I had a 6th grader come in today that I have never seen before. His complaint was that he was having a hard time making sentences and that his R hand had gone a little numb earlier. He had tears in his eyes and repeated a few things.
I don't know this student and you guys all know that we get all kinds of weird complaints. The tears made me think something was going on (such as he forgot his homework and was worried about being in trouble). So I had him call his mom and then I got on the phone with her and she said he wasn't making much sense and she stressed that he is usually really well spoken and takes honors classes. So now I was starting to get the idea that he was really not acting himself. I told the mom to come get him.
After that, I called the teacher that he had come from and he told me that the student had been having a hard time articulating what he wanted. Not really aphasic, but more like trouble word finding. He told me that because he is such a trustworthy student, he told him "Would I say yes to whatever it is you're asking for?" and the student said yes so he said "Just go ahead then" and I'm so glad he came to my office!
His neuro checks and VS were all WNL and he wasn't showing any confusion. When he said he was feeling the numbness again to his R hand, I checked grip strength again and it was even. I asked him to tell me about his morning to see if he had trouble remembering details or trouble saying any of the words. He did ok. But, again, today was the first day I met him. When I described what had happened to another of his teachers and my principal they were both shocked and said that it is way out of character for him.
I am going to call the mom and see how the dr appt went (they were heading straight there from the school). Crossing my fingers that he is OK!
I've learned two major things being a school nurse. Always trust your gut and always err on the side of caution. Sounds like you did both so good job.
It's not our job to diagnose. It's our job to detect things that are not normal and let the experts who make the big bucks figure out the problem or if there is one. That's definately not normal and it even scared the kid. It might be something simple like a migraine but it could also be much more serious so it's good they're figuring that out esp in case it happens again.
We get SO many fakers it's hard to figure out if it's legit sometimes! Like dizziness. Are you dizzy because you spun around on the playground or do you have an inner ear issue, over exertion, or heart issue? Some need rest, some need medicine, some need tests. It can be overwhelming and teachers sure don't understand this pressure we're under!
I haven't talked to the mom yet, but a teacher forwarded me her email to her. It was a mini stroke
Holy ****!! He is back in school today and I will be calling home to talk to his mom about moving forward. Thank you all for your kind words and thoughts!
I'm a little shaken by it. It's just not something that is the first thing to come to mind when you are working with 11 year olds!
I'm glad I was here and I'm glad he knew enough to come to me when he couldn't articulate what he was feeling. I talked to his mom and asked if he remembers it and she said he remembers it all and was completely aware the whole time. He must have been so scared!! He is having further testing this weekend.
Of course, the paperwork nurse in me is glad I documented a ton. All vitals, all nuero checks WNL.
Farawyn
12,646 Posts
Glad you called the mom, kidzcare. How scary!
Let us know when he has a DX?