Joined: 07 Jun 2005 Posts: 14 Location: Longview, TX
Unknown Episodes Posted: 06-07-05 23:16pm
Hello,
when I was about 12 years old (now 29), I
woke up from sleep one morning, walked
into the kitchen and got a glass of water.
While I was standing there, I was hit by
an episode of which I had never had happen
to me before. As I stood there, I became
extremely dizzy, started to black out,
became very weak and had a very strong
feeling of nausea. I had to lie down or I
felt like I would pass out or vomit. As I
lied on the couch, I went into a cold
sweat and started to tremble for about 10
min. After that, it all passed and I felt
fine except the shakes lasted for another
20 min and then tapered. Ever since then,
I would have these attacks about once or
twice a year. I found out last year that
my mother had a few of these attacks in
her lifetime and actually passed out
because she could not lie down quick
enough. She went to emergency room and
had numerous tests done (this was about 30
years ago). They could not find anything
wrong with her! I have recently asked a
doc about this problem right after my last
attack but he didn't have an answer. I
cannot pinpoint what triggers these
attacks. They happen at diff times in
day, during diff daily activities and
standing or sitting.
Does anyone know what I am dealing with or
have the same attacks?
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Kososki
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 07 Jun 2005 Posts: 8 Location: New York
Posted: 06-08-05 07:22am
Hey I think that I can help you out. I
experience the same thing. I had to go
through numerous tests for years. Then
when I had a really bad episode I was
rushed to the emergency room. It was
then that I found out that I have been
having epsileptic seizures. This is what
it sounds like is happening with you. I
recommend that you talk to your doctor
about this possibility. I also think
that you should have your blood sugar
level checked. Seizures can be triggered
by numerous things like temperature
change, extreme heat or cold, stress, and
low blood sugar. I was told to carry a
few pieces of candy on me and if possible
to have a glass of orange juice before
these episodes occur-at the first sign of
any dizziness I experience. I also would
recommend that when you feel these
episodes coming on before the blackout
stage that you immediately sit down and if
at all possible lie down. This is
because you should protect yourself from
hitting your head which can cause more
serious medical problems. Please keep in
mind that I am not a doctor and only a
doctor can know for sure. Well I hope
that I have been of some help to you and I
wish you well.
|
BanditMan
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 07 Jun 2005 Posts: 14 Location: Longview, TX
Posted: 06-25-05 10:14am
Well guys, I went to a diff doctor
yesterday. He told me that it was vaso
vagal syncope and that it is pretty much
untreatable. Said that I would just have
to learn to live with it. I did some
research on it and alot of people have
this disorder. I found a forum on it and
seems that it is a very common thing. I
guess I am lucky because most people with
this disorder do pass out during an attack
as I am able to catch it before I do and
lie down.
It is a disorder of the heart of some
kind. Here is what I found....
Vasovagal syncope is not a serious or life
threatening condition, but in effect an
abnormal reflex. This results in a drop
in blood pressure leading to decreased
blood flow to the brain resulting in
dizziness or fainting. The mechanism of
vasovagal syncope is the subject of a
great deal of research. It may best be
described as the following:
• when we sit or stand, blood settles in
the legs and abdomen
• as a result, less blood returns to the
heart
• the blood vessels leaving the heart
have detectors in them called
baroreceptors that detect a decrease in
blood pressure
• the baroreceptors send a message to
the brain, which in turn sends a signal to
the heart to increase the heart rate, and
tighten up the blood vessels
• this process occurs constantly in all
of us as we adapt to changes in posture
• in vasovagal syncope, an abnormal
reflex occurs that results in withdrawal
of the message that speeds up the heart
and tightens up the vessels, often because
of an overshoot in the reflex that
compensates for the fall in blood
pressure
• the resultant decrease in blood flow
to the brain will result in dizziness or
lightheadedness if mild, and progress to
fainting or loss of consciousness if more
severe
• there are several variants of
vasovagal syncope that can trigger the
same reflex, including situations such as
the sight of blood, injury, blood testing
(needles), going to the washroom and
several others that are quite uncommon.
What are the symptoms?
The symptoms in vasovagal syncope are
slightly different for each person, but
often include many of the following
characteristics:
• most episodes occur while standing,
occasionally sitting and almost never
lying down
• patients often describe feeling very
warm and sweaty before blacking out
• nausea and rarely vomiting can precede
episodes
• observers often describe the patients
as pale (“white as a sheet”)
• patients are usually unresponsive
(“out”) for less than a minute
• patients may have some twitching while
unresponsive, but seldom shake violently,
bite their tongue or lose control of bowel
and bladder function. The latter are
more suggestive of a primary seizure.
• after regaining consciousness,
patients are usually immediately aware of
their surroundings, who and where they
are
• after an episode, patients often feel
somewhat dizzy and report feeling tired
for as much as 24 hours
• patients that learn to recognize the
warning signs can avert losing
consciousness by sitting or lying down
promptly.
