This is something that has been weighing on my heart lately, and on my life for the past two and a half years. About that long ago, like February 2017, I developed a fainting issue, out of no where. I literally will just randomly faint. I've been through some pretty scary stuff in life but I think this tops the frickin cake of scary.
At the time, I was living north of Detroit and working at a Texas Roadhouse in Roseville. The day of my first faint I was working a double and had barley ate anything all day because of it being so busy. Later in the night I got real dizzy, and a little nauseous. I remember standing against a wall in the server alley trying to get my balance then the next thing I know I'm waking up in the manager office with my manager and another server standing in front of me. I had no idea what had happened.
Chris (manager) told me that I collapsed against the wall and wouldn't wake up, that he had to pick me up and carry my dead weight to the office. (First of all, sorry because WOOF) I was a little fuzzy, but us as a group chalked it up to the whole "I was on a double and hadn't ate anything all day". I got picked up and I went home to eat and rest, and felt fine a couple of hours later.
Two or so weeks went by and I was pulling another double (I remembered to eat this time!) Roughly the same thing happened again though...I fainted close to the end of my shift, got carried to the office and had to be picked up. This time I was a little confused as to why it was happening again, but I myself chalked it up to dehydration or still not eating enough. At this point I had yet to see a doctor about what was happening, but I didn't work another double for a while. lol
THEN one casual Tuesday I fainted AT HOME, literally doing nothing. I was home alone and I remember doing laundry and then waking up on the living room floor. I don't know how long I was out for, I don't know what happened between the time of me switching the laundry and the time of me waking up. Nothing. It was then that I decided to go to my doctor because obviously SOMETHING was up, right? This couldn't be normal.
My primary care doctor got me in relatively quick and did a few tests to rule somethings out. She checked my thyroid, my blood sugar & pressure, my circulation. She checked for vertigo and asked what I eat and drink on a daily basis. We ruled out diet because I eat pretty healthy and the amount of hydrated I am is actually annoying. She basically said it was something called Vasovagal Syncope. Which is fancy words for I faint when I'm anxious or stressed and it SHOULD go away in a matter of days/few weeks max. lol.
It kept happening.
After maybe 2-3 more faints and going to the emergency room every time because they had not stopped like my doctor said it should, I was sent to a cardiologist. Prior to being sent I had probably 4 EKG's, 2 cat scans, and an MRI done and everything came back 100% normal and healthy. lol, obviously all of those machines were broken.
The cardiologist gave me a halter monitor to wear for a month straight. If you don't know what that is, it's basically a portable EKG that is hooked up to a cell phone that keeps a running tab on your heart. (pictured) I had to wear this thing for 29 days, 24 hours a day. Day. Night. Sleeping. Awake. Working out. Anything. The only time I could take it off was to shower and then put it right back on. Let me tell you, wearing stickers in the same spot for 29 days is frickin PAINFUL.
Anyways, I fainted twice while wearing this halter monitor and when I got the results from the cardiologist she said there was no sign of my fainting or anything being wrong. NO SIGN. WHAT?! I mean in a way I was relived because at this point we knew my heart was in good shape. Right?
Fast forward to many more regular doctor visits, many more specialist visits, many more emergency room visits, and I still have zero answers as to why I just faint out of no where. Til this day I have fainted about 25 times. In two and a half years. It's now to the point where I can feel them coming on. There have been only two similarities with every faint. I get dizzy and nauseous before hand.
I've stopped going to the doctors because they give me zero answers every time. I've even been told that I am making myself faint because I want to and that I'm faking it. Uhm, not sure about you but I don't know who would WANT to faint. Or WANT to spend their co-pay every doctor visit for faking something....????? I'd rather buy iced coffee and books, okay?
This has definitely been something that has taken a tole on my life. I don't faint as much or as often as I used to, which is awesome, but I still faint occasionally. Maybe one day someone will be able to figure out why it happens. I don't know.
