Vasovagal Syncope (1 Viewer)

[Donk711]

Not sure where the last thread went, but would like to know if anyone knows how to prevent this....

Yeah, I get this from time to time. It has usually happened in a medical setting where they need to perform a procedure that was unexpected. They tell me what is going to happen, I can talk and joke about it for about 30 seconnds, and then I can feel the sweat starting to build up on my forehead. Things start going a little fuzzy and about this time someone will say "Do you feel alright? You look really pale.". Unless I lay down for a few minutes immediately, I will pass out for about 30 seconds. After laying down, the feeling goes away and doesn't return.

It sucks because in my mind I know whatever they are going to do is not a big deal, but my body has other ideas. From what I understand the blood vessels constrict as some sort of defense mechanism which lowers the amount of oxygen going to the brain. That's why laying down is key to get more blood to your head. It didn't start happenning until I was in my 30s either, which I think is strange.

 

[Tom Servo]

Getting a prostate exam is bad, but not that bad.

 

[3 out of 5]

Not sure where the last thread went, but would like to know if anyone knows how to prevent this....Yeah, I get this from time to time. It has usually happened in a medical setting where they need to perform a procedure that was unexpected. They tell me what is going to happen, I can talk and joke about it for about 30 seconnds, and then I can feel the sweat starting to build up on my forehead. Things start going a little fuzzy and about this time someone will say "Do you feel alright? You look really pale.". Unless I lay down for a few minutes immediately, I will pass out for about 30 seconds. After laying down, the feeling goes away and doesn't return.It sucks because in my mind I know whatever they are going to do is not a big deal, but my body has other ideas. From what I understand the blood vessels constrict as some sort of defense mechanism which lowers the amount of oxygen going to the brain. That's why laying down is key to get more blood to your head. It didn't start happenning until I was in my 30s either, which I think is strange.

Before you go into a situation like that, drink a ton of water. The higher your volume is, the less the sudden lowering of blood pressure will affect your brain. When it starts getting uncomfortable, flex your thighs and calves to get blood moving from your legs to your head. If you can, elevate your legs to let gravity help as well. Deep breaths to get as much oxygen into your system as possible.Frankly, you can take precautions like that, but sometimes there is nothing you can do. Get low so you don't hurt yourself when you do pass out.

 

[glock]

Didn't this used tuh be called "fainting?"

 

[Tom Servo]

Didn't this used tuh be called "fainting?"

Yes.

 

[3 out of 5]

Fainting is a symptom of vasovagal syncope.

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

Wait. Out of all the threads in the FFA that one got deleted?

 

[geoff8695]

Wait. Out of all the threads in the FFA that one got deleted?

How the heck did that happen?

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

I'm told Joe Bryant didn't like people riffing on 'vag' so he deleted the thread.

 

[geoff8695]

I'm told Joe Bryant didn't like people riffing on 'vag' so he deleted the thread.

I hadn't checked in since last night when I posted my own experience, so I must have missed those posts...Where they really that bad?If not,

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

Didn't see anything this morning, but was out all day. I'm guessing it must have really gone off the rails this afternoon.

 

[dgreen]

There was another thread? Too bad it's gone. I would have liked to read the stories.

I just had my 5th episode in my life. I get mine in response to pain.Today, I'm sitting on the couch, get a sharp pain in my shoulder blade, vision goes totally whacky (hard to explain), and the next thing I know my wife is in front of me talking about whether to call 911 or take me to the hospital. Then I'm nauseous and hot and faint again. Come to again and wife tells me she's calling 911.

My wife's been through this before with me. The third episode in my life was while we were dating. I fainted three consecutive times after getting hurt and puked. We were with her parents at the time and they took me to the ER. The ER doctors said it was likely due to dehydration (I hadn't had anything to eat that day). I followed with a neurologist appointment a few months later and they didn't see anything wrong.

The two my wife has witnessed, she says I moan, my eyes roll back, and my arms kind of lock up and she says it looks like a seizure. The two times I've been to a doctor about it, they say it's not a seizure. Oh, and this time, my wife says I ripped a really big fart.

I suppose I'll go see a doctor again tomorrow. I went after my 4th episode and they said it was syncope in response to pain. They couldn't blame that one on dehydration because I don't think I was dehydrated. They'll probably say the same thing this time. Last time they did suggest running some tests to make sure, but I didn't follow up on that a few years ago.

Today was different because I was sitting. The other four times, I was standing and my last doctor visit talked about it happening while standing and the body's response to a lack of blood in the brain is to get me on the ground. So, since I was sitting, I'll probably go make sure everything is "normal". Before, I was pretty confident this couldn't happen while driving, but now not so sure. The paramedics said all vitals were good and found nothing wrong with me today.

As scary as this is for my wife to see, I feel great afterwards (other than some nauseousness). For those who haven't experienced it, you feel like you got the best night sleep of your life, all packed into maybe 30 seconds.

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

Not sure where the last thread went

It was deleted, apparently for using the actual medical name of the symptom.

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

There was another thread? Too bad it's gone. I would have liked to read the stories.

There were a bunch of interesting ones for people who experience it. Had no idea it wasfairly common.

I've had several incidents over the years, but the one that prompted me to start the last thread...

I'd had Cytomegalovirus -- which is basically a virus that involves the set of symptoms associated with mono. So for a few months I was tired, had a sweaty face and night sweats and then about three weeks in I started having short sharp shocks in my hip flexor at random times, really heavy leg cramps at night and all kinds of nervy pains and sensations in both legs and sharp pains in my abdomen -- all with a consistent feeling that everything in my body was just sick. Hard to describe.

Anyhow, those secondary symptoms aren't really described in the literature about CMV and after several weeks there was a question about whether I had an autoimmune disease or something worse. So I was scheduled to see a neurologist and an infectious disease specialist to try and sort out WTF was going on. I was pretty worked up about it (newly married, two small kids, etc etc).

Right about then I fell down the front steps at my house. I almost caught myself on one leg about four steps down, but then rolled my right ankle and pitched off the landing into the grass next to them. Then I rolled down onto the front sidewalk.

Literally as I'm falling I was thinking about whether the fall was related to something like MS.

Anyhow, I come to rest on the sidewalk and several people come to help my wife see if I'm ok. I was shaken up, but pretty sure I hadn't done any major damage. But my ankle hurt pretty bad and I was super scared that something was wrong with me.

Eventually I chased everyone off by letting them know I was OK and just needed a minute to pull myself together. But as soon as I sat up I knew I was going out. I told my wife I was going to pass out and then laid back down and did it.

She was pretty freaked out so we went to the hospital afterward and they eventually said I'd had a Vasovagal Syncope response. Some people's bodies just shut down in response to pain. There's really not much you can do about it except get down low so blood can get to your brain easier and you don't bang anything if you fall.

Anyhow, (already) long story cut short -- the neuro took one look at me and said it wasn't anything in his bailiwick and a few weeks later the infectious disease guy said that CMV actually can create all those symptoms. It's rare, but nothing so new that he could write it up for a journal or anything.

A month or two later and most of the symptoms were gone and a year later all of them were.