My status ...

[TouringBubble]

Some of you have heard and asked me about my health. I've been having fainting spells which have gotten much more frequent and severe lately. So, I've been bouncing around doctors trying to find out the problem.

I went to see a neurologist today and he's scheduling some tests to rule out any frontal lobe issues that may be causing seizures, but he seems pretty sure that the tests will be negative.

He believes that it's a vasovagal issue involving unconscious hyperventilating, based on the symptoms I'm showing and the lack of a obvious trigger for the episodes. If the MRI and such look good, he can start me on some medication that will calm my breathing and hopefully resolve the issue. If this is in fact the issue, there is a good chance that my body will sort of unlearn this problem after being on the medicine a while and I will be normal again without medication.

So, I'm hopeful as this is the first time I've actually heard something more than a guess and and actual treatment possibility. I've left hospitals and offices too many times with nothing more than "you're perfectly healthy."

Also, he said I'm okay to drive! Woo hoo!

[Cholewa]

Glad to hear you're feeling better.

[worry]
Have you been eating a proper diet, getting enough rest and exercise, and etc. etc.?

I'm not a doctor, but the thought of unconscious hyperventilating without you knowing, seems kind of phony to me. You would hypervent. to remove CO2 from your blood, or to lower it's acidity(as in make it more basic), or to change your relative threshold for O2. These are generally things that have obvious causes, aside from some anxiety related issues, which you have never exhibited (at least not around me).

I'm a firm believer in a strict diet, rest, activity schedule keeping one healthy, and I feel, as a biologist (which means???) that you are probably lacking in one two or three of those categories, causing this problem. Basically, while yes, stress is bad, you can overcome a tough schedule by allowing your body to exert itself, and recover fully. At least 4-5 hours of sleep a night(keyword there is night), well balanced meals, and a little exercise, along with cutting out bad things like caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, etc, can really show huge signs of improvement on anyone's life. Just realize that our ancestors 15000 years ago didn't have breathing medication, or science to tell them what to do. They listened to their bodies and did what it told them to do. Sleep when you're tired, eat when you're hungry, don't touch things that hurt. It's worked for the past 250,000 years, it can keep working.

[/worry]

[dpeele95]

Glad to hear you're feeling better.

[worry]
Have you been eating a proper diet, getting enough rest and exercise, and etc. etc.?

I'm not a doctor, but the thought of unconscious hyperventilating without you knowing, seems kind of phony to me. You would hypervent. to remove CO2 from your blood, or to lower it's acidity(as in make it more basic), or to change your relative threshold for O2. These are generally things that have obvious causes, aside from some anxiety related issues, which you have never exhibited (at least not around me).

I'm a firm believer in a strict diet, rest, activity schedule keeping one healthy, and I feel, as a biologist (which means???) that you are probably lacking in one two or three of those categories, causing this problem. Basically, while yes, stress is bad, you can overcome a tough schedule by allowing your body to exert itself, and recover fully. At least 4-5 hours of sleep a night(keyword there is night), well balanced meals, and a little exercise, along with cutting out bad things like caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, etc, can really show huge signs of improvement on anyone's life. Just realize that our ancestors 15000 years ago didn't have breathing medication, or science to tell them what to do. They listened to their bodies and did what it told them to do. Sleep when you're tired, eat when you're hungry, don't touch things that hurt. It's worked for the past 250,000 years, it can keep working.

[/worry]

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[TouringBubble]

I eat pretty healthy and am always told I'm in good health. My cholesterol was a little high last time I had a full physical, but nothing else was out of wack. My blood work is always ""good" or "fine," including blood sugar, which has been taken directly after I "came to."

I have been dieting recently and slowly dropping to "race weight," but nothing drastic. I eat around 1800 - 2200 calories a day and it's usually healthy stuff ... veggies, bread, lean meat, fruit.

The last time it happened (Friday), it was actually just like 15 minutes after eating a RolyPoly sandwich and some Sun Chips. I was hydrated (1/2 cup coffee and ~16oz water before lunch) and I'd eaten breakfast (grits) and a snack (PB and honey crackers) earlier. I was sitting at the table talking to coworkers and hadn't moved for about 25 minutes. It hit me and in about 45 seconds I was out.

I've been through it all several times trying to find a issue that may be the cause ... diet, stress, orthostatic, sleep, everything and there is no trigger. It's either something that I have no control over or something I'm doing unconsciously.

I do appreciate your concern though Mike. Thanks.

[Cholewa]

so you've never had any issues with your blood pressure? I wouldn't expect you to just black out from low blood sugar, that would be a long drawn out process. Random fainting suggests an extreme drop in bp, or as your doc states, a huge drop in O2. But you would notice if you were breathing shallow, it wouldn't just happen out of the blue.

So you do get warning signs right before it happens? Light headed, maybe a little vertigo, ill feelings? While you wait for all of your meds to go through, if you feel that happen again, start coughing and see if that helps. It will raise your bp, especially to your head, and usually helps prevent oncoming pass outs. It's weird to think that if you suddenly started breathing shallow, you couldnt fix it by taking long deep breaths.. I'm no doctor though. carry on

[TouringBubble]

I'm with you. I even specifically focused on breathing when it first hit me, like usual. Slow, deep breaths. I also laid down and elevated my feet, which should help with a BP problem, but by that time I wasn't focusing on breathing anymore. I still blacked out. I will try the coughing if it happens again ... thanks.

Also, he guessed a loss of CO2, not O2. The missing piece of the puzzle is numbness or tingling. I don't specifically remember that ever happening and it's a common symptom with hyperventilating. I do have the symptom of yawning very often and when I'm not tired, which I have wondered about in the past.

Yes, I do have vertigo and nausea and it comes on quickly ... within a minute this last time, usually 3-5 minutes. After I come to I have cold sweats, weakness and less severe vertigo.

[BoostedFD]

What how can you have a loss of CO2 with all the CO2 we are putting the air with all these dirty cars, I'm surprised you are getting any O2 with all the CO2 out there.

Anyway good luck figuring it out!! Maybe what the neurologist is saying will work out.

[EvoLady]

keep you in my prayers Matt that they can figure out what the problem is whatever it may be and fix it!

[aufoxy]

We learned about some of the vasovagal fainting reactions last semester in my physiology class just because the professor wanted to point out how some of the vasovagal reactions can be really weird (there were many, many of them too). (He pointed out the "fear-fainting" vasovagal syncope just because it was so weird - you know, in those movies where something scary would happen and a woman would just faint?) So I'd go with the neurologist on this one until proven otherwise, especially considering your healthy lifestyle. Let me know what happens, I hope you get better soon!

[TouringBubble]

Yeah, vasovagal syncopy encompasses so much ... sight of blood, quick movement, loud noises, pain, excitement ... pretty much anything that isn't cardio or neuro related and makes someone faint is lumped in there.

Thanks for the kind words everyone.

[EWaugh]

What how can you have a loss of CO2 with all the CO2 we are putting the air with all these dirty cars, I'm surprised you are getting any O2 with all the CO2 out there.

Anyway good luck figuring it out!! Maybe what the neurologist is saying will work out.

Says the man that drives a rotary...

I just wish I could put a O2sat monitor on you when that happens. That should tell you pretty quickly. But, just like when you take a car in for a noise, it will never happen with one of the doctors around.