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From: Ulcer dude
About 14 years ago (I'm a male in my late 40's now), I was eating a salad with a seltzer in a restaurant and felt a huge amount of gas coming up. For lack of a better term, after belching, I felt very warm and suddenly passed out. When I came to, I was on the floor along with my meal. The waitress told me that I was out for about 5 minutes and shaking on the floor. What amazed me was that no one had the courtesy to call for an ambulance (probably because they were worried about filing a report and a possible lawsuit).
I put on my coat, left the establishment (no one even offered me a glass of water) and because I was so discombobulated, it took me 30 minutes to find my office which was 2 minutes away by foot.
Anyway, after one quack of a doctor diagnosed me with abdominal epilepsy(!), a neurologist friend told me to see another doctor as this diagnosis was ridiculous (he said it's rare in children and never occurs in adults later in life). He guessed it was a vasal vagal problem, and the subsequent doctor concurred.
All my life (even as a teenager) I have had problems drinking carbonated beverages. I can remember falling off chair after particularly belching from bad gas attacks, and feeling the pain in my chest thereafter. To this day, there are times I get dizzy after a particularly bad gas eruption (belch).
Since my mid-twenties, I've had acid reflux and at the age of 40, developed an ulcer while recovering from a hernia operation. After my most recent endoscopy, I was diagnosed with a small hiatal hernia (I've had two inquinal hernia operations, too.) My gastro guy doesn't feel that it's anything to worry about as long as I stay in shape (I work out, stay fit and watch my diet) and suggested that I take a PPI as needed. I usually take out when I feel pain in the middle of my chest as I'm pretty sure that it's gas welling up.
In summary, I just thought I would share my history with this, as I always wondered who else out there had vasal-vagal nerve problems. Every so often, I will feel a huge belch coming on, and wonder if this is going to be the one that causes me to pass out again.