My 12 year old son reacts with anxiety when he goes to some doctors--especially the ones that were involved in diagnosing and treating his scoliosis because it involved pain. I am sure he has anxiety about that as I would and do because I hate to see him in pain. His blood pressure and heart rate go up quite a bit, but he has never fainted. The pediatrician said he might need medication for his anxiety but we didn't want to make him see another doctor just so he could deal with seeing her. He does not react with anxiety when he sees the neurologist because he explains everything to him. He wasn't anxious when he had to have blood drawn after the neurology appointment. He just needs to know what is going on because his imagination runs wild with all the things he has read. It probably doesn't help that I sometimes watch Mystery Diagnosis.
My adult daughter fainted recently after getting a few moles removed. The doctor told her he had only had one other patient faint right in front of him--an 8 year old. My daughter was embarrassed but went on to work afterward. It made her sick to change the bandages. My son always reads warning labels and he worries that exposure to chemicals in cleaning products that we use might make him sick. He was right in reading the warning label on the container of poison that his dog found because she would have died if he hadn't talked us into taking her to the vet so he pays even closer attention to warning labels now. He worries that X-rays he has to have every three months might cause cancer later on. Some people are just more sensitive than others.
Lori, I can't tell you how much of what your son is going through is similar to my little anxieties and gifted quirks. I sometimes need to know what's going on too, or I'll freak out about it and assume it's some kind of disease. Sometimes (not sure if you've experienced it with your son) I'll read something bad, and think that I have characteristics of it. Now, my mom only lets me watch a scant amount of Dr.G and Mystery Diagnosis, and never lets me go on my beloved self-analysis things! It's for my own good, though. Again, I hope your life with your gifted child goes along smoothly!
