anyone fainted/blacked out?

[Earl E Retyre]

Very strange thing happened to me yesterday evening. I got up to use the bathroom and felt dizzy. Next thing I know, bam, fell down and hit the wall and just blacked out. I don't even remember falling but I know I did (dw heard a loud noise). I woke up right away and felt fine.

I am 54 and in good health, just had my annual physical a couple weeks ago. I took my blood pressure right after I fainted since the googler said that low bp could be a cause. It was low, 97 over 64 & pulse 65. But my blood pressure is always about that low and the machine showed it was green/normal.

If it ever happens again, I will go see the doctor. Was curious if anyone else had this happen?

 

[MRG]

Yes indeed! I have and it wasn't much fun. In my case it was low BP. The cause was BP meds given to me without my awareness. I was given a med to help with an enlarged prostrate, it's an alpha blocker that is also used to treat hypertension!

I passed out and fell down an entire flight of stairs the first time it happened. Scared the crap outa DW, as she's sound asleep and bam, boom I'm bruised and battered, could have been much worse.

I had similar issues while losing weight needed to come off other BP meds. I had another occurrence when I had to go back on BP meds and DW called the EMTs to help me stay conscious.

Seriously, see your doc.

 

[joeea]

I have passed out three times in my life. I'm currently 63.

The first time was many years ago. Not sure when but at least 25. No particular trigger. I just woke up on the floor with the dog licking my face. I didn't think anything of it and even didn't bother to mention it to my wife.

The next time was about 15 years ago. My wife and I had just returned from dinner at a restaurant. I was going into the bathroom and the next thing I knew a fireman was talking to me with others standing around. They took me in an ambulance to the hospital. I had a battery of tests - CT Scan, MRI, heart stress test, lots of blood tests. The only thing they found was a low potassium level. It was due to the high blood pressure medication which was leaching potassium from my system. Changed that medication and that's it.

The most recent time was last month. I was having my first infusion for lymphoma. They said that once I got by the first hour, it would prove that I tolerated the rituximab infusion and that I would be okay. I made it to hour four then passed out. They paused my cancer treatments, I had an electrocardiogram and echocardiogram. No heart abnormalities. I wore a heart monitor for 48 hours through my next infusion treatment. No problem.

They cardiologist chalks it up to vasovagal syncope, with no specific trigger. If it becomes more frequent, they will monitor it more aggressively to see if they can pinpoint a trigger. Otherwise, it's fine.

I'm not a doctor, nor am I any sort of expert. But if you were my brother, I'd strongly advise you to get yourself to your doctor soon, tell them about it, and let them run you through some tests. If you take medication, that might need to be altered. An annual physical wouldn't look for the kinds of things they should check. And you need to at least get the event on your record. Down the road, having a baseline to compare against might be important.

It's probably not something to worry about, but it's worth your time to have it thoroughly checked out just in case. Do it for your wife's sake, if not your own.

 

[gerntz]

I did as a teenager, a couple years back. At the time I was quite fearful of the medical community & was standing in doctor's office as he was examining me & I woke up laying on the floor. He apparently broke my fall. I think it was rapid blood pressure drop.

 

[athena53]

The only time in recent history was similar to yours- normally low BP, but had also donated blood and platelets that day. Got up to use the bathroom and ended up on the floor- not even a bruise, thank heaven. Scary because I live alone. I'm almost 65 and on no meds except one prescription cream that wouldn't have had any effect.

 

[W2R]

My brothers and I all do this from time to time, due to orthostatic hypotension. Basically what that means, is that if we stand too quickly then the blood isn't pumped to our brain fast enough so we faint. We are all unusually tall, and we all had somewhat low BP as children, so perhaps that contributed to it to some degree. So anyway, since childhood, we all acquired the habit of sitting on the edge of the bed for a minute before standing up, and never standing up too fast even from a chair. That takes care of the problem completely.

First you need to find out if you have orthostatic hypotension, though, and your doctor can figure that out for you. It could be due to low blood pressure or a number of other conditions.

A couple of years ago at the gym, I had been using the stair stepper for the first time because I heard it was outragously good cardio and you had to be in really good shape for it (so instead of controlling my overly competitive nature, I went for the challenge of it). When I finished, I was standing there talking to a friend at the gym, when I told her "Oh gosh excuse me I'm going to faint now" and headed towards the nearest place to sit down. I didn't make it, though, fainted, and on the way down hit my head hard on some gym equipment, knocking myself out. Scared everyone to death - - I awakened with about 6 EMT's hovering over me, a BP cuff on my arm, and about 20 gym friends standing around me. How embarrassing! My glasses and cell phone had gone flying but were returned to me, and F un-bent my glasses. Yes I about died of embarrasment but otherwise was fine.

A doctor told me 50 years ago that I have a minor heart valve issue that shouldn't be a problem as long as I'm not intending to run marathons. Well, I guess I should have known better than to use the stair stepper. Oh well. Dumb decision.

 

[Sunset]

Never had it happen, but I do tend to get out of bed slow, as in sit up first then get up. Mostly because I've noticed if I pop right out of bed, I get a little dizzy. Probably from a drop in pressure due to the quick movement.

 

[MRG]

I did as a teenager, a couple years back. At the time I was quite fearful of the medical community & was standing in doctor's office as he was examining me & I woke up laying on the floor. He apparently broke my fall. I think it was rapid blood pressure drop.

That was my life! From age 6 to 36!

I had Rheumatic fever as a kid. The blood work made me pass out for years! I was so afraid of Dr's it wasn't funny.

I've passed out in eye doctor's, dentist's, chiropractor's, dermatologist's, don't even talk about the neurosurgeon!

I remember at my childhood PCP's office him doing a throat culture and turning his back on me to retrieve a specimen bag. Boom, I face planted on the floor from the exam table! He was really upset with himself.

At a dental office the tech couldn't get my BP using a cuff and stethoscope. She left the room shouting "his BP is 40 over real low!". When the dentist came flying into the room I explained I was fainting. Could someone lay the chair down? She appeared to be pleased by my passing out(I was not dying in her chair)

Finally in my late 30's a kindly older nurse cured me! I no longer pass out from bloodwork, dental, nuersurgon or anywhere! It's so nice.

 

[joeea]

Finally in my late 30's a kindly older nurse cured me!

How did she cure you?

 

[hesperus]

yes, at a rolling stones concert... need I say more?

 

[tmm99]

I did that once when I was a teenager. I was sleeping on the floor and got up to go to the bathroom and the next thing I knew, I woke up a few feet from where I was sleeping. Not sure how long I was out.

 

[mamadogmamacat]

Any significant weight loss lately? if so, BP meds may need adjustment. In any case, for peace of mind I would see the Dr about this. Dizziness upon sudden movements just based anecdotally on family and friends well into their 70's and older is not that uncommon. but 54 is rather young for this to happen IMHO Another possibility is a UTI which sometimes does not manifest with pain "down there" but with dizziness. Also you could be coming down with cold/flu, as fever rises often it begins to also cause dizziness. Just my random ideas for what little they are worth.

 

[SheitlQueen]

I've had it happen twice but have no idea what caused it.

 

[harley]

Five or six years ago I was sitting at the dining room table with DW and a couple of friends and started feeling dizzy. Next thing I knew I was lying on the floor with everybody scared to death. We tested my blood sugar, and it was fine. Didn't test the BP. No idea what happened.

A week or so ago we (DW and those same friends) were at the Dog Beach near Lover's Key (in SWFL). We'd just had lunch and a beer or two. We were walking around on the sand bar and I started getting dizzy again. This time I bent over for a minute or so and it went away.

Both times it happened there was food, beer, and pot involved. But that combination happens thousands of times with no passing out, so I'm not sure what the trigger is. If it happens again I will probably mention it to my doctor.

Other than that, I also have a glass chin. I go right out when hit on the point of the chin. It ended my boxing career early, and once when I cut a big branch out of a tree it fell and bounced and caught me on the chin. DW thought I was dead that time.

 

[Dash man]

I’ve passed out a couple of times from heat and dehydration. One other time I passed out in the checkout line at a supermarket and woke up to EMTs. Not sure what caused that. I’ve got numerous health issues, but nothing that should cause blackouts. My late neighbor blacked out about five years ago. A year later he was gone. Brain cancer. Get to a doctor and hope it was just your blood pressure.

 

[Amethyst]

I get dizzy (sight dims, see stars, have to get down on the floor) when I stand up too fast. Hyperventilating fixes it quickly.

Sometimes I get dizzy when giving blood. It's worse when I see my own blood flowing through the tube.

If I blacked out, though, it would scare me right to the ER/doctor.

 

[Koogie]

I have also blacked out while giving blood before. I'm fine with other peoples blood and I even worked in an abattoir as a teenager. My own though blood though... ho, boy

I understand it is due to a rapid BP drop.

I had a female cousin also faint a couple times at weddings when we were kids. That was blood sugar related.

 

[ceciledian]

I fainted on a flight to Ireland in 2014. About 4 hours into the flight, we'd had dinner and while i was watching a movie I started feeling bad. I got up to go to the restroom, my DH could tell something was wrong and he followed. I remember getting to the aisle and next thing I knew I was lying in the bulkhead. He caught me as I fell. Once I woke up I felt great. It was probably low BP, mine tends to run low naturally.

 

[bingybear]

I had 5 instances of light headedness in 5 days with 2 that had a short blackout. Flew home from a business trip and hit the ER. Diagnoses - Paroxysmal AV block. Effectively the AV node would stop transmitting the signals to the bottom of the heart.

Only one instance where I was standing, others were sitting.

Took over a day to find the issue. The solution was a dual chamber pacemaker.

 

[MRG]

How did she cure you?

Well she came to draw more blood after I'd been admitted to a hospital. I told her I had no more blood and would surely pass out if she attempted to draw it!

She calmly assured me that it was impossible for me to pass out laying in a hospital bed! I don't know why but after that conversation I was cured. I knew in worst case I could lay down. It was her confident answers to all my issues.....

Medical procedures, while not always pleasant, are a fact! I don't know, maybe that old women told me to grow up? In any case she was awesome!

I've had a number of surgeries(4) and procedures since then. I have no issues with it anymore.

The most bizzare was when DW had both big toe nails removed. The nurse told me to leave the room during the procedure. There was no place for me in the room.

I refused, because DW begged me to stay. I smiled at DW and looked out the window. Doc saw what I was doing and cheerfully removed her toe nails. I was fine and in some way DW picked up on "it was fine".

Dear Lord if she only knew what they did to her!! No wonder they give you opiods!

 

[Aerides]

I've read a couple of stories recently about dehydration being linked to blacking out (might have even been a thread here a few months back?). Not the type of noticeable dehydration you'd necessarily feel by itself, but enough to cause black outs, especially the kind where you go to get up or something like OP describes.

Particularly when there are no other medical conditions. But OP I'd go to the Dr now, not wait for another one, in case there is something else going on.

 

[travelover]

I've fainted twice. The first time was due to dehydration from an electric blanket (I love to sleep warm). After a battery of tests, Doc said, "throw away that electric blanket". That was ten years ago.

Second time, I awoke to find an open pore bleeding on my nose. I kept dabbing at it with a tissue and it was very slow to stop bleeding and soon I had a bloody tissue in my hands. I started to feel dizzy and sat on the toilet and then passed out onto the floor. That was a couple of years ago.

In my everyday life, I have to stand slowly or I'll feel temporarily dizzy, so dehydration or sight of blood must just push me over the edge. Needless to say, banging your head can be very dangerous, so be careful. At night, I sit on the bedside and swing my legs until grogginess leaves, then I stand to walk to the bathroom.

 

[brewer12345]

I fainted a year and a half ago when I had a allergic/shock reaction to a bee sting. It was very brief and I caught my own fall.

 

[Cayman]

I had 5 instances of light headedness in 5 days with 2 that had a short blackout. Flew home from a business trip and hit the ER. Diagnoses - Paroxysmal AV block. Effectively the AV node would stop transmitting the signals to the bottom of the heart.

Only one instance where I was standing, others were sitting.

Took over a day to find the issue. The solution was a dual chamber pacemaker.

And Bingybear's experience is a good example of why we hope you'll make a quick call or visit to your doc, just to be sure it's nothing. It is probably nothing - please call your doc Earl E.

 

[skipro33]

Happened twice now to my dad who lives with me. Both times the ER said it was dehydration. 2 liters of saline and sent him home. Stay hydrated! His blood pressure had dropped simply because there wasn't enough in him to pump around.