What does this sound like??

[mogwai0]

Where to start..

Well, a few months ago I experienced something I had gone through before, but not for awhile. I was somewhere with my mom, sitting down, calm. Slowly over about half an hour, I felt more and more nauseous, I felt really hot, sweaty, my mom said I went completely white, my breathing changed, and I essentially fainted there on the couch. After about 5 minutes of being down I started to feel better, but still weak and shaky. I went home, and later that night while making dinner, it happened again in the kitchen but came on much faster. Both times during/afterwards I felt like I was going to have diarrhea (but was able to wait),

I can think of probably 10 times total that it has happened since I was around 13 and can't find any pattern. It isn't when I'm hungry, scared or anxious, tired, nothing like that. I'm fine, and suddenly it just comes on without any apparent reason.

My mom experiences the exact same thing as I, and she has since she was a kid. At one point a doctor diagnosed her with a form of epilepsy and later another doctor told her that wasn't what it was. Whatever it is, it seems to be hereditary, and from my understanding epilepsy is very rarely genetic. My mom experiences it at random, she can go years without an "episode" or have it happen several times in one month.

It's easy to shrug it off when it only happens once a year or so, but it's been on my mind since the last day it happened twice. I've been thinking back to other symptoms I have had. When I was around 14 I went to the doctor about intense chest pains-it felt like my heart was being squeezed. The doctor told me it was heartburn (I don't believe this-I know very well what heart burn feels like). The chest pains seemed to stop, but the last few years I get a pain in my left shoulder, a bit below my collarbone. It's a pressure, not sharp. I haven't linked it to anything like being active or so on. It comes and goes. I also get heart palpitations, out of nowhere my heart just pounds really hard, enough that I can hear it and see it in my neck and sometimes see it in my vision.

Most recently, which has me most concerned, is sometimes I get chest pain with the weight feeling, tightness in my throat, and a horrible radiating pain in my jaw. I can't explain the jaw pain but it's nothing I've felt before. I've read that in women, this can be a sign of heart attack. I'm only 21 though, so I don't think that's what this is.

I saw a doctor after the last time the fainting happened, before I started to consider a heart condition could be possible. She never brought it up, she wanted to test for hypoglycemia, my thyroid and so on and seemed sure it was anxiety (I've never been anxious any of the times it's happened). All of tests came back normal, I assume, because I haven't been called back. I don't have a regular doctor and only go to walk-ins and the doctors never seem to listen to me, so I want to go in informed next time.

From what I've read on google, this doesn't really fit one thing only. The fainting parts seem like vasovagal syncope to me, but the chest/neck/jaw pain and palpitations? Angina? Cardiomyopathy?

I would REALLY appreciate some advice and information from people who understand these things.

[ed34]

Hi, wow you certainly are going through it. When I read your first paragraph, it reminded me of an incident at work once. I had finished work for the day, and my Labourer helped me move a heavy cement mixer to a different location. He let go before I had remove my hand from underneath it. I managed to release my hand but then it all got wierd. I had a wave of dizziness, my vision went dark and I had to sit down very quick. My heart started to race like a wild stallion and I was sweating. I then vomitted and stomach went beserk. I didn't manage to stop myself like you was able :(   I was in a bad state for about an hour. From what you describe seems to fit into the realm of shock. When the body goes into shock, it produces all the symptoms you describe. I have had a quick look at possible causes of shock apart from trauma, but have only had time to read about dehydration. Apparently, lack of fluid in the blood can cause quite a nasty shock situation to the body. There are other reasons, do to with lack of oxygen to body cells, causing anerobic reactions rather than aerobic for energy, i.e. too much lactic acid. So, perhaps this could be a course of further investigation for you.

Here is one of the sites I looked at.....

http://www.emedicinehealth.com/shock/article_em.htm

Obviously I could be wrong, but it certainly mentions all the symptoms you have had.
Take care.