Pain Causing Vertigo and Fainting

[jcrawford]

I've been having this happen for quite some time and it hardly scares me anymore--now it's just annoying.

Anyway, I'm just curious if anyone else goes through this and if they've found any particular diagnosis with this. I've had one person guess it was vassal vagal, but I would like to get that tested and documented and so-on. I've had several specialists examine me to see if there was any particular reason why this happens, but so far, they've found nothing. I've had doctors either sya that fainting is nothing to worry about or think that I'm somehow doing it on purpose. Even if I'm able to tell how long I have to get somewhere safe before completely fainting, I still don't like being at risk of getting hurt anyway and it's sometimes embarrassing (fainting in line at taco bell is kind of embarrassing to have to wake up to...).

I tend to faint when I experience a lot of pain (and with endometriosis, that's a lot, especially during my cycle), but there are times when it doesn't require pain or I'm too focused in trying to stay conscious or too distracted by the vertigo to know whether I'm having pain or not.

It's not so much that I'm doubting it's simply vertigo (although I've had vertigo described as simply getting dizzy and fainting by no known cause and thus it's untreatable), I just want to make sure that there really is nothing that can be done besides be aware of everything and pray I don't faint in the middle of the street or something, if that makes any sense.

[johnsmith]

Your experience is not in my experience. I am making a wild guess that may or may not be right. I have experienced on occasion light headiness when moving from a lying to a sitting position or from a sitting to a standing position. In my case my muscles were too relaxed with the result there was more volume in the blood vessels which drew the blood from the head.

If you are standing and your muscles relax a lot then there is a possibility that you will faint.

Tense muscle compress blood vessels. If you have been tense for a long time (weeks) then there is less blood circulating round the body. If you relax your muscles you uncompress blood vessels. This will draw blood from the brain into the body. Result fainting.

You can check with a massage therapist or yoga teacher how tense you are. Hopefully this may lead to a possible solution of the problem.

Hope I have been able to be helpful.

[Hidden]

I doubt this is vertigo. Vertigo is not simply getting dizzy and fainting, it's an inner ear problem usually coupled with severe nausea and headache. Do you have low blood pressure? That is made worse when you menstruate as your pelvis is quite congested at this time, dizziness is common just prior to fainting, it's your body trying to warn you to sit down so your heart can pump blood to your brain, where it's needed most. It isn't very helpful to suggest you some how cause this yourself, and if you are not hyper-ventilating at the time, it would be unusual. You could try,( and this was the advice I got from my Gynecologist) drink plenty of fluids, what ever you drink now increase it by at least a third,preferable not to much soda, and eat more salt ! I know it goes against the modern thinking that too much salt is bad for you, but it will increase your blood pressure and help with the vaso-vagal attacks ( just a posh way of saying fainting) Of course you should always get medical advice, if your blood pressure is high, extra water and salt are not advised. Go back to your Dr. How long before an attack catches you out and you hurt yourself and need hospital treatment ?

[jcrawford in reply to Hidden]

As far as the doctors can see, my blood pressure is fine. I think it still comes back as fine even if I'm barely hanging in there during a fainting spell, at least as far as I've seen. I've tried increasing salt and fluids, but so far I haven't noticed much luck.