Vaso-vagal Syncope

What Makes People Pass Out at the Movies

2010-11-06T11:27:00.000-04:00

MSN.com MSNBC Homepage

What Makes People Pass Out at the Movies

Why at least 13 people so far have reportedly fainted during '127 Hours'

Video muted: click volume for sound James Franco and Danny Boyle on New Film '127 Hours' The actor and the director discuss their latest cinematic collaboration, a film that chronicles the true story of Aaron Ralston, who was trapped in a canyon and had to resort to desperate measures to escape.

If you’re nervous about blood or claustrophobic, or if you commonly cover your eyes during a movie, then 127 Hours will feel at least twice that long to you. The film is among this year’s top Oscar contenders, featuring a performance from James Franco that’s revelatory, but it’s not for the faint of heart. Franco plays Aron Ralston, the hiker who in 2003 was trapped for four days under a boulder and had to amputate his own arm with a dull knife to survive. At early showings of the film, between 13 and 16 people fainted, two reportedly became lightheaded, and three had seizures, according to a survey on Movieline. This isn’t the kind of thing that happens very often, even with all the installments of gory or terror-inducing films like Saw and Paranormal Activity. “There’s very little that comes as a surprise to the average moviegoer,” says Patrick Corcoran, director of media and research at the National Association of Theater Owners.

Trailer: '127 Hours' For the upcoming film directed by Oscar winner Danny Boyle, starring James Franco.

So why are people have such strong reactions to 127 Hours? The stark realism may actually work against it. According to Dr. Martin A. Samuels, chairman of neurology at Boston’s Brigham and Women's Hospital, sometimes your body can’t tell the difference between being in danger and watching a fictional traumatic event, which can trigger a strong physical response: “With a strong enough fright, your blood pressure can go up, and that triggers a reflex that can cause your heart to slow down,” Samuels says. That can lead to dizziness or fainting. And if you faint at the movies, you may well have passed out before, such as when you’ve donated blood. In a parallel response to an extremely stressful situation, such as a natural disaster, an adrenalinelike chemical typically is released into vital organs. “The chemical is a very powerful, potent chemical,” Samuels says. “If too much of it is released too quickly it is possible to cause the heart to go into an abnormal rhythm, and that can cause you to die.”

Outtake: Does Anybody Read James Franco’s Fiction? Ramin Setoodeh goes off topic during a ‘127 Hours’ interview to find if Franco’s production-mates are supportive?

In the past, the jittery camera work in The Blair Witch Project and Babel has made some audience members throw up. One woman had a fatal heart attack in 2003 during the crucifixion scene of The Passion of the Christ. And last year, viewers reportedly had strong reactions to a graphic scene in Lars von Trier’s Antichrist that involved mutilation.

Film enthusiasts say Hollywood’s not to blame for viewers’ health woes, pointing out that the marketing for most of these films is upfront about their difficult-to-watch subject material. And of course the MPAA rates films based on potentially offensive or upsetting content.

For the squeamish, here’s word of advice: See Megamind this weekend instead.

Next: James Franco and Danny Boyle on '127 Hours' »

cataplexy- NY Times Article

2010-03-01T08:42:00.000-05:00

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Diagnosis

Fainting Spells

By LISA SANDERS, M.D.

Published: February 25, 2010

The middle-aged woman perched on the edge of a plastic chair as the doctor explained his thoughts on why her son was having persistent headaches. Suddenly, she toppled forward, collapsing onto the linoleum floor. Dr. Philip Ledereich hurried over to the woman. “Call 911,” he shouted to his nurse. “The patient’s mother has fainted.”

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Dan Winters

The attacks were preceded by a strange sensation in the patient’s belly.

The patient would go suddenly, completely limp.

The patient would drop where she stood.

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Dan Winters

Was the fainting brought on simply by stress? Or could there be an underlying neurological problem?

Ledereich, an ear, nose and throat specialist in Clifton, N.J., first met the mother a couple of weeks before, when she herself came in as a patient. She was fainting several times a day, and no one knew why. Ledereich hadn’t been able to figure it out, either. Despite that, she took her son to see him for the treatment of a chronic sinus infection. Ledereich was describing various treatment alternatives when the woman pitched to the floor.

She had been having these spells almost daily for the past several months, she told him at their first appointment. She was 49, a nurse, and she considered herself pretty healthy until one Saturday nearly three months earlier. That day she had just put on her shoes to go to a bar mitzvah, and as she straightened up she felt a fluttering sensation in her stomach. The next minute she was on the floor. Her husband rushed to her side. She could hear him calling her name, but she couldn’t answer him; she couldn’t even open her eyes.

And then, just as quickly as it started, it was over. She felt just fine. She didn’t want to go to the hospital, she told her husband. She wanted to go to the synagogue. And so they did, walking a mile. At the coffee hour following the service she started to feel that fluttery sensation in her stomach. Was she going to faint again? She was almost at the door when she collapsed. Eventually, her husband persuaded her to go to the hospital.

She spent two nights in the cardiac-care unit as doctors looked for any of the irregular heart rhythms that could start as a fainting spell but might end in death. They found nothing. She had a head CT scan and lots of blood tests. Everything was normal, so she went home.

Syncope — the medical term for fainting — is common. Up to half of the population will faint at least once in their lifetimes. Most of the time the cause is benign and transient. The trick for doctors is to identify those cases that are neither. When a heart beats too rapidly, too slowly or too erratically to deliver enough blood to the brain, you faint. If a normal rhythm isn’t restored in time, you may never wake up.

Far more often syncope is triggered by dehydration or other causes of sudden low blood pressure. The best way to distinguish among these nonfatal varieties is to witness an attack. And so, before the patient left the hospital, she had a tilt-table test — a study designed to provoke a fainting spell. The patient was hooked up to blood-pressure and cardiac monitors, strapped to a table positioned almost vertically and watched for up to an hour. A test is successful when the patient passes out and the monitors capture the cause. But the patient didn’t faint. She went home hoping that whatever caused the two episodes had simply gone away.

But the next day she was driving to work and began to feel that now-familiar flutter in her stomach. She pulled off the highway just in time. When she awoke, she called her husband, who took her directly to her doctor’s office. Her internist was as baffled as the doctors she’d seen in the hospital. He sent her to specialists. One thought that these spells might be seizures rather than syncope. But a normal electroencephalogram (EEG) suggested otherwise. A neurologist in New York carefully examined her and her now-thick chart and pronounced definitively that there was nothing wrong with her and that she should try to relax and maybe take up yoga.

That’s when she scheduled the appointment with Dr. Ledereich. She thought she might have an inner-ear problem, and he had been recommended by several friends. At that first encounter, Ledereich was not optimistic. He knew she’d seen many specialists. But he listened to her story and examined her. Like the doctors before him, he found nothing. She felt a little tired and had a little asthma, but other than these strange, repetitive spells, she was fine. He would get her records and then have her return. Meanwhile, when her son needed to see an E.N.T., she took him to Ledereich — and now she lay motionless on the floor.

“Don’t call 911,” the patient called out. She opened her eyes. “This happens to me all the time. I’m fine. Really.”

Ledereich watched as the patient calmly sat up. “I know what you’ve got!” he told her excitedly. Her sudden collapse looked as if a switch had been thrown and all her muscles just turned off. Ledereich realized that although it looked like syncope, it wasn’t; she hadn’t actually lost consciousness. What she probably had, Ledereich told her, was something called cataplexy, and that meant that she also had narcolepsy. With narcolepsy, elements of sleep invade your waking hours, and elements of wakefulness intrude on sleep, leading to insomnia at night and persistent sleepiness during the day. Most patients with narcolepsy also have cataplexy. In this disorder, the total loss of voluntary muscle control that keeps us from acting out our dreams as we sleep interrupts our waking life, causing the sudden, dramatic loss of strength he observed. For reasons that are not yet known, these attacks are usually triggered by strong emotions.

“I was telling her about possible treatments for her son’s chronic sinusitis,” Ledereich explained to me, “and I said that if all else fails, we could try surgery. As soon as the word was out of my mouth, she hit the floor.” For the doctor, the combination of three factors — the patient collapsing after experiencing stress (hearing that her son might need surgery), the fact that she could hear him ask the nurse to call 911 (indicating that she was not unconscious) and her rapid recovery — added up to a diagnosis of cataplexy.

The biology of narcolepsy is only beginning to be understood. Cells that make the proteins that keep sleep, and in particular R.E.M. sleep, at bay are somehow destroyed, and that allows bits of R.E.M. sleep to penetrate our waking hours. No one knows just what causes the destruction of these cells. This is a genetic disorder, but most who have the genes don’t have narcolepsy.

The patient hadn’t complained of sleep problems, but when Ledereich began probing, they were there. Most of her adult life she had slept in two- to three-hour naps. Hearing this, the doctor was certain she had narcolepsy and cataplexy. A sleep study confirmed his diagnosis.

Treating cataplexy is difficult. Many patients end up on a drug sold under the trade name Xyrem, known on the street as GHB, the date-rape drug. It is a powerful, fast-acting sedative and helps those with cataplexy get the sleep they so desperately need. Her doctor warned her that it’s only moderately effective, so the patient was thrilled when the spells stopped once she began taking it. But for reasons that neither the patient nor her doctors understand, after about six weeks, they returned. At first, just occasionally. Then almost daily.

The patient has learned to cope with her unusual condition; she no longer drives. And when she feels the warning signs, she tries to alert those around her to tell them not to worry. She’s part of a small community, and by now, most know her well enough not to call 911. Most, but not all. Recently at her son’s bar mitzvah, she began to have that familiar fluttering in her stomach. She tried to warn the woman next to her, she said, but ran out of time. The woman shouted for help before others came over to quietly explain that this was an ordinary event with her. The patient paused and then told me with a quiet laugh, “I guess she doesn’t get to synagogue that much.”

Lisa Sanders is the author of ''Every Patient Tells a Story: Medical Mysteries and the Art of Diagnosis.'' If you have a solved case to share, you can send her an e-mail message at lisa.sandersmd@gmail.com.

Sign in to Recommend More Articles in Magazine » A version of this article appeared in print on February 28, 2010, on page 17 of the Sunday Magazine.

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Mastocytosis

2009-10-16T08:24:00.003-04:00

I found out recently that I have a rare condition called masocytosis which affects less than 200,000 people in the US. I had some reddish dots on my thigh and when I went for my check- up at the dermatologist in August she did a biopsy of one of the lesions. It came back and it was called urticaria pigmentosa. This condition means that there are mast cells in the skin.

I asked whether the mast cells could be in any other organs and she said yes and to look it up on the Internet. When I did I found out that this condition could cause fainting. As I read more about the condition I realized that all the symptoms I have experienced over the last 2 years fit. The triggers for my attacks-heat, stress, exercise. What happens is there is an excess of mast cells in the blood which granulate and bring on my fatigue, anxious feelings and fainting.

I went to an allergist who took a blood test to look for excess tryptase in my blood and It came back very high-36. This confirmed the diagnosis of mastocytosis. (Hey that rhymed)

I hope this will help some of you out there who still are looking for answers regarding your fainting spells.

Beth

Urticaria Pigmentosa

2009-06-05T19:52:00.000-04:00

Urticaria pigmentosa

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Urticaria pigmentosa Classification and external resources
Irritation to the skin causes the mast cells to release histamine, resulting in the hives seen here.
ICD-10	Q 82.2
ICD-9	757.33
DiseasesDB	7864
MeSH	D014582

Urticaria pigmentosa (also known as "Generalized eruption of cutaneous mastocytosis (childhood type)"^[1]^:616 ) is the most common form of cutaneous mastocytosis. It is a rare disease caused by excessive numbers of mast cells in the skin that produce hives or lesions on the skin when irritated.

[hide]

[edit] Cause

The majority of urticaria pigmentosa cases are caused by a point mutation at amino acid 816 of the proto-oncogene c-kit^[2]. c-kit is a transmembrane protein which, when bound to Mast Cell Growth Factor (MCGF), signals the cell to divide. Mutations in position 816 of c-kit can result in a constant division signal being sent to the mast cells, resulting in abnormal proliferation. Different mutations have been linked to different onset times of the disease. For example, the Asp816Phe and Asp816Val mutations (the aspartate normally at position 816 in the c-kit protein has been replaced with phenylalanine or valine respectively) have been associated with early manifestation of the disease (mean age of onset: 1.3 and 5.9 months respectively). ^[3]^[4]

[edit] Prevalence

Urticaria pigmentosa is an orphan disease, affecting fewer than 200000 people in the United States.

[edit] Diagnosis

The disease is most often diagnosed as an infant, when parents take their baby in for what appears to be bug bites. The bug bites are actually the clumps of mast cells. Doctors can confirm the presence of mast cells by rubbing the baby's skin. If hives appear, it most likely signifies the presence of urticaria pigmentosa.

[edit] Symptoms

Urticaria Pigmentosa is characterized by excessive amounts of mast cells in the skin. Red or brown spots are often seen on the skin, typically around the chest and forehead. These mast cells, when irritated (e.g. by rubbing the skin, heat exposure), produce too much histamine, triggering an allergic reaction that leads to hives localized to the area of irritation, sometimes referred to as Darier's sign. Severe itching usually follows, and scratching the area only serves to further symptoms. Symptoms can range from very mild (flushing, hives, no treatment needed) to life-threatening (vascular collapse).

[edit] Irritants

The following can worsen the symptoms of urticaria pigmentosa:

Emotional stress
Physical stimuli such as heat, friction, and excessive exercise
Bacterial toxins
Venom
Eye drops containing dextran
NSAIDs
Alcohol
Morphine

The classification of NSAIDs can be disputed. Aspirin, for example, causes the mast cells to degranulate, releasing histamines and causing symptoms to flare. However, daily intake of 81 mg aspirin may keep the mast cells degranulated. Thus, while symptoms may be worsened at first, they can get better as the mast cells are unable to recover.

[edit] Treatments

There are no permanent cures for urticaria pigmentosa. However, treatments are possible. Most treatments for mastocytosis can be used to treat urticaria pigmentosa. Many common anti-allergy medications are useful because they reduce the mast cell's ability to react to histamine.[1]

At least one clinical study suggested that nifedipine, a calcium channel blocker used to treat high blood pressure, may reduce mast cell degranulation in patients with urticaria pigmentosa. A 1984 study by Fairly et al. included a patient with symptomatic urticaria pigmentosa who responded to nifedipine at dose of 10 mg po tid.^[5] However, nifedipine has never been approved by the FDA for treatment of urticaria pigmentosa.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

^ James, William; Berger, Timothy; Elston, Dirk (2005). Andrews' Diseases of the Skin: Clinical Dermatology. (10th ed.). Saunders. ISBN 0721629210.
^ Akin C (2006). "Molecular diagnosis of mast cell disorders: a paper from the 2005 William Beaumont Hospital Symposium on Molecular Pathology". J Mol Diagn 8 (4): 412–9. doi:10.2353/jmoldx.2006.060022. PMID 16931579. PMC: 1867614. http://jmd.amjpathol.org/cgi/reprint/8/4/412.
^ Yanagihori H, Oyama N, Nakamura K, Kaneko F (2005). "c-kit Mutations in patients with childhood-onset mastocytosis and genotype-phenotype correlation". J Mol Diagn 7 (2): 252–7. PMID 15858149. PMC: 1867517. http://jmd.amjpathol.org/cgi/pmidlookup?view=long&pmid=15858149.
^ Sotlar K, Escribano L, Landt O, et al. (2003). "One-step detection of c-kit point mutations using peptide nucleic acid-mediated polymerase chain reaction clamping and hybridization probes". Am. J. Pathol. 162 (3): 737–46. PMID 12598308. PMC: 1868096. http://ajp.amjpathol.org/cgi/pmidlookup?view=long&pmid=12598308.
^ Fairley JA, Pentland AP, Voorhees JJ (1984). "Urticaria pigmentosa responsive to nifedipine". J. Am. Acad. Dermatol. 11 (4 Pt 2): 740–3. doi:10.1016/S0190-9622(84)70233-7. PMID 6491000.

[edit] External links

[hide]

Congenital malformations and deformations of integument (Q80-Q82, 757.0-757.3)

Skin disease/
genodermatosis

Congenital ichthyosis

AD	Ichthyosis vulgaris

AR	Congenital ichthyosiform erythroderma: Epidermolytic hyperkeratosis · Ichthyosis lamellaris (Harlequin type ichthyosis) Netherton syndrome · Zunich-Kaye syndrome · Sjögren-Larsson syndrome

XR	X-linked ichthyosis

Epidermolysis bullosa

Epidermolysis bullosa simplex · Junctional epidermolysis bullosa · Epidermolysis bullosa dystrophica

Pigmentation disorder

Incontinentia pigmenti · Urticaria pigmentosa · Lelis syndrome

DNA repair-deficiency disorder

Bloom syndrome · Rothmund-Thomson syndrome · Xeroderma pigmentosum

Ectodermal dysplasia

Naegeli syndrome/Dermatopathia pigmentosa reticularis · Hay-Wells syndrome · Hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia · Focal dermal hypoplasia · Ellis-van Creveld syndrome

Hyperkeratosis/keratinopathy

Meleda disease · Keratosis pilaris · Darier's disease · Dyskeratosis congenita · Lelis syndrome

Other

Familial cutaneous papillomatosis · Kindler syndrome · Port-wine stain (Nevus flammeus nuchae) · cadherin (EEM syndrome) · immune system (Hereditary lymphedema, Mastocytosis) · Hailey Hailey · Birthmark

Elastic fiber/Connective tissue

Cutis laxa (Gerodermia osteodysplastica) · Pseudoxanthoma elasticum

see also non-congenital, neoplasia

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urticaria_pigmentosa"

Categories: Congenital disorders | Rare diseases | Dermal and subcutaneous growths

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Urticaria Pigmentosa

2009-06-05T19:33:00.002-04:00

Hi,

This is another rare disease that usually manifests itself on the skin as small red or brown marks or hives. In some cases it can lower blood pressure and cause fainting or syncope. I will post an article about it from wikapedia.

Beth

Research

2009-01-21T10:17:00.002-05:00

Good Morning,

I just wanted you to know that every time I read or hear anything of interest on fainting I post it. I hope this helps people with this condition. Too many people are told by their doctors that it is all in their heads.

If you've read my last post on swallow syncope you'll realize how many people have different triggers to fainting episodes.

Beth

Swallow Syncope

2009-01-20T07:35:00.003-05:00

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; document.write('&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://clk.atdmt.com/APM/go/msnnkdrv0010001451apm/direct;wi.728;hi.90/01/" target="_blank"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;img src="http://view.atdmt.com/APM/view/msnnkdrv0010001451apm/direct;wi.728;hi.90/01/"/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;'); &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/script&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Blimey! Why the sandwich made Briton swoon

Posted on Wednesday, January 14, 2009 5:37 PM PT

By Jasmin Aline Persch

You may think some sandwiches are scary – a Wendy’s Baconator, anyone? — but for one young British woman, eating a sandwich really was a dangerous act.

The otherwise healthy 25-year-old from Birmingham, England, regularly fainted while eating sandwiches or drinking fizzy sodas. Once while having a bit of grub behind the wheel, the young woman blacked out at a red light. Fortunately, she came to before the signal switched to green.

Having experienced the condition since she was 15, she realized a connection between certain foods and the fainting spells.

When she sought medical help, doctors didn’t recognize the curious symptoms. She was hospitalized several times and her blood, thyroid and pituitary glands were extensively tested, but everything was normal. She didn't smoke, drank only a little and didn't use drugs. Doctors suspected the problem was all in her head. They didn't realize that the glitch was in her heart.

“Because she’s young, everybody thought, ‘It can’t be her heart,’ ” said Dr. Howard Marshall, a cardiologist at University Hospital Birmingham who detailed her case with Dr. Christopher Boos in a recent article, dubbed “Dangerous sandwiches,” in the British medical journal The Lancet.

The University Hospital Birmingham doctors discovered that when she became light-headed, she was suffering a complete atrioventricular block, a delay in the electrical signals between the upper and lower chambers of the heart. It caused the pauses between her heart beats to last up to 2.5 seconds, Marshall said.

The doctors discovered the young woman suffers from a rare disease called “swallow syncope,” a condition that causes the patient to lose consciousness when too little blood flows to the brain. Only about six cases have ever been reported, said Marshall, who has seen one other case besides this one. Swallow syncope was first recognized about 50 years ago, yet remains fairly mysterious due to its rareness, Marshall said.

Other cases have been linked to gastric disorders or problems with the esophagus. For this young woman an anatomical anomaly had caused the nerve systems in her throat and heart to intertwine in her brain stem. When she would take a big bite of a sandwich, a bolus -- or ball -- formed in the back of her throat. The “cross reaction” between her throat and heart in her brain that caused her heart to halt briefly starved her brain of blood long enough for her to pass out, Marshall explains.

During the medical exam to confirm the diagnosis, doctors had her eat various foods to find the link. One of the culprits? A ham sandwich, which the young woman had brought in herself.

Cold fizzy drinks and solid foods are the most common triggers, but there are others.

In 2005, a German medical journal described a 38-year-old man who fainted while drinking hot coffee.
In 2006, Japanese doctors detailed a 66-year-old woman whose heart stopped while she swallowed soup or sipped tea.
In 2007, an American doctor wrote about a 68-year-old woman who fainted while standing at the sink, gulping a glass of milk.

Swallow syncope has been described as a “potentially lethal disease,” but Marshall said that the young woman would not likely have died from the condition. “She had enough phyical warning to spit out the sandwich and stop herself from falling over,” he told msnbc.com.

Marshall, who helped confirm her illness, said the young woman’s diagnosis brought not only physical, but emotional relief. She had endured years of fruitless medical examinations and meetings with psychiatrists after doctors questioned whether the symptoms stemmed from her imagination.

“I knew it wasn’t in my head. I knew it was real,” was her response to the diagnosis, Marshall recalled.

Rather than giving up ham sandwiches or soda for life, the young woman had a permanent pacemaker implanted to regulate her arrhythmia.

Because the condition had led her to eat very sparingly, the 5-foot-4-inch woman weighed only 102 pounds before the pacemaker was implanted last February. Now free of fainting spells, she’s no longer limiting her portions, or sandwiches. As a result, she' packed on a few pounds.

“You didn’t tell me I would put on half a stone in weight,” Marshall recalled her saying, using the British phrase “stone,” meaning 14 pounds.

Comments

I have that problem when I drink Soda pop. I cann't swallow and I have been know to pass out and or have a seizure.

Linda Helmink, Cleveland, Ohio (Thursday, January 15, 2009 1:44 PM)

How long before this is an episode on House?

Erica, New York, NY (Thursday, January 15, 2009 1:49 PM)

"stone" isn't a British phrase, it's the most used form of measurement here. I only know my weight in pounds because of American websites.

Leamington Spa (Thursday, January 15, 2009 1:55 PM)

i have episodes of tachycardia, usually brought on by being overheated and have found that sometimes a thick, cold drink (like a milkshake) will "shock" my heart back into a normal rhythm. My mom has issues with rapid heartbeat as well, however, she has the exact opposite experience. Milkshakes have caused her to have tachycardia, while hot drinks seem to help her normal rhythm return. Weird.

Babs, FL (Thursday, January 15, 2009 2:23 PM)

I can remember a girl in junior high school would faint for no particular reason. She had a great mother so I'm sure she had been examined - this remined me of the girl in homeroom.

Marcia Gerber, Moline, IL (Thursday, January 15, 2009 3:34 PM)

This happened to me once eating mexican food and washing it down with a big swallow of beer. I was in a restaurant and passed out for about 10 seconds before coming to. I fell out of my chair and people were huddled over me. I was fine afterward.

My question is, do I have the disease "swalow syncope"? or was it just a one time thing?

Kenneth Rosen, Los Angeles, CA (Thursday, January 15, 2009 4:24 PM)

wow ive never heard of that b4

not gonna tell u (Thursday, January 15, 2009 9:30 PM)

cardiac work up including holer monitoring is part of sycopy....most of trained physician will do that.

kiran chauhan.MD.Longmeadow, MA (Thursday, January 15, 2009 9:39 PM)

I had a case of micturition syncope, which would be worse if it happened frequently. Its when you faint when you pee. Had it happen once in my life. The doctor knew what it was and I am very careful now, lol.

Nothing like people standing over you in the restroom saying "You okay?" as you're waking up, lol.

Anonymous (Thursday, January 15, 2009 11:14 PM)

As an RN for 21 years mainly in ERs i have never seen a patient with this syndrome. However , the elderly and people with heart disease have been known to pass out or even die in the bathroom from stimulating the same nerve.

Gary king yreka, calif (Friday, January 16, 2009 7:09 AM)

There are probably many people with this disorder who simply stopped the particular food consumption behavior after a couple of bouts of fainting. It may not be as rare as believed.

David Fishken, Chelmsford MA (Friday, January 16, 2009 10:37 AM)

Endoscopy

2009-01-15T11:32:00.002-05:00

Hi,

I had a new medical procedure done this week. I have always had trouble with heartburn and the doctor wanted to perform an endoscopy but I was always too afraid. Who wants a tube the size of a garden hose going down your throat. I even have problems swallowing a vitamin pill.

First of all they put you to sleep during the procedure and secondly the scope going down your throat is the new and slim model. It takes about an hour from the time you arrive until you leave and there was no sore throat afterwards. The only post procedural side affect was a little bloating of my stomach and I was sleepy the rest of the day. You must bring someone with you to take you home.

The doctor said I had a moderate amount of erosion of my lower esophagus and a hiatal hernia. He took some cold biopsies and I should have the results by next week. The whole point of getting a endoscopy is to determine if you have esophageal cancer or have indications that you might get cancer in the future and try to prevent it.

I am now taking a drug to prevent acid from forming in my stomach and am supposed to change my diet- no citrus fruits, chocolate, caffeine, spicy foods. Also I am supposed to eat smaller more frequent meals. This is supposed to stop reflux of food into my esophagus (GERD).

I will post results of the biopsy next week. Wish me luck.

Beth

Fainting and Pain

2008-12-27T08:11:00.002-05:00

Its been a few months since I have had an episode and am feeling better in general. This week, however, I was out after a snowy day headed toward a Greek restaurant in Montclair, NJ and slipped on some ice in a parking lot.

It was one of those falls where you go up in the air and fall flat on your back. It looks funny in the movies but I was in excruciating pain. My husband helped me up and glutton that I am I wanted to still go eat. I walked a few steps when I started to feel light headed and said I felt faint. Sure enough I blacked out.

My husband said I was unconscious for about 2 minutes. A woman walking by called an ambulance. A young man from the YMCA across the street came over as well as some very nice policemen. I didn't want an ambulance as I knew how expensive those are even with good medical insurance.( one charged $2200 to drive 3 blocks from my gym to a hospital after fainting).

The policemen helped me into my car. It was so slippery that they said they had slipped too.
When I got home I lied down for a while on the couch and when I went upstairs to the bathroom I again felt nauseated and dizzy and had to lie on the bathroom floor to stop myself from passing out again.

I guess what I'm getting at is pain seems to trigger passing out as some of your comments suggested.

I'm still sore but I'm up and around. I take Advil when I tighten up and use some ice packs when th pain is bad.

Wishing you all a healthy, happy new year.

Beth

Medical test

2008-09-03T09:01:00.002-04:00

Good morning,

Yesterday I had a new medical test called an MRA. It tests the blood flow in the brain. It was in a closed MRI machine and I was a little nervous about it but it lasted only 8 minutes. The technician told me that the doctor would have the results by today. That's a first. It usually takes a week before I know anything. Hmm, is that good or bad ?

Tomorrow I have an eye exam. It's a good thing I'm retired or I wouldn't have time for all these appointments.

Wish me luck.

Beth

Fainting Goat-FYI

2008-08-29T22:05:00.000-04:00

Fainting goat

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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A young fainting goat in the midst of a myotonic "fainting" spell.

A fainting goat is a breed of domestic goat whose muscles freeze for roughly 10 seconds when the goat is startled. Though painless, this generally results in the animal collapsing on its side. The characteristic is caused by a hereditary genetic disorder called myotonia congenita. When startled, younger goats will stiffen and fall over. Older goats learn to spread their legs or lean against something when startled, and often they continue to run about in an awkward, stiff-legged shuffle.

Slightly smaller than standard breeds of goat, fainting goats are generally 43 to 64 centimeters (17 to 25 in) tall and can weigh anywhere from 27 to 75 kilograms (50 to 165 lb). They have large, prominent eyes in high sockets, and exist in as many colors as standard breeds do. Hair can be short or long, with certain individuals producing a great deal of cashmere during colder months. There appears to be no angora strain of the fainting goat. Common coat colors are black and white, however, most possible coat colors are found in this breed. Their life expectancy is 12 to 15 years.^[1]

The origin of the fainting goat is peculiar. The goats appear to have arrived in Marshall County, Tennessee in the early 1800s, courtesy of a reclusive farm worker named Jon Tinsley who was most likely from Nova Scotia. Before he left the area, he sold his goats — three does and a buck — to Dr. H.H. Mayberry, who bred them.

Fainting goats have many other names, including Tennessee (Meat) Goats, Nervous Goats, Stiff-leg Goats, Wooden-leg Goats, and Tennessee Scare Goats. They are smaller and somewhat easier to care for and maintain than larger meat goat breeds, which makes the fainting goat desirable for smaller farms. They are also raised as pet or show animals as they can be friendly, intelligent, easy to keep, and amusing.

Feeling Better

2008-08-29T21:43:00.002-04:00

I really have been feeling a lot better and hope my illness is going away. I never got any answers from doctors or medical tests explaining my episodes of near passing out. For those of you who haven't read my past postings, I was sick almost everyday for about nine months feeling ill and collapsing. Everything triggered my attacks-heat, exercise, stress, even going to the bathroom.

The last test I took was an MRI which showed no abnormalities. I just was approved by my insurance company for an MRA to test the blood flow in my brain. I also have an appointment with an eye doctor this week.

Before last year I was really healthy, going to the gym, hiking and leading a really active lifestyle. This year has been a struggle, feeling weak, scared of my episodes and discouraging all around.

Now I feel pretty good. I have periods of the day where I feel odd, my neck tingles, my eyes feel a little blurry and sometimes my stomach starts this pumping that usually would have made me collapse but now seems to end if I rest.

I am going back to the gym and leading a normal life now.

I have been hearing from some readers who have fainted since they were children and it seems to actually run in some families. They are not alone. I read an article about fainting goats. Who knew?

Beth

Feeling Better

2008-07-24T07:50:00.003-04:00

For the past 2 months I have not had an episode. I also feel less tired and am able to function almost normally. I say almost because if I do too much I still feel a little ill.

Today I am in upstate New York in my vacation house all by myself, something I would not have done a few months ago. I was a little frightened as there were thunderstorms and flash floods in the area. I even got an automated call from emergency services warning residents of flooding.

When I woke up this morning I stayed in bed hoping I wouldn't get an episode from all the stress. So far so good.

Neurological Disorder

2008-01-22T18:42:00.000-05:00

Hi,

I was hoping to put my episodes behind me as the medicine Keppra seemed to make the symptoms go away. But I went to the gym last week and again went into a near fainting experience. My husband was with me and by massaging my feet and back I start reviving. Before he begins the massage,
I feel this strange feeling coming on for about 5 minutes. I get a strange taste in my mouth, tingling in my legs and arms, and I see a round light. Then I can't move for about 5 or10 minutes and get a really bad headache. I am tired for the rest of the day. Luckily I get advanced warning before the attacks so I don't fall down and get hurt.

I am getting a 24 hour EEG in 2 weeks and wonder if they'll find I have some horrible neurological disease. It's really frightening. Right now I feel fatigued and am trying not to exert myself too much

If anyone reads this an has similar symptoms please write.

Thanks,
Beth

Partial Simple Seizures

2008-01-15T08:31:00.000-05:00

I have been taking the anti-seizure drug Keppra for 1 week and have not had any episodes. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Beth

Seizure Disorder

2008-01-09T09:05:00.000-05:00

Well, I am still not well but there is some hope. I went to the neurologist for an EEG and there was some "suspicious" activity. The doctor suggested a 24 hour EEG to see if he would discover anything further. In the meantime I am on an anti-seizure drug Keppra.

I have done more research and think my symptoms are indicative of partial simple seizures.
I even read about a disorder called abodominal epilepsy that might just be it. Whoever thought I would hope I have epilepsy? But at least there is medication that controls it and people would not think it is just psychosymatic.

Is Caffine a Trigger?

2007-12-19T09:09:00.000-05:00

I have stopped drinking coffee in the morning which has helped somewhat. I still take florinef twice a day and am drinking a lot of fluids. I have had one episode this week while I was alone in the house and one last week where I went to the hospital yet again.

They do nothing but give me blood tests in the hospital but I end up going because it really feels like I am dying.

I had a brain scan this week to see if it is seizures and I'll know by Thursday. I got the results of my sonogram from the gastrointestinologist and it said I have a fatty liver, I don't drink except for wine when I go to a restaurant and I have stopped drinking even that since August.

In January, I go to an electrophysiologist to test the electrical firing of my heart.

Life is indeed a mystery.

Beth

Is this a vicious cycle?

2007-12-05T12:43:00.000-05:00

I went to a new cardiologist on Monday whon said that my symptoms were vaso-vagal but that the tingling was not. He hypothosized that maybe I was hyperventilating which caused the tingling and felt my symptoms were stress related. He also told me to take fluronef twice a day instead of just once and also prescribed a new medication which constricts blood vessels.

At first I felt defensive that he was suggesting that my illness might be psychosomatic but on further reflextion, I realized how frightened I am of having these episodes, so maybe I am making them worse by focusing in my symptoms.

I took the new medicine on Monday afternoon and it made me feel really lousy. My husband convinced me yo stop taking it. However, I did double the dosage of fluronef to .2mg. Tuesday morning I took the medicine and felt alright but really scared of recurring symptoms so I called my daughter to take my mind off it. It seemed to do the trick and I was able to shopping by myself later in the day. Again I was nervous and kept trying to relax. Today , I am feeling good and went to get a pedicure. No problem, but I am still skittish. I plan to go food shopping again later but am eating and drinking plenty of fluids first. I also am eating high salt foods like pretzels as recommended by all the doctors I have seen so far.

Between the medicine, change in diet, and relaxation techniques there might still be a life after vaso-vagal syncope.

Beth

Mornings are the Worst

2007-12-01T13:27:00.000-05:00

I wake up feeling fine but around 9:00 I start feeling ill. I feel tingly and walking around seems to help somewhat.. My huband rubs my legs and I seem to recover. It recurs over a few hours and by 1:00 I seem to feel normal.

Friday, I went to an internist, who had no answers, but referred me to another cardiologist for further testing. The mystery continues.

Beth

Still a Mystery

2007-11-30T08:06:00.000-05:00

I am taking a new medicine. In fact I am taking two new medicines- one for my stomach and one to raise my blood pressure. Are they working? I'm not sure but my heartburn is gone.
I felt slightly ill yesterday. The symptoms typically begin in the morning, so I' m not sure about today.

My daughter scheduled an appointment with an internist for today. I'm not even 60 and my children seem to be taking over. She believes that none of the specialists will be able to uncover the mystery. I hope someone finds out soon. It has been three months of illness.

Beth

Still a Mystery

2007-11-27T15:07:00.000-05:00

I woke up today, felt good for about one half hour, then the symptoms returned. Drank a glass of water to hydrate, a banana for the potassium, walked around felt better and the feelings passed.

I didn't leave the house for fear symptoms would return. My children call to see if I am alright, my husband calls from work- so far so good.

Tomorrow I have an appointment at 8:30AM at the cardiologist. New medication, another opinion. Hopefully there is help for me yet.

Beth

Another Episode-Could it be a seizure?

2007-11-26T16:05:00.001-05:00

I was reading the New York Times and feeling a little out of sorts. (When I woke up an hour earlier I felt great). I layed down on the couch and kept getting sicker and sicker-stomach hurting , feet tingling , lips numb, bad taste in my mouth. I got down on the floor and put my feet up on the couch. I crossed my legs and tensed my arms as I read this might avert the fainting.

Well My heart started fluttering and my blood pressure was way low. I called my husbsand downstairs and told him call 911. I feel so badly when this happens, I feel as if I am dying. Vaso-vagal is not supposed to happen when you're lying down.

Everyone was very nice to me. I was really nauseated in the ambulance. My blood pressure was initially 70/40 but went up almost immediately.

In the hospital the doctor said what I have may not be vaso-vagal syncope but seizures, something I've never had. He told me to go to a neurologist and get tested. He said St Barnabus Hospital has such a facility where they keep you overnight and monitor you even while sleeping.
He also suggested stopping the beta blockers.

He was ready to discharge me when I started feeling ill again. He gave me a small dose of some medication to relax me. He said it was like valium and is also used to prevent seizures. I also had some lunch and eventually felt better enough to go home.

Time for me to research atypical seizures and then get back to you.

Beth

Here We Go Again

2007-11-25T05:33:00.000-05:00

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

2007-11-23T06:59:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I had Thanksgiving dinner at my daughter's house and everything was lovely. But I find I am feeling tired and ill. Could vaso-vagal syncope be just a symptom of something more serious?

I wasn't stressed out, I wasn't exercising excessively. I did eat a lot but for me that's nothing new. (If your wondering I'm not overweight.)

I guess I'm going to do more research to find out the cause of my fatigue. So far the doctors don't seem to care about my quality of life issues. They are more interested in treating the fainting but not finding out why this is all happening. I realize they don't understand what causes this but I feel as they are not seeing me as a person.

I am usually very energetic and running around . I still do the same things but now I have to rest in between my activities. If I go shopping I can't go to more than one store in a day. So here I am writing my blog instead of running around shopping on the Friday after Thanksgiving.

Be Well

Beth

So Far So Good

2007-11-19T13:29:00.000-05:00

I have not had an episode of passing out for a while now, not to say that I haven't had times of being weak and feeling crummy. I'm hoping the beta blockers are working. I still feel frightened when I am out alone and I've kept that to a minimum.

This morning we ran out of milk and I walked about two blocks to a grocery store, it was snowing lightly and I was walking quickly, all the time thinking that if I fainted I would be lying on the wet grass. Not a pretty picture, but I made it to the store and back which boosts my confidence.

I hope some of you who have experienced this syndrome will write and tell me of your experiences.

Thanks,
Beth

Weird Feelings

2007-11-15T08:40:00.000-05:00

I went to the gym yesterday . My workout was short because I kept thinking that I might be experiencing symptoms of vaso- vagal syncope-tingling of feet, weakness , stomach ache.

A few times I layed down on the mat to ward off these weird feelings. My biggest fear is that if I do pass out that the staff will call an ambulance and I'll have to go through the whole nightmare of medical tests again.

I think I'll go to the gym everyday instead of every other day and just do shorter workouts until everything sorts itself out. I feel fortunate that I am able to do this much. Last week I thought I'd be confined to my house. Things are looking up.

Beth

Beta Blockers

2007-11-12T07:46:00.000-05:00

I have taken 1/2 of a tablet of medication for 2 days now and my hopes are up. I'm feeling well, although still nervous about side effects or dropping dead of a heart attack.

Beta blockers work by slowing down your heart beat. This is counter- intuitive as that is the reason I faint in the first place. The reasoning is, if your heart doesn't speed up it can't come crashing down.

I'm hoping to get back to my normal self. Time will tell. I'll keep you posted.

Beth

Beta Blockers

2007-11-09T17:59:00.000-05:00

I went to the cardiologist today and he prescribed a very low dosage of Beta blocker. Hopefully this will help me as my quality of life is not what I hoped when I retired in July.

I went shopping at Costco with my husband this afternoon and I had to leave the store to lie down in my car while he paid at the checkout. I wonder how this would have played out if I were alone.

My doctor did say I could drive because I don't have episodes while I am sitting. Tomorrow I will start medication and tell you the results.

Beth

Flight or Fight

2007-11-08T12:45:00.000-05:00

I was watching the Today show on NBC this morning and this guy was attacked by a shark.. He said he didn't have to think about fighting back, he just did. He called it his fight or flight response. This is what goes amok in people who have vaso vagal reflex. Instead of the heart speeding up it slows down in certain situations. Then fainting or near fainting occurs.

I'm trying to go about my business, but I'm always nervous about collapsing. Tomorrow I see my cardiologist to see if he can give me some advice. Wish me luck.

Beth

Stress

2007-11-07T06:36:00.000-05:00

Yesterday my son came over and was on the phone making a business call. It got a little heated and guess what? I had to lie down, my stomach was hurting , and I felt ill. Maybe all the fluids and salt helped because I didn't pass out and recovered quickly. Maybe I just recognized the sympmtoms and layed down fast enough. This is getting old fast. I missed going to the gym once again.

Stress, exercise and warm weather seem to trigger my episodes. I think I'll go have my high salt breakfast now.

Beth

High Salt Diet

2007-11-06T12:48:00.000-05:00

I have taken the advice of my doctor and started a high salt diet. It sounds crazy but I'm eating chips with my breakfast. I just came back from the bagel shop. I bought a bagel with lox and cream cheese for lunch and salt bagels for tomorrow's breakfast. Good eating! Oh let me not forget the Gatorade.

Beth

Neurally mediated hypotension

2007-11-06T12:37:00.000-05:00

Well, I have been doing some research and found these other names for my condition. They are:
vaso-vagal reflex
autonomic dysfunction
vasodepressor syncope
neurocardiogenic syncope
hypervagal syndrome.

What is mediated hypotension?

This may occur when there is miscommunication between the heart, brain and blood vessels.
(often in the absence of any structural abnormalities)

What situations can lead to symptoms?

Many unknown and known stimuli may provoke symptoms which may include:

prolonged periods of upright posture
physical exercise
unpleasant sights
emotionally stressful events
warm environments
large meals
bowel movements

Hope this info is useful.

Beth

Vaso Vagal Reflex Confirmed

2007-11-05T13:44:00.000-05:00

Well I had my tilt table test today and it wasn't as frightening as I thought it would be. You are strapped down to a table with a blood pressure cuff on your arm,an EKG machine attached to you, and an IV pumping salt water into your veins. The table tilts almost upright. I stood like this for 20 minutes and I didn't feel ill, so they placed a nitroglycerine tablet under my tongue and as it disolved I started feeling sick . Arms and legs tingling, headache, and upset stomach. I told them and they immediately lowered the table. I started to feel better right away.

The doctor said this confirmed the vaso- vagal syncope as my blood pressure dropped and heartrate decreased. His advice drink a lot of fluids and increase salt in my diet. I see the cardiologist Friday and will tell you what happens. Meanwhile I'll be eating chips and drinking gatorade.

Beth

Tilt Table test

2007-11-04T12:15:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow I am scheduled for a tilt table test. Does anyone know what this entails ? Will it be painful? Wil lI be sick the rest of the day? I would appreciate any comments on this.

Thanks

Beth

Vasovagal

2007-11-03T16:38:00.000-04:00

I think my brain is working in slow motion I misspelled this syndrome and can hardly remember how to pronounce it. I am supposed to go out to a movie tonight and worry I'll pass out again. Every time I start to feel ill I have to lie down till it passes. I can only imagine if this happens in a public pace again.

Vasovegal

2007-11-03T09:44:00.000-04:00

Sorry but I misspelled this in my previous posts. Now that I've got it straight I will search ggogle for more info.

Vaso Vega (Fainting)

2007-11-03T09:16:00.000-04:00

Vaso Vega

I have this theory that vaso vega is caused by some traumatic events like surgery, so I have a poll for you to take. If you have had any other incident before the onset of vaso vega, please comment.

I'd really like to hear how your life has changed and how you are dealing with this fainting problem on an everyday basis. I am so scared now every time I leave the house.

My Mysterious Illness

2007-11-01T14:58:00.000-04:00

I just retired from teaching after 23 years and expected to travel and enjoy life. Well that all changed about a month and a half ago. I have a country home in the Catskills and I was walking along the dirt road near my house enjoying the beautiful surroundings when I heard some animals and got scared. I turn around to walk back to my home when I see a big black bear about a block away from me. I waited a few minutes not knowing what to do-no houses , no cell, no husband(he's still sleeping). I decide to walk home as the bear walked into the woods. I didn't make it as I started to see a circular light in front of my eyes and tingling in my feet. I knew I was going to pass out so I walked to the side of the road and collapsed.

About 15 minutes later a neighbor driving along the road spotted me. She couldn't wake me and went home to call an ambulance. Then came the rural mailman in his car. He stopped, said he was an EMT, and took my pulse and said it was very low. The ambulance came took my blood pressure which was also low and my glucose was about 68, which I hear is also on the low side.

I went to the hospital where they checked my heart,chest x-ray, did a CAT scan of my brain and kept me overnight for blood tests and hooked me up to a heart monitor. They discovered I had a low thyroid and put me on 50mcg of levothyroxine, but didn't believe that caused my symptoms.What I didn't mention is that a few days previously I had a near fainting experience while working at the house removing old linoleum tiles.

When I returned home to New Jersy I saw a cardiologist, had a stress test , a cartoid doppler test of my neck, sonograms of my heart and everthing looked normal.. He sent me home with a heart monitor that I could place on my chest to see if the heartbeat was abnormal. You record your heartbeat, call a special number and they tell your doctor if something is wrong. Nothing ever was.

Well , I love going to the gym and the doctor said there was no reason not to go. However the next time I worked out I again felt ill and almost lost consciousness. Tingling in my feet and lips, white as a ghost, bright light like a circular saw in front of my eyes. Again the ambulance is called-low glucose 62, low blood pressure and pulse. I am now at another hospital, same tests but am released with directions to go back and see my cardiologist.

I go to the cardiologist who says I need to have a Tilt table test to see if my automatic nervous system is to blame for my symptoms. I also visit an endocrinologist who schedules an adrenal test to rule out Addison's disease.

In the midst of this I am supposed to go to Disney in Florida with my daughter, son-in-law and three grandchildren.. I reschedule the tilt table test for when I return from vacation. The vacation was rough on me humid, hot weather and as much as 12 hours of walking the parks.

The day I am scheduled to return home we get to the airport after returning the minivan to Hertz, hop on a shuttle. When I get to the airport I feel ill once again, feet tingling, stomach ache,bright lights. My daughter tries to put me in a wheelchair but I don't remember any of it. Someone calls the airport EMT and an ambulance. I am sent to yet another hospital where they keep me overnight repeat the same tests, plus the adrenal testand an MRI of my brain (I don't yet know that result). Again nothing. The doctor thinks I have something called Vasso Vega -I might be spelling that wrong. He says to take the Tilt table test and if I lose consciousness it will confirm it. He tells me that Beta Blockers help prevent the episodes in about 90% of patients with this disorder. I'll keep you posted.

I would love to hear from you if you have had a mystery illness too and how you were diagnosed or if you are still searching . Keep well.

Beth

Vaso-vagal Syncope

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Fainting Goat-FYI

Fainting goat

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Feeling Better

Feeling Better

Neurological Disorder

Partial Simple Seizures

Seizure Disorder

Is Caffine a Trigger?

Is this a vicious cycle?

Mornings are the Worst

Still a Mystery

Still a Mystery

Another Episode-Could it be a seizure?

Here We Go Again

So Far So Good

Weird Feelings

Beta Blockers

Beta Blockers

Flight or Fight

Stress

High Salt Diet

Neurally mediated hypotension

Vaso Vagal Reflex Confirmed

Tilt Table test

Vasovagal

Vasovegal

Vaso Vega (Fainting)

My Mysterious Illness