Feelings of lightheadness

[mrsboston3122]

I really do need some help here, I have been having epsiodes of where I feel like I am going to pass out since May of this year, I think I can trace them back to after I had a heart catherzation. They come sudden, mostly when I am sitting down doing nothing, it feels like I am being pushed down and I just feel like I am going to faint and wiithin a few seconds its gone. Some times I feel it on and off all day, some times sever and other times mild. I have only had the severe ones a few times. I am scared to death. I do have pvcs and pacs and have had SVT in the past but I dont feel anything when this happens.. I have been to the brain doc, ENT and I asked the cardio about it also. No one has any answers so I went and seen a shrink though she did not feel it was anxiety releated. I am at a total stand still and this causing me great anxiety. I am in constant fear that I am going to drop dead at any minute. Please if anyone has had this or any ideas what it may be I would love to hear what you have to say. I should add that I am a 28 year old female. I do have history of sudden death both my grand father and father died at the ealry 50s and no one can tell me why, they just fell down dead. I never met either of them that I can recall and their family is not very willing to communicate with me. I just would feel so much better if I could find a cause good or bad. I have had all the standard testing, sugar blood pressure the works I think and all looks good.... there has to be something because I dont think one would just feel like this for no reason and its interfering with everything in my lfe. I am on the verge of losing my job of 5 years... Please help..

[Mom2four85]

It really sounds like ANS that's going on and is very hard to get a diagnosis and a doctor who understands the ans/cardiac relation.

If you haven't, read http://www.ndrf.org/NDRF%20Patient%20Handbook/SecA_pp17-58.PDF it explains so much.

[mrsboston3122]

I have been doing everything in my power, I have been to the ENT, Neuro, Cardio, Primary, ER ALL OVER THE PLACE, I feel like a mad woman! Do you know anything about nystumas in the eyes? I have been told by 3 of the doctors that I have it but it has never been noted before. They thought it was my ears because I had that but the ENT no problem there.... Then the neuro told me it could be a problem on my right side since its a fast beat to the right and told me to follow up with the ENT but the ENT said its the neuro job.. I am confused. I wonder if that has something to do with the lightheadness... I dont know I just keep searching... I just wish someone would say this is what you have and it be true and then NO MATTER what it is we could go from there. I have never fainted but my sister told me that my deceased father fainted his whole life and was mis diagnosed with eplilepsy and then told that was not the case and they never did figure out why he kept fainting his whole life.

[Mom2four85]

Yes my heart stopped, but it is VERY rare (in under 1% of patients who faint) for someone's heart to stop I was told by my EP.

There are a ton of reasons why a person could faint; I do for various reasons - sometimes it's my blood pressure, sometimes it's simple stress and i don't watch my HR and it will happen, other times I'm not doing anything and I faint.

It could be as simple as a vasal vagal reaction to being scared, anxious, seeing blood or as complicated as mine; but please have it checked out soon =)  

[mrsboston3122]

Your heart stopped????? Oh my, is that dangerous? I had another epsiode of near fainting the other day while on the computer, I was talking to my sister and I had been sitting for a few minutes, I lit a cig (I know and I am trying:() and it just happened/ It lasted a few seconds and I was so nervous after I cried for an hour...

[Mom2four85]

please take care of yourself and be cautious; I was absolutely sure when I did my TTT that I had not passed out.  When they told me that when I passed out my heart stopped and my bp tanked I said NO way I didn't believe it because I didn't feel like it was that bad.  I just remember the rush of black and then waking up with my feet elevated and then asking me how I felt.

my biggest fear is that also, it used to be fainting while driving but that happened and scared the daylights out of me and even though I complain about being driven around by others, I know it's to keep me as well as others safe, but now it's what's going to happen if I pass out somewhere - so far I haven't injured myself too badly =)  but I have read others who have so be cautious for now

[mrsboston3122]

You know the biggest thing that freaks me out is that I am going to end up passing out one of these times and not getting back up. I am worried that there is something and that it wont be found in time, it is almost the scariest thing I have ever felt and its making me so anxious which will make things worse but I cant get it out of my head....

[Mom2four85]

wonderful you're getting that done; I'm right there with you on going broke - I've paid $9k out of pocket instead of $3k due to a mistake my insurance agent made when we first did our insurance - now I'm without insurance and used savings & anything else we could just to pay what was needed

The new PCIP state plans if you don't have insurance are pretty good and have reasonable rates - I'm paying $435 for my age (43) with a $2500 deductible per year, which will be worth it if I have any other surgery.

hopefully one of your tests will yield some answers and get you the help you need =)

[mrsboston3122]

I am actually waiting for an appointment for that tilt test:) I hope maybe there are answers there, I am also getting ready to have a balance test but I dont think I am at all off balance just lightheaded at times big difference. I am going broke!!!! Thanks for the info I will check into it.

[Mom2four85]

here's a great source for the ANS - on page 5 it explains the ANS

http://www.ndrf.org/NDRF%20Patient%20Handbook/SecA_pp17-58.PDF

[Mom2four85]

oh I forgot:

when you start feeling lightheaded or faint; try to grab of ice cold water and drink it slowly to see if this helps - the cold will make your system rev up; bp raise and the water will hydrate you and that may help if you're having mild symptoms

[Mom2four85]

It could be ANS (autonomic nervous system) related and be your bp; there are quite a few conditions where your bp drops then your cardiac output (I think is what it's called) is lowered, so your bp falls even more and you will have pre-syncope episodes - basically like you feel like you're going to faint.

The ANS regulates virtually everything in our bodies; and could be the reason for this - even with blood sugar regulation. That's what your cardio was talking about with vaso vagal; but sometimes it doesn't get relayed as the ANS just vasal vagal - they should explain it a bit more, but most doctors don't.

Did you have a Tilt Table Test sometimes called TTT or HuTT done? If not, that may be beneficial to have it done; and it may need to be redone if it shows normal just to see what your body does on different days.

Research autonomic nervous system, autonomic dysfunction - Dysautonomia; Neurocardiogenic syncope; orthostatic intolerance and orthostatic hypotension for some info on what you may be experiencing.  Not all patients suffer the same, so it's important to find out what yours is; alot of cardio's/ep's do not know about Autonomic Dysfunction for some reason.  

Also, please do not drive if you're feeling this way - I ignored my symptoms and ended up passed out on the side of the road and thankfully didn't hurt anyone or myself.

[mrsboston3122]

I dont think its the SVT at all because I dont feel my heart going fast when it happens, unless I just dont feel it, but usually I can feel my palpations. The thing with my fathers family I can not get the records because I have no proof that I was my fathers child, my sister told me she tried to get my fathers autopsy but did not have power of attorney over him so she could not but I think she is lieing to me and my grandfather died the year I was born 1982 and they dont give me any information on him either but it was suddenly also my mother attended his funeral. They found my father dead in the bathroom at his work but he had been in the hospital several times before that.

Maybe it is the blood pressure?? I had this test where they put in different postions and check and that was negative. The 2 severe ones, in May I was in the car and it happened on my way to work thank goodness my husband was driving and then the other night I had just been sitting down for about 10 minutes at the computer and it happened.

Other then that it is just present sometimes mild and sometimes not. I will try the gummie bears and I go back to my primary today and I am just going to really push for ideas.

Thank you

[cindy707]

I had almost the same thing happening to me for awhile and it was just as you said...i would be sitting in a movie and suddenly felt like a black shade was coming down,,,,i could be in bed reading a book and feel like i was going to faint...i also had SVT and it was corrected thru an ablation but after my heart doc doing alot of tests because this almost fainting thing happened after the procedure (a couple of years for me) it was determined that my blood pressure was taking a dive because i was so relaxed at the time and it caused my b/p to drop....i know that feeling tho and it was just awful...i would get it too when i would drive from California up to my sisters house in Neveda...as soon as i would get about halfway there it would happen in the car....man it was scary...believe it or not my doc gave me some pretty weird advise and it actually worked...gummie bears....and its not a joke...he said that when my b/p feel my sugar level would fall...he said now if i am going to be in situations where at rest i am relaxed ie: movies, long drives, relaxing, etc. to try to pop some sort of sugar into my system and see if it works...he felt i wasn;t at risk...so guess what...my daughter and i went to a movie a couple of months after and boom...the same thing happened again like that black shade was coming down...i kind of scared myself, told my daughter something was wrong she asked about the gummie bears and took them out of my purse and ate about 3 of them and believe it or not the dizziness passed the shade went up and i was fine.  I am not saying that this is your situation i am just tossing out what happened to me and it worked and it actually made sense after i thought about it...i love my heart doc....i think he's seen everything.  Don't be convinced its the SVT or major issues altho i do understand w. your family hx. how scary it could be for you...i would just keep searching for the answer....your grandparents could have died from anything at that age and someone in your family has to know why....if it was unexpected and in the U.S. and autopsy had to have been performed...i would find out what county they passed away in and get a copy of their death certficates and look for the final diagnosis of cause of death so at least you can know where to go from there and if it was or was not hereditary...good luck to you...

[mrsboston3122]

Yes, I actually had both the EP study in 2004 and the cardiac cath in may of this year a few months ago.. I had the second done for un explained chest pains and since I have a postive family history of sudden death and have risk factors myself he just wanted to be sure and it was negative. I am not sure if it caused this lightheadness probably not, I just know that it started happening after that procedure. I have never had it before.

I dont know what it is but I am scared, the cardio thought some kind of vagal thing but I am mostly sitting when it happens for like an hour before it happens. It just comes out of the blue and everyone kept telling me anxiety though I have had that before and never had this feeling with it I thought it was worth a shot but the doctor did not feel that it was related at all and told me to follow back up with my regular doctor. I dont know.

[Jerry_NJ]

Are you saying you had a heart catheterization last May, 4-5 months ago?  I have had two such examinations and have never had any similar problems.  Why was the catheter examination done?  At age 28 I think it very unusual for such an examination to be administered.  I assume you did not have an Ablation by catheter, correct?

Sorry, not much help yet, but answers to my questions may help others pitch in with something more useful.

Try to focus on work when you are there, losing you job would likely cause some anxiety if  you don't already have some.