Worried! Can anyone tell me what they think?

[Michele7]

Hi! I am a 22 year old female married and have 1 daughter.  My husband who is always completely healthy suddenly started having fainting spells about a week ago.  The first occurred while he was at work and he actually went down though he says that he could still hear people talking around him just couldnt make out what they were saying, like it sounded all jumbled.  His coworkers called an ambulance and he was taken to a local er.  at the er they did a CT of his head, an ekg and a chest xray as well as some blood work.  the blood work came back mostly normal except his blood sugar was a bit off somewhere around 125 or so.  the doctor said that they often see variations like that in about 80% of people that come in with fainting spells and that he didnt think it was concerning.  the ekg however came back slightly abnormal showing possible thickening of the heart wall the doctor also said that because my husband is a skinny man that it could be nothing and just that the sticky things they use were so close to his heart they altered it a bit because the chest xray didnt show an enlarged heart.  the ct scan came back abnormal as well showing "a few white spots in the front part of his brain". he said the spots appeared to be very small and could be nothing at all.  we went to my husbands fam doc the next day and he did the quick neuro tests (follow the finger stand with eyes closed etc) and said everything there looked fine.  he noted that my husbans blood pressure is pretty low 100/60 though that is normal for my husband so not sure why it would start causing problems now.  he ordered a contrast mri and an echo.  today my husband had another fainting spell.  it was the same as last time.  he describes them as he suddenyl feels really hot and woozy and within a few minutes will faint.  today he didnt totally go down like he did last week he sat down pretty fast and put his head down and it got a little better thought by the time he got home about a half hour later he was still very pale and a little woozy.  so we went back into family doc today (he seemed a little more concerned this time whereas last time he didnt think there was any worry at all etc) and he had the results from the mri but not the echo.  the mri came back abnormal again showing the white spots but again nonspecific.  the er doc had thrown out things like ms and so i was very concerned and had asked fam doc at first visit but with the neg neuro exam he didnt think it was likely at all.  today i asked again after the mri showed the spots also.  he said that he would expect for the spots on a scan idicitive of ms to be larger than these which are apparently very small though he did say that on the mri report it was listed as a possible differential diagnosis though he personally felt other things were far more likely such as drop in blood pressure or hypoglycemia.  so tomorrow hubby goes and gets a cardiac event monitor to try and see if his heart is doing anything odd during one of these spells.  he also gave us a hypoglycemia diet but after looking at it i dont feel like it can be that because my husband already eats pretty much straight off that diet page already.  he also referred him to a cardiologist and a neurologist though the neuro cant get him in for a month.  he ordered another mri to get a better look at the spots and is going to schedule a glucose tolerance test.  the only real symptoms my hubby seems to be complaining of is the fainting spells where he gets suddenyl very hot and dizzy and then passes out and also some extreme tiredness.  i am very very worried because he is always very very healthy and this seemed to come out of nowhere and the spots on the scans etc have me scared to death.  every single search i do for the spots comes back with ms so i dont know what to think.  i have also noticed some slight weight gain over the last year and slight mood changes.  also a decrease in sex drive and hearing problems.  he also appears to have chronic sinus something which they gave him nasonex and an antibiotic for and he hasnt been able to smell ANYTHING for about 9 months or so.  
sorry this is so long i am just really scared and not sure who to turn to the docs are all so busy etc.  anyone have any idea for me?  does this sound like ms? or something else?  any info is much appreciated.  he is 34 years old by the way and has ibs but no other medical problems.  please give me your thoughts and ideas im grasping for anything here :).

[AMO]

hi michele,

how is your husband todaay?
i have alot i want ot share,  but will have to later.
When i collect some thouhgts.

Till then, if you web search , more information is becoming available, slowly!
Most doctors will not know about neurologic problems from gluten.
amo

[Michele7]

Thank you all so much for your replys.  to answer some questions i came across when reading them his ibs is not constipation, he goes to the bathroom every time he eats.  I would say he has a bm 5 to 8 times a day, and always has since as long as he can remember.  

as for what he was doing when the episodes occurred, both of them happened while he was at work.  He is a manager at a retail drug store.  He is on his feet most of the time.  Both times he said that he was just standing there talking to a customer when he started feeling hot etc.  I asked if he had stood up quickly or anything right before talking to the person etc and he said no.  

To Amo, my husband does have a gluten intolerance problem that he has had all his life.  it does upset his ibs further and causes him to go to the bathroom more etc but he hasnt had any problems outside of that happen as a result of eating it.  I guess long ago before we were together the docs gave him a diet of things he actually could eat and there wasnt much on it ha so he tried it for a while and then stopped because as he says he has had the bathroom issues his whole life and is used to them so they arent a big deal to him and he would rather eat real food, also i guess that the diet didnt seem to make much of an impact on his ibs anyway.  I had never heard of Gluten problems causing white spots etc in mri's i will have to ask his doc when we see him next.  

Also a few of you had asked and i have asked him repeatedly haha no he says he doesnt have any arm or leg weakness or heavyness etc.  He says the only thing that seems odd at all is the passing out and the fatigue if he werent passing out he would feel totally healthy like he always does etc.  

Thank you again so much everyone that has replied it feels so good to know that there are people i can talk to and that have intelligent things to say on the matter.  We go for his 2nd mri on monday and his 5 hour glucose tolerence test next friday.  I will keep you posted as i find anything out or if anything else happens of course.  Wish us luck!

And if you have any further ideas or suggestions they are always welcome.

[jensequitur]

Okay, now I've read it!

Well, it looks to me like your hubby might be hypoglycemic, perhaps borderline diabetic.  My husband is going through the same thing - getting dizzy spells, feeling weird, hot and sweaty, and disoriented.  Consistently it's been when he hasn't eaten breakfast - or has neglected to eat regularly.  When he was younger, this didn't matter all that much.  Now he's on blood pressure meds, and seems to be extremely sensitive to blood sugar levels.

The hot dizzy thing you mention is called syncope.  The person gets all hot and overheated feeling, then they break out in a sweat.  Then the skin gets clammy and cold, and the person may pass out.  When they wake up, they may feel a little nauseous, or some lower gastrointestinal urgency.

Next time this happens, try giving hubby a spoonful of sugar, or a glass of orange juice, and see if it helps.

[jensequitur]

Phew!  Michele7, I'm reposting your thread with returns, so I can read it!  It's very hard for many of us to read a large block of text like that.  (Dunno why, it's just hard to differentiate.)

Hi! I am a 22 year old female married and have 1 daughter.  My husband who is always completely healthy suddenly started having fainting spells about a week ago.  The first occurred while he was at work and he actually went down though he says that he could still hear people talking around him just couldnt make out what they were saying, like it sounded all jumbled.  

His coworkers called an ambulance and he was taken to a local er.  at the er they did a CT of his head, an ekg and a chest xray as well as some blood work.  the blood work came back mostly normal except his blood sugar was a bit off somewhere around 125 or so.  the doctor said that they often see variations like that in about 80% of people that come in with fainting spells and that he didnt think it was concerning.  the ekg however came back slightly abnormal showing possible thickening of the heart wall the doctor also said that because my husband is a skinny man that it could be nothing and just that the sticky things they use were so close to his heart they altered it a bit because the chest xray didnt show an enlarged heart.  

the ct scan came back abnormal as well showing "a few white spots in the front part of his brain". he said the spots appeared to be very small and could be nothing at all.  we went to my husbands fam doc the next day and he did the quick neuro tests (follow the finger stand with eyes closed etc) and said everything there looked fine.  he noted that my husbans blood pressure is pretty low 100/60 though that is normal for my husband so not sure why it would start causing problems now.  he ordered a contrast mri and an echo.  today my husband had another fainting spell.  it was the same as last time.  he describes them as he suddenyl feels really hot and woozy and within a few minutes will faint.  today he didnt totally go down like he did last week he sat down pretty fast and put his head down and it got a little better thought by the time he got home about a half hour later he was still very pale and a little woozy.  

so we went back into family doc today (he seemed a little more concerned this time whereas last time he didnt think there was any worry at all etc) and he had the results from the mri but not the echo.  the mri came back abnormal again showing the white spots but again nonspecific.  the er doc had thrown out things like ms and so i was very concerned and had asked fam doc at first visit but with the neg neuro exam he didnt think it was likely at all.  today i asked again after the mri showed the spots also.  he said that he would expect for the spots on a scan idicitive of ms to be larger than these which are apparently very small though he did say that on the mri report it was listed as a possible differential diagnosis though he personally felt other things were far more likely such as drop in blood pressure or hypoglycemia.  

so tomorrow hubby goes and gets a cardiac event monitor to try and see if his heart is doing anything odd during one of these spells.  he also gave us a hypoglycemia diet but after looking at it i dont feel like it can be that because my husband already eats pretty much straight off that diet page already.  he also referred him to a cardiologist and a neurologist though the neuro cant get him in for a month.  he ordered another mri to get a better look at the spots and is going to schedule a glucose tolerance test.  the only real symptoms my hubby seems to be complaining of is the fainting spells where he gets suddenyl very hot and dizzy and then passes out and also some extreme tiredness.  

i am very very worried because he is always very very healthy and this seemed to come out of nowhere and the spots on the scans etc have me scared to death.  every single search i do for the spots comes back with ms so i dont know what to think.  i have also noticed some slight weight gain over the last year and slight mood changes.  also a decrease in sex drive and hearing problems.  he also appears to have chronic sinus something which they gave him nasonex and an antibiotic for and he hasnt been able to smell ANYTHING for about 9 months or so.  

sorry this is so long i am just really scared and not sure who to turn to the docs are all so busy etc.  anyone have any idea for me?  does this sound like ms? or something else?  any info is much appreciated.  he is 34 years old by the way and has ibs but no other medical problems.  please give me your thoughts and ideas im grasping for anything here :).

[mrsturbo]

I have been going through the diagnosis stage of MS for over 5 months now.  Patience is a virtue that I am still working towards, but there is nothing else you can do at this point but be patient.  All thesymptoms you mentioned at the end of your post are all important symptoms, maybe to MS maybe not, but they should still be mentioned to the neuro.  Is your husbands IBS constipation or the other?  Constipation seems to be prevalent in MS.  An evoked potentials testing would be very beneficial.  You could always see if your Primary care doctor could order this test to be done before you go to the neuro.  Taking the results with you to the first appointment could speed up the process some.  Also have your PCP order blood tests for mimics of MS.  Anything you could have done before the neuro appt. is best.  If not the neuro will oreder them anyway and then you will have to wait for weeks to get answers, drawing the process out even longer.

[AMO]

hi michele

I understand how worried and concern ed you must be,  

What is he doing when they have happend?

A couple sugestions, if you do no t have a b.p. cuff , get one. An arm cuff  is more reliable than wrist.  This may help the doctors. Keep aa diary  if you can get his reading during an episode. Also symmptom diary of how he is feeling, any palpatations and such.

I would ask his doctors if he should have a Tilt Table test if the monitor come up empty.
That tests blood pressure changes when standing.

NOw, there are many things that could be happpening. It sounds like hiis doctors are working to find the problem.

I know people who have   white matter lesionss from gluten ( the protienn in some grains).
One girl particular, ( icannot rememebr if she is full celiac or  'just' gluten intolerant').
She has passed out   many times. and,  had seizures.

Now, just in case his doctor have not discussed    it, saftey is VERY important..... I hope he is not driving. It is a small    inconvience compaired to the 'what if's that could happen.

I am wishing the best for you  and him.
amo

[monotreme]

Hi Michele!  Welcome to the forum!  I am really sorry you are going through this tough time with your husband.  You both are young and deserving of good health.

First, I think the family doctor is doing all he can and is taking your husband's problems seriously, so that is a good thing.  The heart monitor is a smart test to be doing now.  Has he ever had a glucose tolerance test?  Where you get some blood drawn, then drink some sugary liquid, then have blood drawn at 30 minute intervals??   That tests for diabetes and blood sugar problems in general.  

I think the best thing to do is wait for the cardiac monitor test and see what type of tests are ordered next.  Does you husband have any general weakness in his legs or arms?

Best wishes.  I am sure others will post too.

Elaine

[Lulu54]

I am sure you will hear lots from these wonderful community members - in the meantime I just wanted to remind you that you have to take care of yourself through all of this.  How frightening and stressful. I am too new at this MS stuff to add any medical comments. It sounds like the GP is doing all the right things to me though, especially if he is already scheduled to see a neuro.

Good luck and keep us posted.
Laura