels like he is going to black out and has a lack of oxygen. He has felt like this for a while. Does anyone else have this, and do you know why or what to do about it?
Would a CT scan help?

[SNOOPY]

Hi sandragail1,

It sounds like your son may be having an anxiety or panic attack. It would probably be a good idea for your son to call his doctor and discuss how he is feeling.

[rdmc]

There can be respiratory issues with MS...a doctor would have to prescribe tests to check his respiratory system.

A CT probably wouldn't work, but if you're just wondering about his O2 levels, there are machines you wear that monitor and record your blood O2 levels.

I recently had a sleep study and they monitored my O2 levels while I was there, but my MIL (non MS) had her O2 levels measured at home by a monitor that they placed/taped on her finger and then recorded readings in a "box" she attached to her waist.

It's called Home Oximetry...when they use the monitor to constantly record the O2 levels. But, if I'm not mistaken, I think you can buy an oximeter from a drug store like Walgreens, and test your O2 levels whenever you feel you need to.

Hope you get some answers about his feeling faint.

[22cyclist]

For now, it is important that you contact your doctor. This could be a wide range of problems. It could be anemia, heart palpitations, heart arrhythmias, breathing problems, etc. This should always be taken seriously and your physician should know about it.

Good luck! Hope he feels better soon!

Lisa
Moderation Team

[sandragail1]

Feeling Faint

Thanks so much. I do worry about heart problems too. He called his doctor today and the doctor, once again, said not to worry about it. He is suppose to start BG12 soon.

[hunterd]

CALL HIS DOCTOR! This can be a serious issue, and one that the doctor needs to know about. There are many different causes that could explain this, his doctor can perform different tests to pin point the reason.

[mjan]

First of all, I am so sorry he's going through this, no wonder you are worried.

There are autonomic symptoms that can come with MS or by itself. Is your son's neuro an MS neurologist? Does he have MS?

I would go to Urgent care even if this doctor doesn't seem worried. At least they can monitor his vitals and offer you some relief. He could be getting overheated too.

Get it checked out to be certain.

Let us know how he is okay?

Hugs to you and him. He has a great mom for caring so much!!

Jan

[MSer102]

In putting your different posts together, I think it's fair to say that your son has several serious issues, both physical and psychological. And I know it's tough for you to be getting information second hand. It sounds like you, and therefore we, don't know the whole story about which doctor he called and why he was told "once again" not to worry about his symptoms.

Apparently his doctor already knew about it, and you said it's been going on for awhile. Is it possible that your son has already been worked up by his doctor(s) for this and just hasn't told you about it or told you everything? In your other posts you said that your son smokes and drinks, and he has vertigo and is on at least one medication that can have unpleasant side effects. And it's also interesting that he didn't have this feeling of blacking out until after he had the LP. There are too many variables and too much information missing for anybody to really know what's going on.

All kinds of things both physical and psychological could be causing your son's symptoms so it isn't possible for anyone here to tell you what's causing them or what to do about them. He really does need to be worked up by his doctors, probably starting with his GP for basic heart and breathing tests. He can even go to the ER to have his heart and oxygen level checked.

I think your son might also benefit from another opinion from another neurologist, preferably an MS specialist, not only because a second opinion about a chronic disease like MS is a good idea, but also for another viewpoint about treating his vertigo and evaluating what other problems his MS might be causing, including the feeling of blacking out.

And I think he could also benefit from psychological counseling to help him cope with the stresses of MS, which is one possible cause of the blackout feeling he's having. Therapy can also help him to stop drinking and smoking, both of which are making life with MS all that much harder.

[sandragail1]

Blackouts

MSer102,
You are so right, it is all messed up! It is so hard for me in Michigan and him in Georgia. He is seeing an MS doctor at the Center for MS in Atlanta, and this is the second neurologist he went to because the first one didn't want to do anything but MRI's every 6 months, and he was having too many symptoms to just wait and see. He swears he no longer drinks, and only smokes 1-2 cigarettes a day, hoping to stop soon. He has a very stressful job as a software developer, and I do think that contributes to his problems. He has a new problem - the top of his head feels like it is burning inside. This is day 7 for his seizure medicine lamotrigine, and he upped the dose today from 25 mg to 50mg., so I am thinking maybe that is the reason because it started today. The feeling of blacking out is getting better, but now this new problem!!!!