Is there a doctor in the house?

I'd do some google, and remember the difference between an MD and a PhD is an MD knows a little bit about everything, and a PhD knows everything about almost nothing.

What that means is in the case of lead poisoning, a doctor may well know some of the symptoms (I forgot them and would have to look them up) as well as how to treat by chelation therapy, they would be less likely to know lead can be sequestered int he cells by metallothionein, it interferes with ionic conduction by mimicking calcium, etc. etc. etc......so when you pull up info bear in mind some would be common doctor knowledge, some would be more likely known to a pharmacologist or toxicologist.

There is a webMD available.

http://children.webmd.com/tc/lead-poisoning-topic-overview

http://www.webmd.com/lung/asbestosis-directory

Are all of the conditions for the same 35 year old woman? Lead poisoning in adults seldom causes symptoms.

It was suggested I should clarify; not sure exactly what, but for the record I have a PhD and the axiom is an old one. What I'm saying is if you have a regular doctor, he is going to recognize symptoms and treatment, with a relatively limited depth of knowledge of the pathophysiology.

Conversely, the toxicologist in heavy metal toxicity is going to know boatloads more on lead poisoning, although he or she will be unlikely to know much about Parkinsons, osteoarthritis, etc.....

not sure if that clarified or not, if not the person who suggested I was going to bring the wrath of PhDs down on my head can let me know.....bottom line is the 2 go at knowledge in completely different manners, and an MD is expected to know a little about a wide range of subjects, an PhD is supposed to be focused like a laser, on one area

Asbestos is not really a poison. The problems are caused by the inhalation of its fibres. It can cause lung damage or a type of cancer. I don't think the exact damage mechanisms are known. Lead is usually a cumulative poison that builds up over time. Acute lead poisoning is unusual because lead (metal) is insoluble. Acute poisoning might come from melting lead (e.g. to make fishing sinkers) or if somebody is grinding it up for a reason. Lead salts are poisonous, but I am not sure where you might come across them (outside a lab).

Lead poisoning can cause a range of symptoms (including kidney damage and anemia) and is often associated with changes in behaviour. It is conceivable that it could cause hypoglycaemia (and a blackout) through kidney damage, although you would expect other symptoms as well. Similarly with anemia.

The other questions you are asking look a bit open ended.

Blackouts in a 35 y/o woman who is usually healthy?

My first thought would be alcohol.

Then:

Undiagnosed seizure disorders.
Hypo or hyperthermia (environmental causes).
Undiagnosed diabetes.
Drug abuse
Poisoning (carbon monoxide?)
Undiagnosed uremia
Trauma
Infection (urinary tract?)
Psychological problems
Undiagnosed brain tumor
Stroke/TIA

A common cause of an iron-deficiency anemia in otherwise healthy persons is a vegetarian diet. It may take few months for anemia to develop after starting a low-iron diet. Apart from blackouts, typical symptoms are pale skin ad fatigue. Diagnosis is made with appropriate blood tests. Iron-rich diet is usually not enough to correct anemia.

Oral iron supplements often cause gastrointestinal upset: abdominal craps, nausea, diarrhea or constipation to the point the person cannot take them. Intravenous or intramuscular iron injections do not cause gastrointestinal side effects. It may take few weeks after starting taking supplements for symptoms of anemia to disappear, and few months for blood iron levels to normalize.

Greenwolf103 said:

Thanks, everyone, for all of the comments on this.

I said "35" because there's quite a bit of talk about how fertility drops once a woman turns 35.

My character is a healthy 39-year-old woman. She is a nonsmoker and doesn't drink. She's the mother of 5 children, two of whom she gave birth to.

The dr. suspects lead or asbestos because the blackouts started happening after the woman moved into a very old house that was recently renovated. She did spend some time at the site while construction was being done on it.

Her husband pressures her to have another child before the blackouts start happening. She doesn't exactly want another child, and not just because of her age. At the dr. visit, the doc warns her there are risks associated with pregnancy after 35. Though I know these days a lot of women have healthy pregnancies past the age of 35; my mom had her seventh child when she was 37.

I used to have blackouts when I was in my late teens. I was diagnosed with anemia. They eventually stopped after I started taking iron supplements.

Click to expand...

the problem is I don't think lead OR asbestos would be expected to include passing out as a symptom, at least without some other pronounced symptoms to accompany--especially in the case of asbestos, it would be passing out due to greatly diminished lung capacity, so things like constant wheezing, difficulty climbing stairs, etc.....she wouldn't just "pass out".

I think you should pick your diseases and do a quick google, you should pull up several sites quickly, including the cdc, that will list symptoms.

Lead and asbestos are not really candidates.

One possibility might be exposure to the solvents used when the house was renovated (timber treatment, etc.). I believe these can trigger epileptic attacks. You could perhaps make it so she has a susceptibility to such chemicals (which are given off for some time after they are applied).

To preface, I'm not a doctor, but I am a medical student.

What do you mean by blackouts? Do you mean memory loss, or loss of consciousness? If you mean memory loss, alcoholism would be the primary suspect, and she would likely have a damned difficult time convincing the doctor she wasn't drinking.

If you mean loss of consciousness (the medical term is "syncope"), there are so many different possibilities that a doctor wouldn't be able to begin to make a diagnosis based on this. He'd likely admit her to the hospital and start with a full workup of tests. Poisoning of any kind probably wouldn't be anywhere near the top of the list of possibilities, unless there were other symptoms.

Eye exams can help "pinpoint" plenty of things. Mostly to do with the eyes, obviously, but there are plenty of other conditions that affect the eyes in various ways. Care to get a little more specific?

AmericanPregnancy.org has some decent layperson info on the fertility subject here: http://www.americanpregnancy.org/gettingpregnant/ttc35.html. Fertility drops dramatically after 35 on average, but every woman is different, so it's hard to generalize. Some women have no trouble conceiving and bearing healthy into their 40's. *shrug*