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From: Bethany McClung
Date: 6/4/01
Time: 9:05:36 PM
Remote Name: 63.254.79.178
As a child, I would faint when I got nervous or saw blood. It was just said that I had a weak stomach. At the ag of 15, I began having intense migraine headaches for the first time. I went through all of the standard tests, etc to try to determine what triggered my migraines. Although the migraines were awful, the fact that I would pass out with them made it worse. I was hospitalized many times and had every test run that you can think of. I was taken out of school and given a tutor because my fainting spells became too frequent. Finallly my GP convinced my parents that my problem was emotional rather than physical and sent me to a therapist. During therapy I learned the technique of biofeedback therapy. Its a long way of saying I learned how to control my breathing whenever I felt like I was going to faint. Many times it worked. Its been 10 years since I first began having migraines. They still come as frequently but I seldom pass out with them anymore. I have learned the early warning signs (blurred vision, sweating, nausia, dizziness). When I feel them coming on, I concentrate on slowly inhaling and exhaling to try to calm myself down. Those are the episodes I can control. I still have a weak stomach. When someone tells a graphic story about an injury or I see a lot of blood, and even sometimes when I am being given a shot, I faint. Those episodes seem to blindside me. I barely have a chance to react. The greatest thing was when I was finally referred to a specialist in New Orleans at the age of 18. He talked to me for a few minutes and gave me the tilt table test. I passed out rather quickly. He knew right away I had vaso vagal syncope. For a few years I was on the betablocker, Kerlone. That really seemed to help. The older I get, I have noticed that my fainting spells are far less frequent. There is hope out there! For so long I was embarassed because I would faint and people would be staring at me when I woke up. Then when the GP told me it was all in my head, everyone thought I was doing it for attention. I was so happy to finally have a name for what was wrong with me! There is hope out there! Learning how to control my breathing has helped me out a great deal! My email is bethanymcclung@hotmail if you have any personal stories to share. Outside of this small forum, no one I have ever met had any idea what I was talking about when I mentioned vaso vagal syncope!