Its been a while.

[jojoc37]

Hi everyone,
Last time i was on here was about 2 years ago, well so much has happened, firstly i was fitted with a loop recorder to try and find out what was happening when i fainted then my 17 year old daughter told me she was pregnant, shock wasent the word, i got used to the idea and was actually looking forward to it, she then found a lump in her breast when she was 8 months pregnant and had to go for a biopsy she obviously wanted mum with her so i dragged myself along, just as they were cutting her the inevitable happened yes i fainted, luckily i got the recording, the result was my heart was stopping while i was unconcious so they rushed me in and fitted me with a pacemaker, the op didnt go smoothly what should of been a 45 min op turned out to be 2 and half hours, my lung collapsed then i had a bleed on my lung then water on my lung, the pain was awful, anyway a month later my beautiful grandaughter Molly was born, i still suffer with anxiety because although i will never lose conciousness again i still have the symptoms, so im not really any further on, doc has just upped my meds so fingers crossed i may start to feel a little better, sorry for the long post, hope everyone is hanging in there.

Jo xx

[beema36]

Yes I relate to.that. I don't sleep well at all and.the.best and most sleep I do get is after 4 a.m. and that doesn't work well as from 8 a.m on I seem to get constant phone calls etc and so I just don't get much sleep at all.
I am glad you are able to spend time with your granddaughter. They are so precious.
I am.having a hard time as not feeling well and just found out my granddaughter most likely has lupus. It's really hard.
Beema

[jojoc37]

Hi Beema, hope your coping ok, i had my grandaughter overnight on friday and looking after her wipes me out, not that she is hard word quite the opposite she is so good, never cries and sleeps all night, its the fact that i dont sleep that really takes it out of me, she wakes up round 8 in the morning which means i ony get a few hours so for the rest of th day im totally shattered, do u find this happens?

[beema36]

That sounds just like me. My bps all over the place. Seems its especially bad in the night lately. Hard to sleep and when I stand about pass out. My family gets so.frustrated with me not being comfortable going places. They don't understand the anxiety at all. My daughter especially can't understand why I am afraid to drive very far or with grandkids in car. I am just so afraid I will faint and they would get hurt. I have always had my episodes of fainting from being upright which Dr says causes my bp to drop drastically but still am afraid. I just hate the disappointment in their eyes.
I hope u can enjoy your grandbaby. Mine are about all that keep me going. They are precious.
Beema

[jojoc37]

Dr said its all down to my Bp so its getting the meds to work and finding the right ones, but as we all know that could take years, im already on salt tablets and have been told to have salt with my food, one minute they say too much salt is bad for you then they tell me to have loads, i feel so guilty that my family want me to go places with them and im just too anxious to go, how how you been doing last few days

[beema36]

Jo, U can drink most any fluid although lots of caffeine isn't recommended. I know a lot of.people drink gatorade because of.the electrolytes. I mainly drink herbal teas and water. Dr also suggested before I go somewhere I saltload. Seems strange as my bp goes high and low but it seems to make a difference.
I know what u mean about wanting to enjoy just going some place. I always check out where to get out, a place to sit down quick if need be and restrooms too. Also find crowds, noise and bright lighting make me worse.
I knew stress could make things worse but didn't know it could contribute to fainting. What is your diagnosis?
Beema

[jojoc37]

Yes it is very much life changing, i have been fainting on and off for 34 years but only the last 3 years did it become a big problem, my Dr said my cause was stress so avoid it, but i never knew wot caused me stress who does and also some stress is unavoidable, i will try the fluid intake tho, does it matter what u drink, i dont know if your like me but if i do manage to go anywhere then i have to check out how to get out quickly, plus i am concious the whole time that i might have a funny turn and i dont enjoy it, just wish i could go out not worry and enjoy myself,

[beema36]

I am glad u weren't hurt bad falling like that. The electrophysilogist said that at some point they may do loop recorder although he seems pretty sure.of his diagnosis.
Laying down etc doesn't always work I have found. The last time I.fainted my daughter called paramedics and.they couldn't even find bp it was so low. One thing they are having me do is drink 120 ounces or more of fluid a day and that has helped some. I really have to be careful about standing long, being in heat and really hot showers will make me faint. I feel like I am having to be on guard all the time to ensure I won't faint. And the anxiety doesn't help I am actually afraid to travel at all now and feel so bad as I have elderly parents that are a 6 hour drive away and I can't go see them. I just hate this stuff!

[jojoc37]

When i look back at all my fainting episodes i laugh a little, i have been in some funny situations obviously i wasent laughing at the time, one time i had my dizzy feeling while stood at the sink brushing my teeth so i sat on the toilet next thing i know i was waking up on the bathroom floor, i had fallen right into the radiator head first, bruises all over my face, black eyes the lot, im sure people thought id been beaten up, and i still had my toothbrush in my hand, next time i go to the hospital i will ask about autonomic dysfunction, i wonder if you would benefit from a loop recorder have they ever mentioned it to you, i once felt a faint coming on managed to get to the sofa i put my legs up but still fainted,

Take care

Jo x

[beema36]

I wonder if u have autonomic dysfunction? Have they mentioned that? I told my Dr he ought to try laying down like that in public just once if he thinks its such an easy answer. Got no response to that. My heartrate on Meds stays in 40s and 50s occasionally into 60s. Electrophysilogist says that's fine as he wants it in the 40-70 bpm range. I seem to handle it so far and must say it feels way better than heart beating in upper hundreds.
I bet those passengers on that plane loved u. Just teasing its really really not funny.
Beema

[jojoc37]

I certainly know about the sweats so horrible can be 5 or 6 in the morning and im showering and changing sheets, something else to cope with eh, my doc also said the same about when i have symptoms to lie on the floor, what they also dont understand is its quite embarrasing if your in the middle of a supermarket or in the pub or anywhere for that matter, i once fainted on a plane while it was taxing to the runway, they had to turn round and get me an ambulance, poor passengers had to wait 2 hours, i have my next appointment in april for my med review so hopefully he will put me on something else, my bp is low but again like you it suddenly drops and so do i, my pacemaker is set at 50, but i have the dizziness and other symptoms way before it reaches that.


Jo x

[beema36]

I am not sure I think mines related to both brain and heart. They think it may be secondary to my ms and that autonomic system is damaged. I am on bp Meds for high bp but my bp drops and bottoms out especially when standing or walking. I had tachycardia and was told that was also a factor in the fainting. I had panic disorder for many yrs but had learned to deal with it by ignoring it and pushing thru. Well imagine my surprise when one day at my grandsons field day at school I thought I was having panic and woke up on ground. Of course I had been told u don't pass out with panic so freaked me out. That of course made panic worse. I was told if this can't be controled with Meds I will need a pacemaker.
I hope they get your Meds adjusted so u don't have to deal with it anymore. Is hard for drs or people to understand that u really need to know if its health related or panic. Sure makes a big difference in how one reacts. My electrophysilogist says when I have symptoms to lay down and raise legs and do.the counterpressure exercise they showed me. What he can't seem to get is in that case I would spend most of the day on my back.lol I feel often I am probably just anxious but as I said makes a big difference how u respond or u may take a swan dive to the floor and need medical help.
By the way u are the first person I have met that understands this. Hopefully we can both get the heart part dealt with soon.
Oh almost forgot I do have the sleep problems and when I do sleep wake up and immediately am drenched in sweat no matter what the temps. Dr tells me that's the autonomic dysfunction.
Beema

[jojoc37]

Thanks Beema nice to know we can relate, thats my point exactly i dont know whether its a panic attack or my bp dropping so i panic more not knowing what to do, i also suffer with sleep problems, i can be really tired but when i get in bed im lay there hour upon hour awake, then im too tired to get up in the morning, do u have this problem, is your fainting a brain related problem? mine is all connected with my heart hence the pacemaker, my symptoms of feeling like im going to faint will not ease untill i am on the right meds for my bp, god knows when that will happen but you have to be optimistic which i am finding very hard to be, I hope your feeling a little better, keep me posted on your progress

Jo x

[beema36]

Jo, I definitely understand where ur coming from. I started having fainting episodes and was sent to an electrophysilogist who diagnosed me with autonomic dysfunction. He put me on betablocker which has helped some but am no longer able to stand for long or will faint. My symptoms are so like my symptoms of a panic attack is hard to know the difference and.whether I should push forward thru what may be anxiety or lay down and get my feet up to avert fainting. I have no answers but I sympathize and hope u get some advice we can both use. Congratulations on your new grandchild.
Beema

[nursegirl6572]

First, insist on an open MRI if you are afraid of the "enclosed" feeling.  There are MANY of them these days.  Also, be honest with your doc about your anxiety levels and ask for a premedication with a sedative for procedures, surgery, etc.  These things would make ANYONE (rightfully) nervous, but someone with anxiety has to magnify that by about a million.

ONE day at a time sweetie...be kind to yourself, don't put a lot of pressure on yourself right now,  Get this medical stuff sorted out and taken care of...you can be superwoman later.  Ya know?

It's going to be okay....you've been through a lot....I can imagine how scary it was for you.  Celebrate every step....the MRI, etc.  Those things are hard for many people, but for us, they are seemingly impossible at times.

Hang in there.

[jojoc37]

Thank you so much, it has been difficult and im not really getting out much, everytime i think i will go out i get such an awful feeling of doom that something bad will happen, hence the doc upping my meds, just seems i take 1 step forward and 10 back, i still have pain in my lung so need to go for a mri scan which is scaring me to death bein enclosed, doc things i still have blood there which will mean another op to get rid of it, have u any advice on how to prepare and deal with the scan, my only joy at the moment is my gorgeous grandaughter who keeps me going.....

thanks again jo x

[nursegirl6572]

Hey there!  Good to see you again, but sorry to hear of your troubles...you've been through a lot!

What's important to remember here is that a REASON for your fainting spells was diagnosed, and treated, albeit not without some bumps in the road.  While anxiety can certainly cause dizziness/lightheadedness, actual fainting and loss of consciousness is not caused by anxiety alone without a concurrent medical reason...even though it is a big fear if anxiety sufferers.  It's something you can be relieved that a cause was found and a treatment available and successful.

Keep working with your doc to manage your condition...if you continue to have symptoms....call your doc and sort it out.  It will be a bit tricky for you to seperate in your mind what is anxiety, and what are the symptoms of your condition.  You've obviously had a lot of stress, so be sure to address the anxiety with a professional.  I'm sure your doc has already told you this....but you need to frequently reassure yourself that anxiety did NOT cause your condition or the fainting...and even now, the presence of anxiety or panic alone will not cause it to happen again.  

Congrats on the baby....while shocking news for you and of course not in the way you would have liked to see your daughter start her family...you can now concentrate on the blessing that the baby brought to you....enjoy her as much as you can!

We're here for you as always....I hope you can work through your fear and get to a more peaceful place.  Remember not to be hard on yourself....ANYONE who went through what you did would have fear and anxiety...it was a scary situation....its ok to feel like you do.  Since you're predisposed to anxiety, it's vital that you try to work through your feelings and not let what happened consume you.

Take Care!