Checking in..What do you do when you are near Syncope?

[tonyad]

  Hello Forum Friends!
    I hope everyone had a decent week and even better weekend :)
I just wanted to check in, i usually do more responding then posting....Not to be a Downer, but just need to vent I guess.  

    Anyhow, For me this week (second week in a row) had been so not good!  I have had Near Syncope like (5) times and actually passing out (2) times!   To be quite truthful, I would rather pass out then "Almost" pass out!

    This brings me to my question, just curious......i'm NOT being weird, But, would you rather pass out or just deal w/ the Near Syncope?  The reason I pick Pass out is becasue then it is mostly over....meaning that gosh aweful feeling of (doom)  not being able to control the feeling of almost passing out.  Does that make sense to anyone?

    my husband says (from his observation) he thinks it is worse when I do pass out completely because it takes me a couple of days to get back into the groove....Now remember that is just me, I also have Multiple Sclerosis so the added stress of having these syncope episodes do have an afffect on the MS w/ giving me like a Pseudoexacerbation......Still, I would rather "lights out" then to have to have that "Doom" feeling.

    Any thought?  oh ya, one more thing....When you are Near Syncope what do you do??
I know to lay down immediately and put my legs up (because of the poolong of blood to lower extremeties) and then go from there. Sometimes it sneaks up on me to fast and I don't get a real chance to lower myself like I want to!

~Tonya
I really need a spell check on here!

[Piparskeggr]

The formal diagnosis is Sinus Arrest with resultant Syncope...the sinus node sometimes does not send the start a heartbeat signal to my atria and less often, neither to the ventricles.

Only treatment is a pacemaker, which was implanted on 16 April 2008.

I am on a mild diuretic because of blood pressure skirting the border between high normal and low-hyper ,-)

I am lucky in that the estimated 100 or so episodes I had in the 9 months or so before the pacemaker (estimated during the cardiologist's analysis of my answers to his questions) occurred while I was either asleep, just woken up or doing something not involving a vehicle or power equipment at work.

They found no damage to my heart muscle, nor any blockages during the extensive testing.

So, a new distributor cap and plug wires...good for another 100,000 miles =)

[evo123]

I have many presyncope episodes, but I never pass out!  My docs are puzzled by the fact that these happen although my bp is ok or when it is high.

I mostly get like this being on my feet, but have on many occasions had this whilst sitting and even laying!  I just have to wait for them to pass.  They ofetn come in clusters to, so I will have several days of being like this and then a couple of presyncope free days!!

I can, sometimes but not constantly, stay in this state for a hours before it eases and I am feeling not so faint!!  

Hope the next few days sees you improving Tonya x

[tonyad]

  Hey there :)

   I can so relate when you said that you passed at while at the computer while reading emails....."Me Too!"   I actually have had all the bells and whistlesas far as monitoring goes. Been hospitalized (4) times last year of course, monitored the whole time. Plus monitored for 4 weeks at home.

   I am actually dx w/ NCS. All docs agree that AD is not uncommon w/ one who has an Autoimmune Daiseas such as Multiple Sclerosis.  Having the dx of both makes it a bit difficult at times as which is causing what....Kinda like the old.....which came first, the chicken or the egg, scenario.

    So do you have a "Formal" diagnosis? I mean what are they calling it in your case and how are they treating you?

Take Care,
~Tonya

    

[Piparskeggr]

I had episodes of asymptomatic syncope.  The first several times I just shrugged them off, but one morning I passed out while shutting off the alarm clock.

I got myself to the doc, but all the tests showed I was normally healthy for a man my age; even maxed out the elevation, and duration on the stress test treadmill, with excellent recovery after the exercise.

We went into wait and see mode...

3 months later, I passed out while reading my email; wife got me to the doc, who sent me on to the hospital.

Overnight monitoring found that I got into sinus arrest; normal heartbeat, a slightly slow on and then I flat line for 5 - 28 seconds, coming back without medical intervention.  I never stopped breathing, which is, I think, odd.

The pacemaker I got has worked; 13% pacing just after the procedure, just under 6% now, 2 years later.

A long way of saying, see if your doc will do either an overnight on a monitored bed or a Holter monitor stint to see what's going on there.

Perhaps the MS is interfering with the heart's electrical signals?