Rare condition causes teenager to faint when she sees a doctor

A teenager is battling a rare condition which makes her collapse whenever she comes into contact with a doctor. Ever since she woke up early during an operation Jenny Carroll, 14, passes out over anything medical.

The sight of a needle or someone in a white coat is enough to make her collapse. She once blacked out when she saw an episode of TV series Holby City. Jenny, from Portlethen in Aberdeenshire, said: "I experience absolute panic. Everything goes black and I wake up on the floor. It's made life difficult." Jenny's problems began at the age of six when she woke up during surgery for glue ear at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.


Photo from here.

Her mum Lesley, a community nurse, said: "After that the blackouts began. I knew it was serious." Jenny collapsed when she saw syringes and had fits during road safety lessons. She said: "I knew it was bad when I collapsed watching Holby City."

Eventually Jenny was diagnosed with reflex hypoxia. It begins like a panic attack but stops oxygen getting to the brain. The heart beats but sufferers have no pulse. Aberdeen hypnotherapist Stan Gerard has helped the teenager to cope. Jenny said: "This fear will always be with me but I can control it now."