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From: bill c
Last Monday, immediately after touching down on a flight from Tampa to Newark, I experienced excruciating pain in my tail bone. (I have had this pain before but never of such magnitude.) The pain was so intense that I was not able to move my lower body. I was merely able to turn my head to my wife in the seat next to me and say "I'm going to faint." Next thing I remember is people reviving me. There was two doctors on board, and they assisted me with oxygen. Instead I requested for my seat back to be reclined. When I was placed into the ambulance, my pulse and BP were very low. In the ER I soon returned to normal. Apparently I was unconscious for approximately one minute, during which time I lost control of my bladder. The doctors with whom I have consulted have concluded that I had a vaso vagal episode, which resulted from exhaustion, then trigered by the severe pain. Waking up at 4 am to get to the airport and not eating a sufficient breakfast also contributed to my passing out. Apparently, and unknowingly until now, I have had two other VV episodes in my life - once 15 years ago while I watched a nurse draw two vials of blood from my arm, the other 30 years ago, when I fainted in a hot stuffy church (again when I was exhausted.) I have been advised that if I feel this occuring, I should immediately lay down, or cough and constrict the muscles in both of my legs.