NYE 2013 ... Fainted 3 min after the stroke of midnight!
 

I felt really good 12/31!! I felt fun and silly and really wanted some adult time w/ my husband (if you know what I mean). And on a whim (like 4pm) my husband and I decided to go to dinner at a small mountain town and stay the night at a friend's B&B that we get at crazy awesome reasonable rate. We were just going for the night, then back home.

I go to all the trouble before we leave of hair, makeup, and find something nice to wear. This is a BIG deal for me. I usually don’t expend my energy in that area much anymore.

So we get into town and to the restaurant fairly late, about 9:30 pm, excited to get a table and get fed. We order a nice dinner and a glass of red wine to ring in the new year. When we got to the restaurant we were unaware that they are having a masquerade ball and ball drop at midnight. So really this became a people watching event for us (kind of fun), as we had no idea this is what they had planned and really we just wanted to eat.

We eat dinner. We have a glass of wine, we have dessert and coffee. By this time it's about 11 p.m. and I am starting to feel like I'm ready to leave BUT it is only an hour until midnight so we decided to stay till then, and then leave immediately.

So around 11:15-ish We order one more glass of wine to have something to toast in the new year. I bet I had one MAYBE two SIPS of this glass as I am really starting to feel WEIRD! I start feeling REALLY nauseous, and almost drunk. Again, I had not had that much to drink (one full glass of wine). I ask my husband, what time is it ? He says 11:40p.m. I am now feeling REALLY, REALLY weird but am holding on for midnight and then we're outta there.

Again I ask... what time is it? He says 11:55 p.m. And I think; Thank God, it's almost over and we will leave.


Stroke of midnight! Woo hoo... Okay, we have a quick smooch and the band and patrons begin to sing auld lang syne. I bet it's not more than 12:03 a.m. and I say to my husband, again, I feel weird/bad!! Now I'm feeling like I am going to vomit right there at the table! I am trying to decide if I can make it to a bathroom, or just get the heck outside. I said... honey I FEEL REALLY WEIRD AND I'VE GOT TO GET OUT OF HERE NOW! He had already had a credit card out to pay our tab. He understood and was trying.

At 12:03 a.m. while singing was going on and after I made my statement of I have to get out of here, I stood up (in my mind I’m headed outside) and that is the last thing I remember.

The next thing I see is my husband over me (I'm on the floor) and he’s yelling my name at me repeatedly. Checking to see if I'm breathing! I also see TONS of people in masquerade masks, and some saying, "are you okay"? The house lights are ALL on and blazing bright! The band has stopped. I am confused!! I am looking at my husband’s face which is in sheer panic and concern. I start to tell my husband "tell them!" (all these people at the place hovered around and over me, looking down at me on the floor), "tell them honey". He doesn't know what I mean by this and starts to tell them "she's my wife!" I'm like NOOO, and I say, it's okay, it's okay, I have a Neurological disease. I'm okay now. I felt sure they were thinking a) she's wasted b) she is having a heart attack or any number of things.


Husband trying to find his wallet and credit card that was on the table, now on the floor. People were so nice and trying to help us. We collect our things and leave. We are sitting in the car and I am having my husband fill in the blanks because I can't remember a darn thing from the time I stood up.

So apparently I go to stand up at our table to walk out of there. I collapse forward unconscious! The table is giving way and pushing down and forward at us (we had been sitting side by side at a table for four). Very FULL glasses of RED wine that we really hadn’t touched, and glasses of water, and me now tumbling at us/him. My husband was seated to the right of me. He now has all this coming at him and is pushed back on the back two legs of his chair about to fall out of his chair himself. Someone pushes him forward as to regain four chair legs on the floor. I guess the table pushed me back and I fell backwards and I believe there was a large group of people directly behind me that broke my fall. Thank God and yet I pray I didn't hurt any of them.

Here's what I know as we're leaving. I am dripping wet, not a little... like SOAKING wet in alcohol, water, whatever. yuck! I was SOOOOOOO embarrassed, humiliated saying things like “I hope I didn't ruin your party”. “I'm SOOOO SORRY”!! Trying to speak at the management staff so that they can clearly see that I AM NOT DRUNK! Not even close!! They were trying to figure out if I needed an ambulance or what.


So like I said, we're sitting in the car talking, reviewing, trying to come to grips with what the hell just happened. I am thinking/saying wow, this is crazy because I feel so much better now! No more sick feeling. My head feels clear, etc. He pauses.... I see that he has begun to weep. But like most men, wipes/dries his eyes and quickly shakes the emotional stuff off. I scared the crap out of him.... and me too!

I’ve had days of this weird feeling recently, but had no idea the end result could be collapsing!! As recent as driving my daughter somewhere on Christmas Eve. I just thought MAYBE it’s some vertigo stuff. But it felt different, and I knew it. You know, denial works right up until it doesn’t!

Wow guys.. things are getting scary! It took until the end of day yesterday for all this to really hit me, emotionally anyway. So I plan to call my doc today. I'm all done driving until we figure this out, and that sucks more than I can express. It’s devastating really. What the hell am I going to do to get my kiddo from school, etc.?? I am feeling more and more robbed of my independence. I’m one of the most independent people you’ll ever meet. Fiercely independent!

I had to tell my children, especially my youngest (11 y/o) last night what to do if it happens again and they are alone with me.

So I am starting to cry guys.... I'm gonna go for now. I am so tried of all this friggin CRAP! I mean… really… really sick of it!!

Vrae honey, I'm so sorry. I'm not surprised you are freaked out by what happened, especially the cruel scenario where you are out in public trying to have a nice time for once....I think we all dread that. Try not to feel bad about it, it happened TO you, you didn't cause it.

This is indeed a sick, mean, heartless disease that can take the fun out of any moment. I don't know what the answer is, but seeing your doc and stopping driving until you have some answers is a good idea, for your own safety if nothing else. I do hope he can find at least a partial solution for you.

I'm glad you've talked with your family about this, even if it was hard to know that they have to be affected by your condition. You have to understand and accept that you can't help any of this Vrae. It's not your choice. Your family (and we) know that you hate these things, that you want to be independent and adventurous, and do all the things you used to. It sucks. And that's putting it very mildly and politely.

I wanted to go into town for a few things earlier, had to ask my kids to go with me. My balance is rubbish at the moment (I can look a bit drunk and weavy on my own) and my knee sometimes goes from under me, so I'm scared to go on my own. I hate that. Hate that little sigh and resigned acceptance, wish we could have some fun instead... I overdid it anyway, toughing out through the pain so that we didn't have to leave too early when they were searching through a shop for some stuff for themselves. Now I'm on the sofa, ice cold ache well in progress, feeling fed up.

I'm not saying mine is like what you've gone through, just that I do get it Vrae. I get that you hate how your life has changed because of is, and that you would give almost anything to get back what you've lost. I feel the same. Sometimes I can't hold out against it, and I'll fall into a little black pit of despair and have a really black, bleak, sad day of pain and tears. Mostly I manage not to, and stuff those feelings into their little box, but sometimes something just happens and you have to let it out for a bit.

You'll be ok Vrae, you're so strong and positive, even if you don't feel like that now. You'll get through this time and find that smile and forward attitude of yours again. Believe in yourself, because I do :)

Lots of hugs from an understanding Bram who wishes she could give your hand a squeeze and say 'it'll be ok, it will..."

Bram :hug:

I'm so sorry this happened to you. It sounds very frightening. I had a similar experience once when I was experiencing spread and things were getting worse and worse every day (a couple of years ago now)...and it was very scary both for me and my mom who was with me at the time.

These things happen...but thankfully not often. It's not your fault and you shouldn't feel embarrassed at all.

Take care of yourself and I'm glad that up until this happened that you had a really nice day.

So sorry this happened to you, Vrae. I know how awful it is and it is definitely NOT how you want to start a New Year off! :hug:

Just wondered, have you ever been diagnosed with or has anyone ever mentioned POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachacardi Syndrome) to you? I have it and used to collapse on average 25+ times a day. Its caused by drastic changes in blood pressure that are often affected by sitting or standing for periods of times or going from sitting to standing too quick.

It might be something worth looking into as it can be associated with pain conditions and especially in those who are Hypermobile (I'm hypermobile and understand a lot of people with chronic pain conditions such as RSD are also).

If you want anymore information on it please ask. I'll be able to help you where I can as I know how awful it is.

Take care,
Alison

Oh Vrae, I am so sorry this happened to you. I know you and your husband must've been terrified. I understand how you feel, to a point. I come from a family of fainters, my mom, her sister, my cousins and some of my siblings, faint often and without warning. I am not near as bad as my mom and one of my sisters, but I have fainted a lot and most of the time it comes without warning. I have scared my husband many times, but he is used to it now...in fact, he knows to immediately get a cold washcloth and put it on my forehead. Fortunately, I have not dropped in public and I imagine that had to be terrifying and you should not feel embarrassed. Like the others said, you did not cause this.

You did the right thing in talking to your family about it, now if it does happen and your kids are there they will not be as shocked and surprised and scared. I do hope that you do talk with your doctor soon about this to rule out any other causes.

Glad you had a great date with your husband before this happened. Take care of yourself and keep us poted.

Hugs,
Nanc
:hug:

I hope you're okay! So scary it must have been. Could it have been your meds?

Im so sorry Vrae! I have epilepsy and theres nothing worse then having a seizure out in public! Its sooooooo embarrassing. I know its not my fault, and there's nothing I can do about it when it happens, but I still hate it and feel embarrassed about it when it happens in public. It freaks most people out and they don't know what going on and everybody is staring at you and you just want crawl in a hole right then and there. The worst is when people repeatedly ask "are you ok" "what's wrong" "what happened" " do I need to call 911" etc... Even if im at home and I have one I hate it, I don't want my family finding me having one because I know they panic and they are scared and I hate that. I hate having to tell my friends what to do if I have one when im out or when we go away for the day. I don't drive anymore, I take my medication and I do everything I can to try and controle the seizures, im not scared of them anymore, because I know there going to happen despite my best of doing everything I can to prevent them. I just hate it for everyone else because I know it still scares them. Hang in there! But I would recommend seeing a neuro because its a possibility you were having an aura and that's why you felt "weird" before the lights went out.

Also is it a possibility it was a side affect of your meds since you had a glass of wine? I know im on very strong meds and couldn't ever go near alcohol because of the side affects of the medication. And the fact that we have a weird condition which maybe the alcohol for some reason affected more strongly.

I am so sorry that happened to you. I just knew you were gonna say that you woke and everyone one around you freaked you out with all their costumes. That had to be scary.

Vrae - I am so sorry your date night turned out this way. You deserve to have fun. Definitly follow up with your doctor. Lots of things can cause fainting (my first time was at age 5); meds, viral illness, pregnancy, nutritional defecieny, dehydration, heart problem etc. Not trying to scare you, but you can't assume it is CRPS. Ask your husband if your body twitched at all when you went down, like a seizure. Lots of folks replied to your post. Can you feel the love?!

Oh Vrae,
It must sound cliche' but my heart does go out to you truly!!
I can hear the heartache in your post. You did nothing to cause this
moment. It happened to you! This monster disease with all the side effects
and side effects, who could predict such a moment?
THANK HEAVENS YOU WERE NOT RE-INJURED!!
I couldn't begin to guess, of course I'm not a Dr.
The only thing I can think of is that I cannot drink wine any more. I can maybe drink beer or maybe one mixed drink. It must be the sulfites/sulfates in the wine, but I just know even one glass gives me a headache and sick feeling.

I know the embarrasing feeling only because the only time I go to P.T. anymore is just after a Nerve (Stellate Ganglion) Block and I'm so "loopy" from being sedated I must look like a stumbling drunk.
:hug: Di

Thank you ALL soooo much!
 

Gooood Morning NT! :)

As always, and I do mean every… single… time, you ALL are such an amazing group of people with such beautiful, thoughtful hearts. Your responses have meant the world to me! I have to say that it took a minute (okay, two days) for me to start to move past this event and my bruised self-esteem and crying eyes to respond. And the.. Why me? Why not me?

I’m better this morning and just have to chalk it up in my GREAT BIG BOOK of experience as one more of those damn things that happens. It’s also a reminder from this same book of mine, that life can be fragile. Even if this wasn’t life threatening, I couldn’t help but think … what if?

My best friend and I were talking last night about all this (she too has a chronic incurable disease) and we had a chuckle that they (patrons & staff) are probably still talking about the “event” too. :p

I heard back from the PCP doc on call, my doc is on holiday. BTW, I really liked her!

She said she had not had a CRPS Pt. in a long time and wasn’t up on the latest CRPS stuff. I told her that I appreciated her honesty. God I can so deal with honesty vs a bunch of BS. Anyway, she said that if I continue to have the feelings that lead up to the fainting that they want to see me right away. That she didn’t feel like I was in an emergency situation at this moment.

Driving: she said that she wouldn’t recommend that I go for a long drive to the mountains, but short trips to the grocery store, etc. would be okay. She said, if you start to have the feelings that lead up to fainting to just stop my car, turn the hazards on, wait for it to pass, or call someone, or try to get help. She said, you won’t be standing up while you’re in the car. And I thought to myself.. well duh, that hadn’t occurred to me. Okay.

She too is anxious for me to see the neuro doc later this month (oh Lord let him be a good one). She’s not sure if it was the glass of wine medication combo. She wasn’t leaning toward the glass of wine being the culprit. And honestly guys I don’t take all my meds when I do something like this, mostly just gaba. She did agree with my husband that since I had taken valium for about a week, but not in 30+ hours-ish that I could have still had some in my system that perhaps did interact with the wine. Okay… maybe… (I say to myself). But what about the same feeling while driving with my daughter recently, without fainting? And I have had the same, less dramatic than either of these two events just sitting at my PC recently. I have had VERY mild of the same feelings yesterday. And, well yes, the only new drug is the valium, which now I haven’t had in days, spasms or not. If spasms get real bad again I’ll revert to soma I guess. And I've had Valium before.... <sigh>

Apparently they need more frequent, and I think more actual fainting, severe dizzy/drunk symptoms to figure out what’s going on (or some FANTSTIC Neuro doc). I did mention to her that I had done a very small amount of research on the correlation between CRPS and neuro diseases and fainting spells, and that there is one (a correlation) that I had no idea about until now. She agreed, but offered nothing more on that. Understandable, she was upfront from the beginning.

I have decided that this has also been a lesson in when you think it’s time to leave... then leave! Quit pushing so hard Vrae!! I’m too damn stubborn for my own good sometimes. It’s great in SOME aspects of my life. Although I am beginning to really question if CRPS (physically) should be on that list. Of course we have to push, but you know what I mean.

Bram darling, what a beautiful response, just like you. So very comforting… Thank you! It was a cruel scenario!! Yep, between the vertigo, gaba, other drugs, and dysfunction in my legs; you bet, I can look drunk at breakfast or any time of day, no alcohol required. You said something to me that stuck. It happened TO me, and that I didn’t cause it. Thank you! Boy did I need that!! And you were right! It will be okay. One way, or the other.

Catra, You’re right… and I need to focus on that. It was a good day until then and frankly I still enjoyed my time alone with my husband afterwards. But I have to admit that it took hours for us to come down from the jolt of it all.

Ali!! How nice to hear from you!!!! I haven’t seen you on here in ages and we’ve not really spoken before, but I think you are a wealth of knowledge and experience, and appreciate your response. I have not heard of POTS and I will definitely look more into it. I will also reach out if I have more questions about it, for sure. Thank you for offering! My head (not literally right now) is still spinning, trying to grasp and retain info about all this. And maybe POTS is just what they (articles) are speaking to when they speak of CRPS and other chronic pain Pt.’s fainting that I've read yesterday.

Collapsing on average 25+ times a day…. Holy cow!! Wow Ali, I’m so sorry and I’m glad that it sounds like it isn’t happening for you like that now. Goodness!! Thanks again for your response and I hope this finds you stable and as well as can be.

Nanc, a FAMILY of fainters… oh wow! I’m so sorry to hear that! I mean one in the family is too many. And NO WARNINGS…. Yikes! You’re right about ruling out other causes. I try not to instantly go for CRPS as a culprit when things go awry. And honestly until this week, I didn’t know that there was a correlation between CRPS, Chronic Pain, and fainting. Well, I guess that’s not altogether true. I’ve seen fainting in some past thread headlines on here, but didn’t pay enough attention. Thanks again Nanc!

Hey Chaos, Maybe it’s the meds, but I really have no idea and no knowledgeable enough doc yet to know either. I CAN’T WAIT to see the neuro doc soon. I so NEED him.

Tos, I’m so sorry hon that you have to regularly deal with seizures and also all that goes along with them. And yes, public displays of seizures, severe tremors (I’ve had that happen too publically), or really just about anything else that shows something is amiss and attracts unwanted attention, frankly just sucks beyond measure. You’re totally on point with all that you’ve said. It is ALL that…. Isn’t it? Aura, I have not heard of this. I will check it out for sure. Thank you!

Murgir, It was confusing for sure!! Disorienting. I had been watching these people for many hours before this happened, so in some weird way, I guess I was already somewhat familiar with some of their “faces” lol. I really wasn’t frightened at the time of waking up, but rather confused, but seemed to “come back” in every way, fairly quickly. Then the horror of dusting myself off (if only it was dust, but rather dripping stench of alcohol) and walking out of there. I have emblazoned in my mind though an image of my husband’s panicked face and all these crazy masks looking down and hovering over me. Bizarre!

Lottie, Lottie, Lottie …. BITE YOUR TONGUE! :D Lol Pregnancy…. :eek: Lol have I mentioned I have FIVE children and a grandbaby?? Lol I’m all kinds of good in that area of my life. lol. Love them all, but no more. Oh! … and yes, even though I know you didn’t bring this up, this all had something to do with me reminiscing with you about my love of the Rocky Mountains and my alone time with my husband, and something about setting my soul free… This wasn’t quit how I remember these wonderful times. But ya know... my memory isn't what it used to be either. Oh hell, I hope you know my words here are in jest. And I’m glad we went, and yes, I was right… it was DAMN COLD! Lol even more so SOAKING WET! I wouldn’t even put on my jacket right away because it was leather and I didn’t want it to soak up the stench, but I did give in. All kidding aside, you’re right, there are many different possibilities as to why this happened. Wonder how long it will take me to get through "the list"? Oh but wait, I can already check pregnancy off the list.. yay!!!

Yes, indeed, I feel the love, for sure, for sure. And I am SO GRATEFUL for it!


AZ-Di, Hi there hon and no it’s not cliché, it’s heartfelt and boy did I need it! Thank you! Yes, praise God I am not lying in some hospital bed recovering from Lord knows what kind of injury. I hate crowds and for the first time ever I am very thankful I was so surrounded by tons of people. I KNOW this is what had to have broken my fall. If I could have had any sense about me, I would have enquired if anyone was hurt, or perhaps I could have at least refilled their glasses of whatever.. that I’m sure I was wearing. :rolleyes:

I’m not a big drinker but I do enjoy a glass of wine from time to time and have even overdone it at least once in the last decade of CRPS on the same meds, so I guess I am just having a hard time believing this was the culprit, but I suppose anything is possible. If I have learned nothing else, CRPS has taught me ANYTHING is possible, good or bad. :) Thanks again Di!

Thanks again to all of you! From the bottom of my heart, I am more grateful for your support, lovely words and thoughtfulness than you’ll ever know!! I hope you all have a wonderful day! I’m going to see if I can’t motivate and get a few things done. TTYS!

:hug: Vrae

Good to have you back Vrae :winky: - go get 'em!!!

You are a lesson in bouncing back girl. A good one lol.

Take care of yourself. I too like the odd glass of red and am careful of meds with it. I don't see why it would cause such a catastrophic event as yours...but I too will hope for an excellent neuro doc for you, who can find some kind of answer for you. Make sure he's had his Weetabix in the morning :D

Bram :hug:

Vrea,

You already know how much I care!!

As I mentioned in our PM's Vasovagal Syncope seems like a real possibility to the reason many of us suffer from fainting or lightheaded episodes along with CRPS. Medications, Environmental factors that trigger our NS response and our well hidden fear of pain or someone bumping us can all play into these episodes among many other things. For those suffering from this symptom it might be worth looking into Vasovagal Syncope and discussing it also with your doctor(s).

Hang in there girl,
Tessa

Thank you, you two! And Tessa, yep I briefly read about that too. I still have no idea though and I think it's driving me mad as I am STILL dealing with symptoms.

Yes my mind is ready to bounce back, just not sure my body's on board yet.. damn it! Gosh I'm so trying!!

I know that I have rambled on and on about all this, so I will TRY and be brief.

I feel absolutely exhausted borderline lethargic for DAYS now. Even before I fainted, but what seems like more so now. I really don't have energy to really research much yet either.

Since fainting I am have EXTREME HOT/COLD episodes A LOT per day!!. I recently had my hormones checked so it's not that. I'm not withdrawing from any drugs. I don't have a virus.

I just had a huge wave a of feeling nauseous and "weird" feeling again. Put husband on alert. As I felt sick before I fainted.

Bad weather is coming. Gosh that's an understatement to those of you up north, so sorry you guys.. what a mess you all are in with brutal cold and tons of snow.

Tonight I'm hurting, pretty damn bad (lower back spine, upper back muscles, legs spasming like crazy, and shocks randomly striking everywhere, and hell I'm almost scared to even take anything. But it's intense, so I took a Zofran, then a tramadol, 600mg Ibu, and of course I am taking my 3600 p/day gaba regularly. Maybe that will take some edge off.

My ears are ringing.

I'm feeling emotional... again.. What the hell?? It's not period time, recently finished that. I guess I'm just feeling sorry for myself. I am confused about what's happening to me and I have no idea what to do, or what not to do.

I just want to SCREAM!!!
There... at least it's out. Sorry and thanks guys!

That's a lot to deal with Vrae....(colossal understatement of the decade :rolleyes:) no wonder you feel overwhelmed.

Hang in there, maybe you have a virus or something - stuff like that can send us crazy ill for weeks, exacerbating all our usual symptoms and introducing new scary ones. Hopefully whatever it is will pass, and you can find some solid ground to stand on again. My fingers are crossed firmly for you.

Bram :hug:

Thank you! again...
 

Thanks so much Bram!

I'm better this morning and the Zofran at least knocked me out. If I'm sleeping then I don't hurt so much. I have a massive headache this morning, and I know it is from the tramadol. Those meds kill my head for some reason, especially if I haven't had any in a while. The snow is falling and I always do better once the storm is here. Crazy hu?

I'm waking up today mad as hell with the people I live with (family). :( If I don't get everyone motivated, and that happens when I start doing everything, then hell.... it just sits, and sits waiting for me. It is rare for them to wash a dish or whatever unless I am moving everyone along. :(

Maybe I'm just P'd off about all this health crap, and the same goes for what a mess my house is in right now. Makes me nuts. :eek: Yep, I must feel better. Takes energy to be angry.

Thanks for the response Bram, and uncross those fingers... I don't want them to hurt. :wink: This will all work itself out.... surely.... :hug:

Vrae, you are a mind reader. If I were about to write a post about myself right this minute, that is exactly what I would write....:rolleyes: I read this, and was quite spooked by how well plugged in to my head you were!! :D

You're not alone with these feelings...it's strange how much better we cope with all this other crap when we aren't feeling quite so rubbishy ourselves lol :winky: Pain is a major body stress, and when we're stressed we just don't have the tolerance for other folk, and those little niggles (little! Ha!) seem enormous...

Deep, slow breaths girl. Long and deep and soothing....something nice to smell, to look at, to listen to...aaaaaaahhhhhh....mmm.....

Or....a glass of wine and some peanuts lol. That's what I've got right now!

Bram.

LMAO!! ... you rule Bram! ahhhhhh. lol

oh I forgot the ...mmmmmm. lol you crack me up!

Hi Vrae, glad to have you back online! Thank you for the detailed reply! You are too funny, even when you aren't feeling well. I am so sorry this has been such a rough week for you. You mentioned that you recently had hormones checked - was there a reason that prompted the blood check? Did they do a thyroid panel? Have you checked for a fever?

Hi Vrae,
Sorry to hear about the new challenges. I just wanted to second what Ali12 and zookester said about POTS and vasovagal syncope. Both are just different flavors of disorders of the autonomic nervous system - often referred to under the umbrella term "dysautonomia." My daughter has both CRPS and POTS, and although I don't think there's much research to confirm this (although I may be wrong), I don't think it's terribly uncommon for them to occur together, which makes sense since they both involve problems with the autonomic nervous system.

If you haven't already found it, this website is not a bad place to start for some basic information, and links to other resources: http://www.dinet.org/.

When you see the neurologist, you might want to ask him about ordering a tilt table test for you - it will measure changes in your blood pressure may be occurring from small changes in your body position.

While you're waiting, there are a few totally safe things you can do to help your self in case it is POTS, or a similar disorder: drink lots of water, and any time you change position (e.g. Sitting to standing, laying to sitting, orlaying the standing), do so slowly. The fainting that people get with POTS, is basically a like the "head rushes" that we've all experienced when we stand up quickly, just more frequent and severe. When we get a head rush, we're just feeling the result of our brain not getting as much oxygen as it would like because when we got up, our heart's job was to pump a bit harder against gravity to get blood up to our brain, and because we stood up too quickly, the heart couldn't quite do the job. Being well hydrated increases your blood volume, which makes it easier for your heart to pump blood back up to your brain (to oxygenate it) and changing position gradually, just gives your heart more time to do the job.

If you do have some kind of dysautonomia, of course there are medications, etc. That you could take, but there's no harm in trying those basic self care activities while you're waiting.

Hope you're feeling better soon-
BG

Some great points there, BraveGirl !

Vrae....Sorry your NYE getaway got so complicated. I hope you are feeling better soon.....and get to treat your hubby to anything he may have missed later that night (wink, wink, nudge, nudge). I hope the neuro can figure this out for you !

Thank you for the replies! I really do appreciate it.

My 11 y/o daughter was admitted to children's hospital tonight. I'm so exhausted I cannot even think right now, I've been up since 4 a.m., and my body is hurting. I will catch back up soon. Take care! :hug:

Hope your daughter's ok Vrae, scary stuff when you have to take them in...and it's so exhausting emotionally and physically... Take care of yourself as well and make sure you rest when you can. Thinking of you :hug:

Bram.

OH Vrae! I am so sorry to hear your daughter is sick. Please know we are thinking of you. Lots going on for you right now. I hope things ease up for you soon. Best~Lottie

sorry
 

I am so sorry that this happened to you..But one thing you are lucky about,,,,is your Husband cares deeply..God Bless,and a lot of prayers headed your way..:grouphug:

CPRS and the cardiac sympathetic plexus
 

It is very common in the 3rd stage of CPRS/RSD to suffer bouts of fainting as well as raped heart rate. There is a sac that surrounds our hearts called the cardiac sympathetic plexus it is a rich sympathetic nerve structure, and its dysfunction can cause severe chest pain. Chest pain, stroke , Fainting and even heart attacks is not uncommon in the 3rd stage of CPRS. This fact is usually over looked by doctors because most suffers of CPRS are relatively young women in age and put simply we don't have heart problems let alone heart attacks. Proper treatment with alpha blockers as well as sodium or calcium channel blockers is very helpful. Also cervical and epidural blocks are quite effective. Not trying to scare anyone but seems like us CPRS suffers cant get help unless we find the information for ourselves. I myself have been having fainting episodes and rapid heart rate. If you Google the site RSDRX It contains a wealth of RSD information.The RSD puzzle is well worth the reading. I could not believe how may symptoms I wrote off that are symptoms of my RSD.Hope the information at this website helps!!!

You all have given me some GREAT info on this fainting episode. I am so grateful... thank you SO MUCH! I have my hands full right now with my kiddo, but I am coming back around to what the heck happened that night.

Again I REALLY do appreciate the information!! I'm so pooped I'll have to keep this response short for now. :hug:

Hi Vrae, I hope you and your daughter are feeling better. I'm sorry you had a fainting spell and that your daughter had to go to the hospital. My thoughts and prayers are with you both.:hug: