Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - Vasovagal syncope...is anyone else a sufferer?

seamaiden · 11-06-2009, 03:51 PM

Yesterday I had another incident of vasovagal syncope, one of many in my life. For those who don't know what that is, basically it's loss of consciousness due to some sort of trigger that causes the vagus nerve to lower blood pressure...in other words, fainting. My trigger is needles. I don't always faint, but yesterday I had a needle in both arms, the second was the H1N1 vaccination and it was a larger needle...obvious discomfort. I work in a hospital and flu immunization is necessary to protect both staff and patients. I always tell whoever is giving me a needle that I'm a fainter and I ask to lie down if possible, but yesterday all that was available was a two seater chair. So I sat up and took the first needle without too much stress, but the second was a trigger. It sneeks up on me after the fact. I sat there putting pressure on the injection site for about five minutes before I felt the need to actually lie down. My legs were hanging over the end of the two seater, so the nurses brought another chair over for me to eleavate my feet, but by then things were already going wrong. I thought I was going to be alright, I can usually tell if I'm going to pass out by the way my vision goes black and fuzzy around the edges, and can let someone know I'm going...but yesterday it came on fast. Half a second maybe, and I was out. The strangest thing about fainting is that I'm aware of dreaming, but it's like dreaming in warp speed and once I come to I'm in such a state of confussion I can never remember what they were about. For the first few seconds after I come to, I never know where I am, who is talking to me, even if it's someone I've know all my life, and I can't even remember how to talk. It's as if language doesn't exist. My thoughs are just confussed emotions. The experience always drains me. I wake up sweating, and then I shake for about 15 minutes. Yesterdays episode was the most intense that I've had for a long time. I felt nausious for two hours. I hate that I can't control it.

Dose anyone else have this affliction? If so...any suggestions for overcoming it?

11-06-2009, 03:51 PM	#1 (permalink)
seamaiden Psycho Location: With the man of my dreams in Halifax Nova Scotia	Vasovagal syncope...is anyone else a sufferer? Yesterday I had another incident of vasovagal syncope, one of many in my life. For those who don't know what that is, basically it's loss of consciousness due to some sort of trigger that causes the vagus nerve to lower blood pressure...in other words, fainting. My trigger is needles. I don't always faint, but yesterday I had a needle in both arms, the second was the H1N1 vaccination and it was a larger needle...obvious discomfort. I work in a hospital and flu immunization is necessary to protect both staff and patients. I always tell whoever is giving me a needle that I'm a fainter and I ask to lie down if possible, but yesterday all that was available was a two seater chair. So I sat up and took the first needle without too much stress, but the second was a trigger. It sneeks up on me after the fact. I sat there putting pressure on the injection site for about five minutes before I felt the need to actually lie down. My legs were hanging over the end of the two seater, so the nurses brought another chair over for me to eleavate my feet, but by then things were already going wrong. I thought I was going to be alright, I can usually tell if I'm going to pass out by the way my vision goes black and fuzzy around the edges, and can let someone know I'm going...but yesterday it came on fast. Half a second maybe, and I was out. The strangest thing about fainting is that I'm aware of dreaming, but it's like dreaming in warp speed and once I come to I'm in such a state of confussion I can never remember what they were about. For the first few seconds after I come to, I never know where I am, who is talking to me, even if it's someone I've know all my life, and I can't even remember how to talk. It's as if language doesn't exist. My thoughs are just confussed emotions. The experience always drains me. I wake up sweating, and then I shake for about 15 minutes. Yesterdays episode was the most intense that I've had for a long time. I felt nausious for two hours. I hate that I can't control it. Dose anyone else have this affliction? If so...any suggestions for overcoming it?