drop attack?

[n40066]

what exactly is a drop attack?  is it the same thing as a black out?

[ChiariWolf]

Well I was calling it blacking out until I posted here. It's a little different though, [selma can probably explain medically how it's different a bit better than me] for instance Sun when I went out I 'could' hear the people around me calling my name and my wife crying and I did feel my brother in law trying to pick me up and my wife yelling at him to leave me be [dunno why he did that...] Yet, being allergic to cigerrette smoke I've passed out from fumes many times. When that has happened I heard nothing seen nothing. I've also noticed that with the drop attack, dunno maybe this is just me, but when coming around I seem to always have seizure like reflex severe enough that on a couple of occasions it has pulled muscles in my forearm and right bicep. Both seem to leave me with a headache.
Selma explained it to me as something to do with a miscommunication of nerves for a few moments or something like that... Did I get that right Selma?

[selmaS]

Hi..that is pretty good Wolf!!

....what I was told drop attacks were is the blockage of CSF keeps the signals from traveling down the spinal cord and back to the brain, so when it blocks off completely the brain doesn't send the signal to stand.....and u loose the ability to stay up....but it goes quickly mayb 3 or 4 seconds.....and u may be aware u r falling, but can not respond or react.

I remember falling and wondering y.....I was standing still.....afterward I was very nauseous.....I too heard my DD asking what was wrong.....but I had so many thought racing thru my mind I was unaware that I did not respond to her in a timely manor, until she told me.

I did see where I was falling....heard myself make contact....I was very embarrassed.I fell to my right but sprained my left ankle, torn the meniscus in my right knee which reqiured surgery.

I am sure there may be other reasons someone  falls....some may actually pass out.....and once uv'e passed out u will know the difference....when u pass out u feel urself going .....kinda like the "snow" on TV a static sound......but a distinct feeling and u feel wosey. A drop attack- u feel fine and the next thing u know u r mid fall.

[somemonkey]

Thanks for explaning the difference. Do all chiaris have drop attacks?

[rod44]

My experience with drop attacks is similar to Chiariwolf and selmaS in that I was aware of going down, aware of people around me and indeed embarrassed. The one thing that sticks out in my mind was just how exhausted I suddenly felt. I wanted to go to sleep and struggled to stay awake. I was disorientated or more accurately I was unable to get my body to do what the brain wanted it to do, my limbs would move but not as the brain would dictate. This lasted seconds. On admission to ER about 5 minutes after the drop attack (I live next to the hospital campus) I was told my BP was through the roof. 30 minutes later it went low and was very erratic for a few hours after. My Cardiologist could not explain why.  
It is a terrifying experience. .  

[selmaS]

Not all chiarians will experience all the symptoms...so there may be many that never had a drop attack....and there r those that have them constantly and then again those that only had a few of them.

I hope that helps.

"selma"

[n40066]

thanks for all the input everyone!  another day where i have learned something new!  :)  hope you all had a good day!