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From: Ana
Date: 12/14/00
Time: 1:12:27 AM
Remote Name: 205.188.192.37
I'm 19 years old and I was diagnosed with VV when I was 7. Before then, I was tested for epilepsy, my salt intake was increased with these salt horsepills, and my fainting spells were very frequent. My preschool teachers use to think I was just sleeping! What morons! My cardiologist implanted a pacemaker not long after diagnosis partially because one of my episodes caused brain damage (I lost all knowledge I had recently gained). He revised it about a year after because my spells went away, but the dizziness and fatigue were still apparent. Finally after many holter monitors and lots of testing, my dr put me on a beta blocker. That worked out for a few years and when I was 13 they decided to explant the pacemaker because I never used it. I remained on the beta blocker and it wasn't until my sophomore year that I had a convulsive seizure before a breast biopsy. Then I had one after having a cavity filled and just recently I had one while getting blood work. So my dr has put me back on salt pills and a medicine that makes your kidneys hold more salt instead of wasting it. I gained 8lbs in a week because of the water retention despite the hours I spent in the gym. I have now lost the weight and I am feeling great. Basically what I have learned is that these spells are probably a reaction to stress (on the body or the mind), or some other form of anxiety increase. VV has a lot to do with the veins and the heart so the best thing to do is to drink pleanty of water, exercise regularly, and reduce stresses of all forms as much as possible to avoid syncope. Hopefully this will work. I wish you all good luck and thank you for taking the time to read my story.