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To keep things simple, something very odd happened a few hours ago to my mother and I am still worried about her even though she reassured me that it's nothing to panic about. What happened was that she basically passed out with her eyes open, slightly rolled back, and was unresponsive when I shook her shoulders for about a minute.
The events leading up to this was that I was throwing garbage away outside and she was waiting for me to return, I returned back inside and she started preparing dinner. A minute later, she said that she was feeling dizzy and needed to sit down for a second. I didn't think much of it because we both sometimes get dizzy spells so I turned back around to finish what she was doing. Maybe thirty seconds later I walked up to her and that's when I noticed that something was wrong. Her head was tilted back slightly, her eyes rolled back, and her mouth was ajar. I thought she was purposely making that expression as a joke but after I said "cut it out" like two times and she didn't respond, I grabbed her shoulders and shook her. I was scared out of my mind because no matter how much I shouted and shook her, there was no indication that she was conscious. When I finally rushed to the other room to grab my cell phone to call 911, she finally became responsive again and asked why I was so panicked. She seemed so calm and didn't realise what happened until I told her. She then said it felt like she was having a dream for like a few seconds (apparently about the movie we were watching an hour before this happened) but she felt completely fine. No confusion, no dizziness any longer. I have never seen this happen to her before, but my mother told me that she has had dizzy spells and actually fainted a few times in her life, but no one has ever seen it happen.
She is now assuming it had something to do with the turkey since we were carving the remaining meat off of it a while before this happened, but I honestly don't understand how that is relevant. We have done this numerous times so why would something like a food trigger cause this to occur? I personally think that she either passed out due to low oxygen or a seizure without the jerking movements. Narcolepsy kind of slipped into my mind when she mentioned the dream thing, but it seems unlikely if I have never seen her have an episode.
Not sure if any details about her age and health might be useful, but she is 42 years old and relatively healthy even though she is a bit thin at the moment. I'm still very concerned about her and suggested that she go see a doctor within the next few days, but she keeps trying to tell me that she's fine and a doctor's appointment is not necessary. Does any of this ring a bell to someone or perhaps someone has an idea what might have happened?
Thank you for reading. I would greatly appreciate any sort of information that might explain what happened.
Edit: after researching a little bit on the internet, i'm wondering if I am overreacting since I think it was just a case of fainting/syncope. I just never seen that happen to someone before so it was just a frightening experience that I hope never happens again.
Last edited by thebrokenparadox; 12-28-2014 at 03:48 AM..
Petit Mal Epilepsy A.K.A. as absence seizures. Your description of Her returning back to reality and having no idea what was going on and appeared as good as new. I had a family member with this. Controlled with Medication. Should not drive though.
"After a short period of time--typically between 3 and 30 seconds--he suddenly resumes whatever he was doing before the seizure. In an atypical petit mal seizure, the onset of symptoms may occur more slowly and symptoms might endure for a longer period."
"Petit mal seizures often cause atypical muscle movements. Petit mal seizures affecting the hands include trembling or fumbling movements. A person’s eyelids may flutter, or she may unintentionally stare off into space. Sudden, random twitching of the eyelids and facial muscles may occur. During seizures of longer duration, the person may make chewing motions or smack her lips. In atypical petit mal seizures, these symptoms may subside more slowly."
I also agree that a physician should check out your Mom as no one here can see her overall condition or perform the necessary tests. You must also accept the fact that if she doesn't want to see a doctor that is her choice. For those of us who don't work in the health care industry, it can be very upsetting to someone, especially loved one, go through something like that so please continue to encourage her to get help.
It could be so many things. If you are worried you may want to go to the ER. Personally I would at least follow up by calling her primary care provider tomorrow and getting an appointment as soon as possible to discuss what happened. Better safe than sorry.
Thank you all for your responses. Unfortunately, my mom has decided that this is not an immediate concern and I cannot convince her to go see a doctor no matter how much I beg her to. I love my mom dearly and I know she does keep my concerns in mind, but for some reason she tends to think I over-exaggerate/overreact at times. If the tables were turned and she witnessed this happening to me, she most likely wouldn't be so nonchalant...and that's why I am getting frustrated with her. I'm scared for her because what if this happens again when I'm not around and she doesn't come back around or if she is driving?
Also, I'm not certain why we both get dizzy at times. I always assumed it's because we both had a bad blow to the head: I fell and hit my head against a fireplace hearth when I was 5 and needed a lot of stitches, and she fell on the ice while iceskating and blacked out when she was 17. Probably a ridiculous assumption, but we are not the type of people who go to a hospital whenever something arises with our health so we never mentioned dizziness to a healthcare provider. My mom says that she doesn't get these dizzy spells very often (maybe 1 or 2 a year) but she has blacked out a few times ever since childhood, usually when standing in line for a long period of time. For me, I get dizzy very often but never to the point of passing out. My vision will change (static-y and even going dark) for a few seconds but then goes back to normal. I also suffer from migraines but there probably isn't a connection between the two.
Again, thank you all for the responses.
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