Vasovagal Syncope ( Fainting ) episode

[catfish87 3,471]

I know this has been discussed more than once, but I wanted to start a topic specifically for folks who have, or may have, experienced this or have knowledge of it.

Some of you may know, I had a dehydration event in 2012, which led to a fall and resulting concussion. ( No fun )

Since that time, I have experienced occasional episodes of "seeing spots", felt lightheaded, etc, after getting up from a seated position or laying down. Fewer occurances the farther away from my concussion it becomes.

Two weeks ago, I had the most significant bout with this I've ever had. Actually, passing out and falling down three times within appx 10 minutes. Luckily, I was at home and there were no injuries. There were NO symptoms leading up to this. 5 minutes after it was over, I felt like nothing had happened.

I called my PCP and got in to see him at the first available time. We discussed EVERYTHING, history, eating habits, drinking habits, exercise, weightloss....everything. He did an EKG at the office = perfect. He did blood work = came back perfect. Today I went for a brain MRI. And he's gonna have me do a stress test if the MRI doesn't show anything abnormal. He said lots of times they won't come to any definate conclusions of what cause it.

I've done a lot of reading, researching on the web, and find lots of information. Some suggest that these type symptoms COULD be caused by stimulation of the Vagus Nerve. So thats got me thinking....isn't the band is supposed to stimulate the vagus nerve?

Thoughts?

[B-52 7,113]

Does anything happen when you tilt your head back and look straight up for a few moments? As if you were changing a light bulb on the ceiling?

[lisacaron 5,075]

Pretty interesting Catfish! if you look up Syncopy, (which is passing out) one of the reasons is the over stimulation of the vagus nerve. Just having the band placed is enough to stimulate the nerve and eating can cause more stimulation to the nerve.

There are also some really serious reasons for syncopy...and I bet that's why your doctor is testing your heart and doing the MRI.

Let us know what they find out, and be safe!!!

[☠carolinagirl☠ 18,721]

your in my thoughts/heart my friend........always

I know this has been discussed more than once, but I wanted to start a topic specifically for folks who have, or may have, experienced this or have knowledge of it.

Some of you may know, I had a dehydration event in 2012, which led to a fall and resulting concussion. ( No fun )

Since that time, I have experienced occasional episodes of "seeing spots", felt lightheaded, etc, after getting up from a seated position or laying down. Fewer occurances the farther away from my concussion it becomes.

Two weeks ago, I had the most significant bout with this I've ever had. Actually, passing out and falling down three times within appx 10 minutes. Luckily, I was at home and there were no injuries. There were NO symptoms leading up to this. 5 minutes after it was over, I felt like nothing had happened.

I called my PCP and got in to see him at the first available time. We discussed EVERYTHING, history, eating habits, drinking habits, exercise, weightloss....everything. He did an EKG at the office = perfect. He did blood work = came back perfect. Today I went for a brain MRI. And he's gonna have me do a stress test if the MRI doesn't show anything abnormal. He said lots of times they won't come to any definate conclusions of what cause it.

I've done a lot of reading, researching on the web, and find lots of information. Some suggest that these type symptoms COULD be caused by stimulation of the Vagus Nerve. So thats got me thinking....isn't the band is supposed to stimulate the vagus nerve?

Thoughts?

[catfish87 3,471]

Does anything happen when you tilt your head back and look straight up for a few moments? As if you were changing a light bulb on the ceiling?

Never really noticed that being a trigger. However, if I've been bent over tying shoes, gardening, etc, it is more often to happen.

I've spoken with my pcp several times about this and he always said dehydration was the likely culprit. But I drink probably 2 GALLONS per day...at least.

Prior to this last episode, I had been on sinus/cold med's ( ClaritinD and MucinexD ) for appx 2 weeks...and had stopped taking them about 24 hours prior.

PS...no ear infection observed.

Edited January 29, 2014 by catfish87

[catfish87 3,471]

Pretty interesting Catfish! if you look up Syncopy, (which is passing out) one of the reasons is the over stimulation of the vagus nerve. Just having the band placed is enough to stimulate the nerve and eating can cause more stimulation to the nerve.

There are also some really serious reasons for syncopy...and I bet that's why your doctor is testing your heart and doing the MRI.

Let us know what they find out, and be safe!!!

Thanks Lisa,

Yes it is concerning to me for sure....although to be honest, my PCP didn't sound like its "that" unusual. I didn't even know what had happened.....I got told about it later.

[Leepers 1,195]

Catfish, I'm a nurse and I work in Electrophysiology. Specifically we deal with the heartbeat. I also do tilt table tests for vasovagal syncope. I'm not really up on my anatomy but usually the vagal nerve can be stimulated in the rectal area. It could be up near the band too. I've just never heard that. People come for a tilt table test to see if they're having inappropriate vasal vagal response. A condition where your vagal nerve causes your heart rate to drop drastically and therefore pass out.

Another reason for passing out or dizziness symptoms could be orthostatic hypotension. When you stand up your blood rushes down and causes low blood pressure which could cause syncope or presyncope symptoms.

Lastly, sometimes people's heart just stops beating the way it should. It happens more with age but I've been a nurse in pacemaker cases for 18 year olds to even a 102 year old! You could be having a low heart rate or pauses. This will definitely make a person pass out.

This is all from a cardiology view. There are probably hundreds of other reasons people pass out. But you sound just like many of my patients. You could possibly ask to be referred to a cardiologist who specializes in electrophysiology. Don't go to a regular one.

Hope this may help and if you have any other questions, I'd be happy to try to answer them.

[catfish87 3,471]

Catfish, I'm a nurse and I work in Electrophysiology. Specifically we deal with the heartbeat. I also do tilt table tests for vasovagal syncope. I'm not really up on my anatomy but usually the vagal nerve can be stimulated in the rectal area. It could be up near the band too. I've just never heard that. People come for a tilt table test to see if they're having inappropriate vasal vagal response. A condition where your vagal nerve causes your heart rate to drop drastically and therefore pass out.

Another reason for passing out or dizziness symptoms could be orthostatic hypotension. When you stand up your blood rushes down and causes low blood pressure which could cause syncope or presyncope symptoms.

Lastly, sometimes people's heart just stops beating the way it should. It happens more with age but I've been a nurse in pacemaker cases for 18 year olds to even a 102 year old! You could be having a low heart rate or pauses. This will definitely make a person pass out.

This is all from a cardiology view. There are probably hundreds of other reasons people pass out. But you sound just like many of my patients. You could possibly ask to be referred to a cardiologist who specializes in electrophysiology. Don't go to a regular one.

Hope this may help and if you have any other questions, I'd be happy to try to answer them.

Thanks for the reply! Yes, my PCP is going to send me to a cardiologists if the results of the MRI don't show any concerns. "Just to be on the safe side."

My BP is usually in the 110/70 - 120/80 range now.

I have checked it AT HOME with one of those cheapo wrist things from walgreens at 80/50 a few times last year when this issue came up.

My sister being an RN, suggested a tilt test....amongst every other test she could think of...gotta love your baby sister.

[chasingadream 1,311]

Hope you get to the bottom of it...and stay safe while you wait...sending good thoughts your way!

[JACKIEO85 308]

You've probaly read this but if It helps.. I hope you get some answers!!

The vagus nerve helps to regulate the heart beat, control muscle movement, keep a person breathing, and to transmit a variety of chemicals through the body. It is also responsible for keeping the digestive tract in working order, contracting the muscles of the stomach and intestines to help process food, and sending back information about what is being digested and what the body is getting out of it.

When the vagus nerve is stimulated, the response is often a reduction in heart-rate or breathing. In some cases, excessive stimulation can cause someone to have what is known as a vaso-vagal response, appearing to fall into a faint or coma because his or her heart rate and blood pressure drop so much. Selective stimulation of this nerve is also used in some medical treatment; vagus stimulation appears to benefit people who suffer from depression, for example, and it is also sometimes used to treat epilepsy.

Most of the time, you don't notice the actions of the right and left vagus nerves, but you probably would notice if this nerve ceased to function as a result of disease or trauma, because the vagus nerve is one of the many vital nerves which keeps your body in working order. Without the functions of the vagus nerve, you would find it difficult to speak, breathe, or eat, and your heartbeat would become extremely irregular.

[catfish87 3,471]

You've probaly read this but if It helps.. I hope you get some answers!!

The vagus nerve helps to regulate the heart beat, control muscle movement, keep a person breathing, and to transmit a variety of chemicals through the body. It is also responsible for keeping the digestive tract in working order, contracting the muscles of the stomach and intestines to help process food, and sending back information about what is being digested and what the body is getting out of it.

When the vagus nerve is stimulated, the response is often a reduction in heart-rate or breathing. In some cases, excessive stimulation can cause someone to have what is known as a vaso-vagal response, appearing to fall into a faint or coma because his or her heart rate and blood pressure drop so much. Selective stimulation of this nerve is also used in some medical treatment; vagus stimulation appears to benefit people who suffer from depression, for example, and it is also sometimes used to treat epilepsy.

Most of the time, you don't notice the actions of the right and left vagus nerves, but you probably would notice if this nerve ceased to function as a result of disease or trauma, because the vagus nerve is one of the many vital nerves which keeps your body in working order. Without the functions of the vagus nerve, you would find it difficult to speak, breathe, or eat, and your heartbeat would become extremely irregular.

Hi Jackie,

Yes...I have read some of what you put here, although not put together exactly like this. I'm not saying this is what's triggering my symptoms ( which had become extremely rare until this last episode ) but I'm gonna keep it in mind to discuss as a possibility with my PCP. I haven't had an adjustment to my band in several months, so it wasn't soon after a fill as I've read others describe over the years. It may have absolutly NOTHING to do with my band....just thought I'd re-post a topic about it to see if some of other folks have experienced or heard about it. Thanks

[terrydumont46 1,954]

i would think in your case a halter monitor would be advise. most of the time after the event has happened all vital signs and heart go back to normal. because it is happening a bit more frequently its time to have all the tests. i have cardiac arrythmias. i go into atrial fib and than v tach and than my heart stops. i have had 3 episodes so far. but after the episode is over all my vital signs are normal. so make sure your pcp just does the tests to clear you. there maybe nothing you can do about it. except be more careful standing up. always sit at the side of your chair or bed a few min's first than stand up. take care i hope they find out what is wrong with you

[Debbie3sons 1,936]

Very interesting as I sometimes look up and get dizzy thank you for bringing this to my attn. as I never thought about it till you posted so keep us informed and let's hope they find out why this is happening to you , hope every thing comes out ok.

[KAATNS 1,473]

How are you feeling?

[catfish87 3,471]

How are you feeling?

I haven't had any more significant issues since the one time.

My PCP looked over the brain MRI, and found "no active processes"....whatever that means.

Now I'm scheduled for a consult with a neurologist on the 13th....they looked over the MRI as well and weren't in any hurry to schedule me. So I'm not sure what we will do next.....stress test maybe.

Thanks for checking on me, my bestie!