Not a black out - a white out

[wrestleantares]

I experienced an odd symptom.  A while ago, I turned around, swiveling at the waist (not rapidly - just normal.  A sharp pain emanated from my center chest longitudinally.

I became very pale, clammy, and began to have tunnel vision as if I were going to black out.  Then the black out turned into a white out.  It was as if I could see TOO MUCH light.  My wife - wearing a white shirt became near invisible in the flood of brighteness.  I was dizzy, disoriented, nauseous, cold and sweaty.  The weirdest parts, as I said, was the fact that I could not see anything light colored - other than general shapes.  Everything became super bright, but not painful to my eyes like looking at a bright light.

[12ThatGirl12]

I am a 22 year old female and have experienced many of the same problems since I was 15 or 16. No one has been able to tell me how or why and most Doctors say that there is nothing wrong but it worries me from time to time. My vision starts to pixel out and everything becomes too bright and eventually all fades into white. At that point I am blind to the world. I can not see, I become disoriented, have fallen on many occassions and it takes 2-5 minutes before vision and orientation return. I always have to sit or lie down and rest for a few minutes before it gets better. There have been a few occassions when I have fallen because of the disorientation. It is odd but no one can ever tell me how or why it happens because there is never something the same about each instance. It just comes and goes.

[Ramiel]

Today I went for a blood test, only a small stab was taken from my middle finger.  As this happened, I became disoriented (not being able to tell right from left, up from down), felt nausea but not strong enough to throw up, my hearing started disappearing into this solid quiet tone, then my vision became all white, following that I also lost consciousness totally.  When I came out, 3 nurse/doctors above me, they made me smell something that was really strong that brought me back into my senses.  As I was looking around, I saw shapes with colors but I didn't know they were people... slowly cognition came back following the colors and I realized they were people, and that I was in a room.  Slowly I remembered I was at a doctor's office.  My whole body was in sweat and it was cold.  My face felt pale, it seemed like all my blood had left my upper body.

The doctor said I had a "Vaso Vagal episode"  I found this Wikipedia page on it:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasovagal_syncope

I'm concerned as the blood test couldn't be completed, and I have to go back.

A friend of mine suggested that I ensure that breathing is continuing to happen... to make sure I keep breathing as this happens so that I don't loose consciousness.  Another online document said during such episodes the blood is going down to the legs and the heart is slowing down from pumping.  These documents suggested tightening the legs.

[Tina1381]

I am also only 27 and have had this happen to me....I have also balcked out both for no reason...I was worried there was something seriously wrong...it has not happened for a while since but I now get these shooting pains in my head...I call them electric waves...usually on the right side of my head from the base to the front and now lately I have been experiencing zn almost pinched nerve stabbing feeling at the back part of my head on the left at the base where the neck starts,

[Jennie79]

I also experience the same symptoms, except I sometimes must sit down or I will fall down. I have had this kind of thing going on since puberty and I need to find out what it is. I have tried going to the hospital and they say when I stand up my blood pressure spikes.
I don't understand they never gave me anything for it. One time I was in the post office getting my mail and I went blind for two minutes and then fully consious the entire time and I just hit the floor.
I don't know what causes this to happen only that it does.
My email is: ***@****
please if anyone can help contact me?
Jennie Blanchard

[MoniaB]

Wow,it seems like I finally have found something that happened not only to me. It's so scarry when it starts, little ants crawl on my head, start cold sweating and everything brightens up to the point I see only white .Usually goes away when I sit down and blow cold air on myself.
I am only 27 years old and what happens to me is very scary

[saraT]

I experienced a similar vision problem many years ago, at a time when I was under a lot of stress. I didn't have the body pain you experienced but the blinding brightness was exactly the same. I had it in one eye only. My opthomologist said a blood vessel behind my eye burst and he put me on coated Aspirin for a couple of months to thin my blood. I had a few follow-up visits and everything returned to normal. See an eye specialist to be sure, but it sounds like something that will take care of itself. Good luck and don't worry.

[Demiguise]

You didn't say how long ago this happened. Anything since? An
Optometrist will be of know use. Start w/ your Dr. for a simple
ck-up for the chest beats & some bloodwk. It could be simple 1
time vertigo to an mri to rule out things. There are nerves
that travel to eye to make pupils dilate & go back to norm.
An Opthalmologist can dilate eyes & do a much deeper health
check. Hypertension can give some similar symptoms so ck. BP.
Go to the Dr. & give the wife less anxiety. Gd-luck.

[mungufuata]

Happens to me all the time.  There's no cure for it, and I Don't think it even has a name.  But from what little I have studied of the brain, it's possible that sometimes, the optic nerve can get pinched in just the right way to cause this.  If it poses a major problem, see an optometrist.  But it won't kill you.  I promise.