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From: SteveR
Date: 3/15/00
Time: 9:38:27 AM
Remote Name: 63.27.202.6
My episodes occur right as I'm falling asleep and I awake with a sudden start, my heart is racing and sometimes my arm is numb. My doctor suggested it is a vaso vagal reaction, possibly caused by food (tomatoes, etc.) After a bad episode, I usually need to move the bowels. This is causing me much sleep loss. Even when I try to watch my diet, or use antacids, it doesn't seem to help much. I am intrigued by the comments about dehydration, since I have thought that might be part of my problem. Please comment.
From: witchkel@hotmail.com
I always pass out during a blood test also, occasionally it will happen after the test is over, and once in a while it happens after a needle of another sort. VV is definitely a reaction by the body to shock. Your body knows it is losing blood, so slows down blood pressure. You will find that during a faint your blood pressure will drop very low, and often the heart stops beating for a few seconds. I sympathise with you about your experiences, I too find it rare to get a nurse or even doctor who will sympathise.
My first suggestion is, never agree to a blood test on the spot. Now, prepare for the test. If you have no problem with losing bladder control when you faint, I suggest drinking a large soft drink or Gatorade before going in for the test. Make sure that you feel like you are busting for the toilet. This has been the one and only thing that kept me conscious during a blood test. I also insist on being layed flat, I sometimes raise my legs and wiggle them to keep my blood pressure going, and I try to talk myself out of fainting which does occasionally work. Keeping yourself talking may keep you conscious, but I have found that sometimes it is so much of an effort to stay conscious, so I just let myself faint and then tell them I told you so, when I wake up afterwards.
From: S. Atz
My daughter has been diagnosed with Vasa Vagal Syncope. Very upseting because we don't know what is causing it. She has abdominal pain, seizure like episodes, passes out then throws up. She also has had EEG Upper GI and EKG. Her heart rate drops so low they put us in the Cardiac Unit for 3 days. She is 8 now but realize this happen about 2 years ago when she had pains in her abdomin. She has had pains off and on over the past 2 years without the vasa vagal attacks but in December she had about 8 episodes and ended up in the hospital where all the testing was done. Any information would be helpful at this point because I'm not sure where to go from here. Thankyou