You just never know

[cher062]

Ok 3 weeks ago DD was complaining at the gym of tiredness, headaches, nausea, and feeling dizzy to the point she was sitting out the last 30 min of practice. Ok now when dd was afraid at old gym she would claim similar symptoms and head to the bathroom. So i tell her she is probably hungry as she goes in at 4pm and doesn't get home until 8pm without any food for that time. She won't eat before going to gym and won't have a snack more than a few crackers at the gym has dinner when she gets home. So I make her eat at least 1/2 a sandwich before she goes and give her a bigger snack to eat at the gym and tell her to drink more water. the tiredness, headaches and nausea go away but she is still dizzy.

I figure give it a week and see if its just a fear thing of new skills or if it seem like its something we need to see the DR for. Well didn't go away and off to the DR yesterday.

She is anemic. So now i feel like this awful mom thinking that DD is just trying to get out of something like she use to at old gym and I should have brought her in awhile back.

Doesn't eat enough during the day for the activity level or drink enough during the day so she is slightly dehydrated on a regular basis.

The fix - Iron with calcium pill for at least the next 2 months with blood checks every 2 weeks. Drinking 8oz of water at least 8 times a day. (she will be floating to gym) one in the am, one between breakfast and lunch, one at lunch, one between lunch and coming home from school one between that and dinner, one at dinner one between dinner and bed time and one at bedtime and one.

Also she is to add more iron into her diet. she has always been a picky eater and never ate alot even as a baby. So what she eats and the amount she eats has been fairly consistant all her life. Guess we need more spinich salads.

DR wants her to stay off the beam until the dizzyness resolves. Well I tell the DR she has states on April 9 and she has to practice between now and then. DR was a former gymnast her self and tell us then no beam over a foot off the ground for practice. We will see how that goes over with the coaches. I think they may put the big block under the high beam so its only a few inches from the beam to the block but she has the up in the air feeling. We will see.

DR said this is very common in gymnasts that are in the first year of their periods too which my DD is (1st one back in Aug).

So it looks like an iron rich diet is on the menu.

 

[Blazing15]

Good luck to your daughter. Sounds like you did exactly the right thing. Watched it and when it wasn't going away took her to the doctor to see if it was a bigger problem and it was. Hoping the iron starts kicking in soon for her so she can get rid of all those symptoms.

 

[IJustWriteChecks]

Sending ((hugs)) your DD's way. I've struggled with bouts of anemia since my teens, and am just recovering from a severe bout around the holidays. Sounds like she's on the path to recovery, and now you'll both know the signs to watch for if it flares up again. Best wishes for a speedy recovery! (BTW...major kudos to her for attempting gymnastics when you feel that bad...I can barely get out of bed in the morning. Tough girl!)

 

[Deleted member D3987]

hey cher062, i wouldn't feel guilty. at least you learned of the problem.

 

[Kiwi]

Sounds like you did exactly the right thing. Watched it and when it wasn't going away took her to the doctor to see if it was a bigger problem and it was.

I agree, I think you did the right thing. Don't feel guilty, sometimes these things do go away by themselves in a week or so.

My DD had a few weeks of feeling sick and having anxiety about practice and wanting to sit out. She had a throat infection and once antibiotics cleared it up she was back to herself again. She also had blood tests at the same time and her iron level was okay so that was good to know. My DD is always a picky eater too.

I hope your DD feels better soon and gets her beam all sorted.

 

[emorymom]

My husband would say that you shouldn't have done otherwise. If we run into the doctor for every little thing that might be nothing or a 1-week virus, we keep the doctors from focusing on the sick people and run up our national health care costs.

I have heard good things about alfalfa capsules and anemia. I took them at the advice of a midwife during pregnancy.

 

[Granny Smith]

I agree with the others, don't beat yourself up. It's not like you ignored how she was feeling, you were just cautiously waiting it out. It didn't go away so you persued it with a Doctor. I think you did what exactly each and every one of us would do! Good luck at States on the 9th... it's only a week away!

 

[flipper's fan]

Hope your dd is feeling better now that she is on the right diet and hydration schedule. It's always a struggle to get my DD to eat and drink enough around practice days too- thanks to you I will be keeping an eye out for this when her period starts.

 

[coachmolly]

No need to feel bad, you monitored it closely for a few days and when it didn't improve went for medical attention. Totally logical.
Sorry to hear she has been having a rough go of it, but now that the problem has been identified, you know exactly what to do to fix it. I was a vegetarian as a teenager (after my gym days were over) and was constantly tired. One time I got so light headed I nearly passed out in my dying grandma's hospital room, one of our last visits was me stumbling around the room trying to find something to grab onto so I wouldn't fall. What a precious moment to treasure!
Hoping that with some changes in diet she will be able to see an immediate turn around and is able to rock at the state meet!

 

[Linsul]

Don't feel bad! My parents/doctors NEVER caught mine as a child, and I surely never held it against them. The symptoms are so general that it's hard to nail down unless you put concentrated effort into it. Mine got out of control during and after my first pregnancy and that's how it was found out. I passed out at the MAC store in the mall, and the resulting circus put focus on the cause. Dehydration and putting on weight are issues here as well, anemia mostly manifests in dizziness for me. By the time it got to headache stage I was a mess to deal with, it explained a lot actually to finally know. My go to iron rich foods are spinach, dried apricots, and cream of wheat. I take an iron supplement as well, and make sure to drink on the regular. I try to make my iron rich foods fruits and veggies, because the supplement can constipate. Lovely, I know, but it's a reality. I've hogged a section of the fridge at work for drinks/snacks, but I share so nobody complains. I was told with management the symptoms resolve quickly by my docs, and it was true for me. Mine also affects circulation in my hands, feet, and head. I have ice appendages apparently, the girls I spot let me know sometimes lol. My only advice there is to pay attention to dental xrays, as reduced flow to the gums did make my teeth brittle. Mine went untreated for a VERY long time though, so this is just a heads up and not a alarm.

 

[cathiann]

Heck, my daughter was dizzy since last summer (off/on) and I didn't take her in to the doctor until about 4 weeks ago! I don't think I'm a bad mom--you wait some things out--try remedies and if it doesn't improve, then you go in! (my own DD doesn't have anemia--she's got vertigo--oddly enough she didn't get told not to do gymnastics! Competed two meets since then and qualified for Regionals at State!

Hope your daughter is feeling better soon!

 

[LMV]

I'm glad you've gotten some answers and have a plan for how to fix things. Don't indulge the guilt feelings! They won't be helpful to you or your daughter and not being clairvoyant does not make you a bad mom.

As an aside, unless your doctor specifically told you to do something different [in which case don't ignore their advice because there may be other relevant pieces of the clinical picture I'm missing] it is best not to give the iron and calcium supplements together. The calcium will decrease the iron absorption. In contrast Vitamin C rich foods improve iron absorption both from supplements and other foods. Good luck!

 

[mpkbt]

Have her snack on pumpkin seeds at practice. They are very high in iron and easily eaten between rotations.

 

[Deanna]

Aww poor sweetie pie, and poor Momma. Your not a bad mom at all. You know the problem now, so deal with it now. I am borderline anemic. I had a blood transfusion when I was a child and had to take LIQUID iron for 3 stinking years afterwards. ACK!!! Now to this day I teeter on the edge of it. I try to keep certain things in my diet that helps..green leafy vegies (spinich, collards..ect.) brussells sprouts, tomatoes (I love fresh tomatoes so summer time is always good for me..lol), baked potatoes with the skin (most the neutrients are in the skins of potatoes vrs inside them)beans, and pumpkin seeds are excellent as mpkbt said, and very portable. She can take them with her as a snack at practice. One thing that is iron rich is livers. I detest livers, I CANT stand them. But to this day 20yrs after I had the transfusion, I will get a hinkering for them, and that is ALWAYS a sign to me that my iron level is down really low. It's like my body is telling me "hey ding dong..get a grip here"...lol.
You guys will find the right combo of things for her to get this under control and keep it under control through diet. I wonder if there might be some kind of flavored water that might be iron rich? Kill two birds with one stone sortaspeak.
Hope everything works out soon. And tell your DD good luck at States. Keep us posted

 

[cher062]

I'm glad you've gotten some answers and have a plan for how to fix things. Don't indulge the guilt feelings! They won't be helpful to you or your daughter and not being clairvoyant does not make you a bad mom.

As an aside, unless your doctor specifically told you to do something different [in which case don't ignore their advice because there may be other relevant pieces of the clinical picture I'm missing] it is best not to give the iron and calcium supplements together. The calcium will decrease the iron absorption. In contrast Vitamin C rich foods improve iron absorption both from supplements and other foods. Good luck!

The calcium is part of the iron pill and is supposed to aid in the absorption of the iron. she is supposed to take it at bedtime on an empty stomach (at least 2 hours after eating) with water. IN the morning she is to take a multi vitimine that is designed for teen girls so she has the proper nutrition elements in her body starting from the begining of the day. Didn't know they even had such a thing specific for teen girls but they do.

she has been on them both for 2 days now (since Thurs) so far no side effects. If she has any side effects from the meds. She is currently restricted to the low beam on the floor and the restriction will only be lifted if there are no side effects to the treatment over the first 5 days of the treatment (they are looking for increased dizzyness, stomach pain, rash, hives). UGH!! Her coach said if the restriction isn't lifted by the DR by Wed (which I am sure it will be) she can't compete in states on the 9th for her own safty. I haven't told DD of this and I told the coach not to say anything as she would be stressed out. So we are working on day 3 and no side effects. Hopefuly she will make it to Tues without issues.

 

[cher062]

Have her snack on pumpkin seeds at practice. They are very high in iron and easily eaten between rotations.

except she hates them. She is a very picky eater and variety in her diet is very limited. We are going to see a dietician on the 13th so she can help get a diet that is more balanced for her and her activities (gymnastics) and has items she likes to eat. Once she gets into the swing of things I'm sure things will balance out in her body too.

 

[peace♥gymnastics]

Don't feel bad. you didn't know. but, now that you know. you will do anything to help her! all i am gonna say i check on her often, just in case, and im sorry & i hope she gets better! Good luck with States

 

[my4buffaloes]

I just bought my daughter some Luna bars - she loves those things. I thought of you and decided to look at the nutrition label. The chocolate/raspberry kind I got have 30% of the daily iron requirements. There are many different flavors so I am sure you could find something she likes. It would be quick and easy to eat at gym, which is where my dd always takes them. Can't wait to hear what the nutritionist says.

 

[gym monkeys mom]

I could have written your posy about DD afew years back! Same issue dizzy by the end of prctice i too thought DD ws nuts as her hemoglobbin was fine.

We toook her to a Chiro that practices Applied Knieseology for other reasons and metioned the dizziness to her. She tested her Ferritin level which is basically the iron stores in your body and they were so low......she has been on a great food based teen multi and iron supplement and feels great now. We try to load her with protein and iron ecspecially before a practice and meets.

DD loved the Luna bars also....they are high in calories but the iron is good and they are tasty (like candy). DD carried her iron supplements for awhile as when she felt dizzy she would take one this leveld off after the first six months and now 2 yrs later she is fine.

Good luck I am sure the dietician will help!

 

[cher062]

well after a week on iron treatment, multi-vitamine once a day and upping her water intake, her dizzyness seems to be gone she says she doesn't feel dizzy anymore she did complain on one day but that was the day she didn't eat before she went to practice and she hasn't drunk the water she was suppose to on that day so we know what is causing the issues for sure now. that is great news all around. The DR has lifted her restrictions for gymnastics so she should be able to compete this weekend. Now we just need to get the diatician in place to give her a diet that she will eat (she is a very picky eater) and will maintain her iron levels as we move forward.