Here We Go Again

The day after Thanksgiving I didn't head out to the stores. Instead I went to th gym with my husband. I go to change in the locker when I started feeling sick. I took a book and my cell phone and decided I couldn't walk upstairs to the gym so I lyed down on the bench outside the locker room thinking I would feel better in that position and avoid passing out.

I lay there for about 10 minutes but I kept getting worse-all the same symptoms but this time my heart started racing. I tried to call my husband who was on the elliptical machine working out upstairs but he didn't bring his cell, so I called my step son at home and asked him to call the front desk and tell them a woman was ill outside the locker room. I went from the bench to the floor so I wouldn't fall and also so people would know I was in distress. It felt like I was having a heart attack. I was really afraid. I started breaking out in a sweat. I couldn't move, could barely speak and my head was hurting badly. A woman came by and I asked her to get my husband.

Everyone seemed to come at once my husband who held my hand, the fire department, two woman from the gym. A few minutes later the ambulance EMT's arrived. They took my blood pressure which was very low, sat me up and took my blood pressure again.. By this time I started to feel better and asked not to go to the hospital.. I had to sign release papers saying I refused to be taken to the hospital.

I still couldn't walk at this point and sat for awhile. The two woman from the gym were really sympathetic and got me a wheel chair. They brought me to the car along with my husband. I was shivering at this point and as soon as I got home I was able to go upstairs to bed where I stayed the rest of the day.

I really don't understand why I am getting so sick and lying down does not seem to prevent my attacks. What now? I ate before the gym. I took my beta blocker, but my heart started racing, I'm drinking lots of fluid. Nothing seems to stop the onset of the vaso vagal episodes. My doctor said this was a non life threatening illness but I felt as if I were dieing. I did everything I could to avoid it including relaxation techniques but my body took over.

Beth