After multiple hospitalisations each year for the past five years, I decided that this year would be different. And what are we now? Five weeks in?
I had a weird thing happen last night when I headed up to bed about midnight. I went to the toilet and started getting pins and needles in both legs, and then a numbing session was rising upwards. I thought I’d better get to the bed so I stood up and the next thing I knew I was on the floor. I landed on my knees and shins and caught my shoulder on the corner of the shower. I don’t know if I passed out but I don’t recall any falling feeling, like when you trip and try to stop yourself.
I laid on the floor for about five minutes, doing a mental check of what was hurting (and making sure I was still alive). I felt weak and in pain and wasn’t sure if my legs were okay so rather than trying to stand up in the bathroom I crawled to the carpet and pulled myself up at the bedroom doorway. I was soon feeling okay apart from the pain from the fall.
I decided to call the health help line and wasn’t surprised, when I told the nurse I had a history of arrhythmias and was on an anticoagulants, that she said to head to the hospital.
I was put onto a heart monitor, had ECGs, blood and urine tests and a head CT scan. The ER doctor rang and spoke with my EP, who of course knows me very well. I have to have a 24 hour monitor in two weeks. They don’t have an answer as to what happened but they are happy it wasn’t a TIA or bleed and my heart was okay on the monitor, a bit fast and with a some ectopics but no AF.
I had just started walking without my crutches after my left ankle reconstruction and now my right knee is very sore and I’m limping again 🤪🤪🤪
Anyway, that was my day. I hope everyone is doing okay. 😉
Written by
Kaz747
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I joked with the nurse who accompanied me to the radiology area, as I was kept on a heart monitor there and back. I asked whether everyone gets this VIP treatment or only the hospital frequent flyers 😀✈️. He said I was special 😉
I been visiting the replacement Southmead Hospital even before the official opening. I said to a nurse on the last visit, that I've been in every department apart from Obstetrics, but give it time!
How are you now Kaz, what a frightening experience, are you in hospital or able to go home! Pray you have only bruised your knee and the pain will subside in a few days! Glad you ask for help, especially if you live on your own! Well I do 🙏🤗
Hi Kaz and so sory to hear about that. Scary indeed.
For what it is worth I do know that some people sometimes have rapid uncontrolled BP drop when urinating which can cause black outs. A chap I worked with years ago had this problem and once came into work with his forehead cut open from hitting the hand basin as he fell. At least that was his story! lol
Do let us know if anything is found. Take it easy.
Thanks Bob. Not “wee” related but I was feeling really lethargic a few weeks back and I asked my hubby to get the BP monitor and it was something like 85/58. It’s usually 110/70 and today in hospital it jumped up to 160/95. It’s back to normal now but maybe there’s something in that.
AF can cause these sorts of BP fluctuations? Or maybe a sinus node problem? These BP fluctuations sound very much like my mom's before her sick sinus syndrome bradycardia was fixed with a pacemaker.
Yeah, my BP has generally been good. The only time, prior to the dramas of the last five years, I had blood pressure issues was in my pregnancies. After my two pregnancies with severe preeclampsia, my Obstetrician said that I may have issues with my BP later in life and this, alas, is later in life.
Hi Kaz, sorry to hear that and really hope they can get to the bottom of it as not knowing just makes you worry more about it happening again. Was your husband on hand to help, getting to hospital etc? Looking on the bright side you're in the best place with plenty of sunshine to boost your mood. Hope you feel ok now and it doesn't happen again. 😀xx
Thanks, yes my hubby was there. He was sleeping but my fall woke him up. Part of me was thinking “I’ll be right” but then I thought of all those people who say, “I didn’t think it would happen to me” and remembered that I am not infallible. I do at times feel like a hypochondriac and there’s nothing wrong with me but I know there’s a lot of medical evidence that says otherwise. 😂
You did right to get checked out, you could have banged your head when you fell. Hope you feel better soon. It's no fun loosing consciousness, whatever the cause.
Thanks Flapjack. You know me ... glass half full. I have said it before - I just wish that whoever has the voodoo doll of me would stop putting the pins in 😆😆
Oh no, so sorry to hear of your very unpleasant adventure. Pleased you have had tests and a plan for monitor. All very strange symptoms. Hope you feel better very soon and medics can get to the bottom of it for.
Hi, echo other comments but if you have any more pins and needles/numbness may I suggest you politely ask your docs to check your lower spine? Speaking from experience unfortunately 💜
Agreed. Following nerve conduction studies, electromyography and MRI of the lumbosacral spine, I was diagnosed with non compressive radiculopathy (apparently a chemical inflammation of the nerve roots associated with benign disc disease) and referred for physio. The pins and are still there, but have not progressed.
Like many, I’ve had back pain down the years intermittently, but not this time. Like Buffafly I think implied, I would only be thinking possibly neurological if your pins and needles recurred. Good luck.
I haven’t that expression since so was a kid when mum and dad were always telling us kids to “pack it in” 😂
I’ll bet you are tired of the lockdown. We had a snap lockdown for 5 days last week after a hotel quarantine worker was infected with the more infectious UK strain. We hadn’t had community spread for 10 months. Thankfully, no one else has tested positive. We have restrictions until the 14th and if we continue with out zero case numbers we should be able to get back to “normal” life again.
Thank you. A TIA was at the back of my mind so I’m glad that was ruled out. I’m sure I’ll be fine. We were supposed to be hosting my daughter’s engagement party this Saturday but had to postpone it as we were out under COVID restrictions again, and now I’m grateful for that as otherwise I would have been doing a stack of cooking this week.
Sounds like it was quite a frightening experience and that you had the wherewithal to stay calm and level-headed - I don't know that I could have! Pleased to hear that they didn't find any sign of a bleed or tia. Let us hope for a much better year for all of us! Yours was just a blip that didn't quite make it into last year! 😉 though I'm sure it felt like more than a blip to you at the time. All the best.
Hi Kaz I used to do this all the time before an EP saw me and sorted me out firstly with drugs then ablation. I'd drop all over the place but my favorite was always the toilet or bathroom. The ambulance guys were my best friends! Each time I was taken to hospital & monitored and nothing much found until the the time when I stayed in CCU for 5 days and diagnosed with AF. I reckon all the previous occasions were shorter episodes of AF which had made me pass out but self righted by the time I got to hospital. Try to get a heart monitor for longer than 24 hours as they rarely throw up anything paroxysmal, try to get 7 days.Meanwhile take care & rest up & look after that ankle too!xx
Thanks. I‘ll see what my EP says. I with all the arrhythmia dramas I’ve had I’ve never passed out before. I’m keen to know if it is heart related or neurological. I see my ankle surgeon for a check up next week. Xx
Oh gosh kaz, not a good day and very disconcerting. Glad the results all came thru clear. I had something similar a year or more ago, I went to loo and when I got up feeling weird and I just slithered down to the floor I knew my legs couldn’t hold me and I called my husband and daughter, they got me to me bed, and it passed. I rang cardio went and say him in morning, he’d just upped my flecainade and so we lowered it, but he wasn’t convinced it was thst.Bet you’re experiencing lovely weather and wonderful scenery with all those waterways.
We’ve had a very snowy winter, and it seems to be goung forever.
The body is a funny thing isn’t it? We actually had a very wet weekend. Last week was crazy in WA - 5 day COVID lockdown, bushfires that destroyed 86 homes and a massive tropical storm up north that caused massive floods where people on the highways had to be rescued by helicopters. The weather has fined up again and we should be in for a nice weekend this weekend.
Gosh bad weather. I was actually wondering about bushfires this year, as last year we had them all the time on our road trip on the east coast. I hope to get to OZ next ytear covid allowing
Oh that must’ve been really frightening for you Kaz. Glad you’re ok and you tested ok. Make sure your family give you some VIP treatment for a day or two, sounds like you deserve it after that. 😍
Thanks - I’ve spent the day in my pjs today and watched a bit of television. I did a couple of hours work but have mostly been relaxing and will do the same for the rest of the week x
Hi KazHave a look at Syncope, sudden fainting where your blood pressure falls and you crumple up and hit the floor. As you do your blood gets back into your head and a reasonably quick recovery takes place, and you regain consciousness. I had two events like this, one after a six mile walk and another in the middle of the night when I felt sick and very nearly made it to the bathroom. In that case an ambulance arrived and I was hauled off to casualty, given a check over, bloods, etc. Declared good to go, and chucked out at 2.00 am, and that was that.
A little while later I was summoned by my cardiologist who told me to stop driving while he worked out what was going on. I take Ramipril, which can be a bit too successful at bringing your blood pressure down so it was agreed that I would take it in the evening and that I would drink 2 litres of water every day, and take some salt.
I also had an implantable recorder inserted into my chest, and a small recording device to carry round.
The drawback to this arrangement is that by the time you realise something may be happening the event will have been and gone and you will still be getting the recorder out of its pouch. If they offer you one try and get the up to date version that has a wifi link and it is all done automatically. Having said all that , Murphy's law applies, and it hasn't happened again.
That’s what my EP is now investigating so it will be interesting to see. My biggest worry was the pins and needles and numbness in the legs. Did you feel anything different before you collapsed?
Not really, I just slowly fell down on the first time, and the second time very tired and difficult to get up. Are you sure it is not an overheating toilet seat?
That sounds really frightening. Hope you are taking it easy and feeling better. At least you have the reassurance it wasn't a TIA and hopefully they can get to the bottom of it.
It was a little frightening. And yes, taking it easy for the rest of the week. The only time I got out of my pjs today was to have a shower and get back into some more pjs. Feeling a bit lazy... but I’ll give myself permission to do it.
Its not easy, well done for keeping such a positive attitude, its really inspirational reading how you react to such a frightening experience in such a calm and rational way. I know everyone tells us we have structurally strong hearts (just as well) but its only human to have doubts when going through such trauma, hope this is just a one off. Well done please keep us informed of your recovery.
I’ve done a number of interviews for articles and podcasts in the past year or two on resilience and the lessons we learn from our experiences. I keep saying to the universe, “Enough already. I know I’m resilient. I have learned the lessons about self-care, work-life balance, stress reduction, eating well, sleeping well, getting out in nature, regular exercise ... can you move onto the next lesson for me ?.... Maybe, the best way to enjoy a big lotto win.” 😉😂
Lotto Win!! That will do it, then again being Arrhythmia free is even better than a lotto win. Your right though being resilient is the key, not everyone can be but your doing a really good job of it. One step at a time is my way of dealing with it, we will get there in the end. I know many that have had a really bad time for a few years then all of a sudden their better (after a pretty horrid time), looks like your one of these.
Just when I was thinking we hadn't heard from you for a while...! What happened sounds really frightening. Take it very easy and hope you find out what caused this. Interestingly, both my daughters used to turn ashen-faced as children when they sat on the loo. Wonder if it is a dramatic drop in blood-pressure?
Hi Irene- yes all was well (apart from the ankle surgery and 3 months in a wheelchair). It was frightening and I hope we get to the bottom of it. Maybe it’s blood pressure. Will see 😉
Hi Kaz 🙂 sorry to hear of your little episode. I hope you were not too shaken.
You say ..
''I had just started walking without my crutches'' and '' I headed up to bed about midnight. I went to the toilet and started getting pins and needles in both legs, ''
Did you go upstairs to bed , I guess you have been walking slowly and steadily with your crutches and haven't had a lot of excercise. Maybe you got up quickly, walked more quickly upstairs , already have a slow circulation due to medication and that has something to do with your episode.
I know how scary these things can be, a couple of weeks ago I got up in the morning and fell over luckily back towards the bed so no damage done . I was too dizzy to stand up and crawled to the bathroom then spent the rest of the day hanging on to things or crawling up the stairs.
It was a bit scary and went away as quickly as it came. I guessed if might be related to my ears but there is a worry these things won't go away and great relief when they do.
I’ve been off the crutches for 3 or 4 weeks and yes it was upstairs but I hadn’t had any dramas getting up or down (I had to sleep downstairs for 3 months whilst I was in a wheelchair). I wasn’t dizzy at all. As I said it started in my feet and legs and the tingling and numbness headed upwards. Weirdest feeling ever. I didn’t feel anything near my heart but as the numbness moved up I felt a bit vague in the head. Then I was on the floor.
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Heart Arrythmia started May 2021
