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From: tim
Date: 8/6/00
Time: 8:29:35 PM
Remote Name: 152.163.201.78
I am a diabletic, controlled diet and exercise. Two weeks ago, I suddenly felt my thoughts freeze and a tickly feeling inside my head, then sudden nasea, and felt like I was passing out. Next thing I knew I had fell over in my chair and was hanging over the side with my hands hanging down.
I then felt sick to my stomach,disoriented, sweaty, and faint. My coworkers said my skin looked yellowish.
I then went to the Dr. and they were concerned enought to recommend a trend mill and ekg, with the advice being to start an exercise program.
The same thing happened to me today and I am not sure what to do next. Any advice as to what type of specialist to see would be greatly appreciated.
Syltim@aol.com
From: Richard
I don't think the details of my own history or symptoms are that intersting and it my suffice to say that I have occasional dizziness and sometimes almost black out. Most episodes occuring while at a meal in a restaraunt.
What I wanted to say was that I am frustrated with the bulk of the medical community. After momentarily blacking out or almost blacking out at lunch, I was diagnosed by a major health group (my employer) with anxiety issue and referred to behavioral health.
Probably because of my position in the company, but mainly because I went out an hired an attorney that had just taken it for millions for the way they treated one of its doctors, a neurologist paid some attention to me and spotted something from my creatin levels. I believe he placed me on Inderal. I immediately responded and was soon recovered, but after spending weeks wondering if I was going nuts (visual disturbances, difficulty speaking, very much like agorophobia)
Five years later (I am in mid 50s) I went to the walk-in clinic due to strange feeling while out for dinner. Hospitalized to rule out out a tia. Lots of tests, but no tilt table. Ended up with an angiogram showing some narrowing, but not enought to warrant angioplasty.
A year later, a repeat treadmill shows abnormalities and they want to do another angiogram. Mu blood pressure dropped so suddenly at the end of the treadmill,when I was given a nitro, that I had extreme nausea and a violent need for a bowel movement. The intenist explained that it was probably vaso vegal. I talked the docs into first doing a stress echogram and they found not need for an angio.
Almost antoher year passes, and I nearly black out while driving. The ER doc said something about a tilt table and CT, but I don't think my health plan authorized it and I wasn't admitted. I suspect that the ER doc was hoping that my regular physician would order the tests. When I saw him, he asked what happened and said I probably had very small arteries at the base of my brain. I don't think he ordered the chart form the ER. He blamed the problem on my not taking a baby aspirin prescribed for aspirin therapy that morning. I was working under stress.
So the other day, I have a toothache. Pull of the freeway and get something to eat as well as some acetominophin and clove oil for the toothache (a wisdom tooth) After eating, I have some weakness, lightheadedness, difficulty speaking and writing. I am told to call 911. As soon as the paramedics hear that I take Paxil (all 10 mg) their entire attitude changes. Apparently they wrote me up my primary complaint as being a toothache. At the ER, I was treated like I was taking up a bed until the doc got around to me at long last and realized that I wasn't there for a toothache. In fact, the toothache stopped hurting before the any of the symproms came on and it hasn't returned in 72 hours. I don't think it was a toothache.
So anyway, I now have done a little reading on vaso vegal and tell the docs that I have had similar episodes and that some of my doctors think I have VV. I might as well have been speaking Ancient Greek. I discharged myself after wasting a day in the hospital
So now, when I go to see my GP to discuss what went on and why I was at the hospital, he diagnoses VV but is scheduling me for a carotid echo. I like the guy, but I had to point out that that was what Dr. L. an internist in his own group, had said three years ago and that was what the ER doc said a year and a half ago.
Anyway, his attitude seems to be that VV is no big deal. I am growing impatient with him. I like the guy, but am having my doubts as to his medical skills. Somehow I think that he is seeing too many patients and I notice that he orders less tests then he had done. I smell pressure from the insurance companies.