Unanswered Faint Feelings

[daisylady21]

I am in my mid twenties. For the past five years, I have been experiencing episodes of feeling faint. These episodes have never resulted in me actually fainting, although I have come close many times. These faint feelings seem to become more frequent in the fall and dissapate in the spring. This past year, however, the faint spells have not gone away, but rather have become more frequent and intense. They usually begin with a hot feeling all throughout my body. This usually leads to my pulse quickening, my legs feeling weak, spotty vision, sweaty palms, feelings of confusion and feeling like I am going to pass out in general. Sitting or laying down helps, but these episodes have occasionally come over me while driving, when I don't have the luxury of laying down. I have tried to formulate a cause for these faint feelings, but they happen so randomly that it has been difficult. Before I eat, after I eat, standing, sitting, laying in bed... It doesn't matter. Cutting caffiene out of my diet helped a bit, but that has been about it. I lead a fairly active lifestyle and try to eat a healthy diet. I have been to different dotors, and had my blood tested many times... All levels were normal. I've had two halter moniters... Both normal with one having a single recording of 52/bpm. I had a CAT scan and brain wave scan about three years ago, and both came back normal. My EKG reading was normal, and my chest X-ray was normal. As a result, each doctor has brushed me off. I have heard that I should "just relax", "eat more", "get more sleep"... The list goes on. One doctor went so far as to tell me that it was all in my head. I am at the proper weight for my height and age, eat regularly, get adequate rest, and am at a fairly low level of stress. At this point, I am at a loss. These faint feelings are becoming a very large (sometimes dangerous) hinderance in my life, and I am looking for any advice or help from professionals or people who have had similar experiences. Any help or input would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi
Welcome to the forum!
There are many causes of dizziness, lightheadedness, passing out, blackouts etc. It is difficult to comment without examination. I am just enumerating the possible causes. You can discuss this with your doctor and get yourself examined.
Dizziness could be due to postural hypotension (blood pressure falling with change of position), internal ear problems and cervical spondylitis or compression of cervical spinal nerves. All these cause dizziness when you get up from lying down position or when you change position that results in a change in the level of your head. Cervical spondylitis and ear problems also cause dizziness on changing the position of the neck.
However you do say that your fainting attacks are not related to posture, so in a way all the above are ruled out.
Other causes are anemia, claustrophobia, GERD, hypoglycemia or low sugar and some endocrine problems. Endocrine problems, such as an underactive thyroid (called hypothyroidism), overactive thyroid (called hyperthyroidism), adrenal insufficiency (called Addison's disease), low blood sugar levels, and in some cases, diabetes, may lead to hypotension and hence lightheadedness and an off balance feeling.
Certain types of epilepsies and seizures too can cause similar symptoms. If you have an accompanying headache then you must also look at benign intracranial hypertension. Heart problems have also been ruled out in your case. If all other tests are normal, maybe an ECHO should be done to rule out mitral valve prolapse.
At times all blood tests are normal. In this case one must suspect GERD.
Hope this helps. Please let me know if there is any thing else and do keep me posted. Take care!

[LivingInHope]

In all their testing, did they do orthostatic blood pressure taking on you?   If you have an omron cuff at home, you might try laying for 10 minutes, taking your BP, then stand for at least two minutes and take it again.

Have you had your blood iron tested (not just CBC) with ferritin and TIBC (total iron binding capacity)?  Menstruating females often become iron deficient.  Your CBC doesn't have to outside normal range to be affected.  I was affected by higher tachycardia numbers and extreme fatigue.  

[SassyLassie]

Your feelings are very similar to those of us that have chronic anxiety, I have had them all but, I am a very "anxious" person. I hate them. Have you been under any abnormal amounts of stress lately? It is good that all your tests come back with good readings, but, I am sure you must get tired of feeling like this. I don't think it is all in your head. Some docs, when they cannot find anything wrong will say this however. I had similar experiences, so, I decided to go to a nutritionally orientated doc when I was in my mid 20's, he gave me all the routine tests, and it was discovered that I had hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) Have you had any sugar related blood tests? This might be a good idea to suggest if you haven't. Also, they found out that I had multiple food allergies, and in some folks, these can cause all the anxiety symptoms, so, I cut out all the offending food, which was a lot, and gradually, I got better. The food allergy test I had done is called "RAST" and it is a simple blood draw and the lab then tests it for various foods and food groups. Also, if you have weak adrenalin glands, the symptoms you mention will surely show them self. How is your blood pressure, is it high or low? And last, but certainly not least, I would recommend you try a chiropractor. If you have a misaligned vertebrae in your cervical (neck) region you will definitely experience all these feelings. I go to one and he really helps.

Keep us posted and let us know how you are doing and ask about some of these tests.

Good luck
Susie