Comments for Stuff and Things and Whatnot

Comment on Ned’s Toasty Scarf and Hat by Getting all the FOs out of the Way « Amazon Mink Knits

Getting all the FOs out of the Way « Amazon Mink Knits — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 23:36:26 +0000

[...] Matt. It ended up being 7″ x 70″, and I only did 8″ of ribbing on either end. Luke’s Toasty Scarf | Caron Simply Soft | US 8 [mm] | 15 Jan – 8 Feb 2010 Something for me! This hat was [...]

Comment on Fun with Vasovagal Syncope! by Elly

Elly — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 19:40:39 +0000

I have V-Syncope and it mostly occurs at resturants even though I don’t go in on an empty stomach. It has occurred at an eye doctors office too. I faint and must lay down and raise my legs so that the blood flows back to my head. Imediately after an episode I must move my bowels. Does this happen to anybody else? I have had all the tests (tilt table included) and they point to V-Sycope. I can’t avoid retaurants and it could be a social problem for me. Any suggestions on how to best control these episodes?

Comment on Fun with Vasovagal Syncope! by Nicole

Nicole — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 18:15:55 +0000

It cracks me up that this post is three years old, but people are still posting to it because we’ve been so desperate to find other people with the same problem! I passed out once after an eye exam about six years ago, while sitting in the waiting room. Afterwards, the optometrist explained that he’d use the new numbing/eyeball-touching glaucoma test, and mentioned the vasovagel response. I’ve been putting off visiting the eye doctor since, but the two pairs of glasses I got back then are finally biting the dust, so I need to go in again. I’m just very anxious about it — I’ve been a fainter throughout my life (once after losing a tooth when 10; felt faint after getting my ears pierced; fainted wearing a corset costume in a hot room; felt faint after getting novocaine for the first time; fainted when attempting to give blood–even though they hadn’t stuck me with a needle yet(!); have to recline while getting blood drawn at the doctor.) I’m okay with shots, though, and allergy prick testing.

I’m really hoping that the doctor will allow me to have the puff test instead of the touch test. I’d had the puff test at previous appointments and was fine, and have also worn contacts without a problem.

For the record, my fainting episode at the eye doctor’s was my worst. I had a friend with me, incidentally, to help with picking out frames, and she said I had seemed to seize a bit while out. Even though I felt fine when we left the office, I almost passed out again in her car, so we went to the ER. I was released, but spent the entire afternoon napping–I was exhausted. I’d put off eating lunch before my appointment, and think that probably exacerbated my fainting tendency (I get shaky/nauseated from low blood sugar sometimes), but at the ER my blood glucose was 98, so they said that shouldn’t have contributed. Regardless, I plan to eat something substantial with a bit of sugar and salt before I go. Now if only I could get myself to SET the appointment!

Comment on Fun with Vasovagal Syncope! by Michele

Michele — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 17:19:19 +0000

I took my daughter to a new eye doctor. She is 15 and has been having her eyes examined since she was 3. She did the first part of the exam and was fine. They put the numbing drops in her eyes and then the dye off a piece of paper. The other doctor had never did the paper strip before. She was in the chair and had her chin and the device and slowly went down. I grabbed her and she remained sitting straight up. She was very clammy and couldn’t respond even though her eyes were open. She just kept answering me with huhu. Finally the doctor checked her pulse and it was good we reclined her and she still wouldn’t respond. The assistant used the smelling salts and she came right out of it. She states she remembers after the paper her eyes feel funny and then like she was in a tunnel. When she finally came out of it she complained her ears were ringing. She was soaking wet even though her hands were cold. It was scary to watch but then she was fine, got her eyes dilated and finished the exam with no other problems. Her pupils remained dilated all evening and she had a slight headache.

Comment on Fun with Vasovagal Syncope! by Dianna

Dianna — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 01:41:21 +0000

Susan, therapy will not help vasovagal syncope, it’s a physiological response not a psychological one. There is no treatment. Basically your veins dilate or widen inappropriately to bodily stimuli and your blood drops to your feet and pools in your lower extremities. This causes not enough blood to get to your brain and so your body faints, which causes your brain to be level with your feet/heart and blood can then get to your head. If he starts to feel weird (nauseated, darkness of the vision), have him lie down on a flat surface.

For those of you who have this with blood draws, you will often get the false advice to “just relax” because they think you have a needle phobia. Relaxing may lower your blood pressure and instigate the syncope, so instead “pump” your leg muscles while they draw blood (clench or contract your calf muscles), this will allow blood to leave your lower extremities and allow blood to be part of the circulation. I’ve had a number of blood draws using this technique and not experienced syncope.

-Dianna

Comment on Fun with Vasovagal Syncope! by susan

susan — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 15:42:43 +0000

Thank you to everyone for sharing.
My 14 year old son suffered a fainting spell while getting fitted for contacts yesterday. He’s had other episodes - at the dentist, after getting hit hard by a baseball, at a school play, getting on a plane - and I thought they were anxiety panic attacks. I was planning to have him talk to a therapist.

Do you think that would help?

Comment on Olympic Progress by Skechers

Skechers — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:16:26 +0000

Hiya!. Thanks a bunch for the blog. I’ve been digging around for info, but i think i’m getting lost!. Google lead me here - good for you i suppose! Keep up the great information. I will be popping back over in a couple of days to see if there is updated posts.

Comment on Fun with Vasovagal Syncope! by Melinda Maxfield

Melinda Maxfield — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:54:48 +0000

This is FABULOUS!!! I finally figured out what has been plaguing me my entire life. My first episode was at age 11 when I fainted when visiting a friend in the hospital. Passed out cold! Then again when, performing at an old folk’s home at age 13, fainted during a Christmas show. (Lots of IV’s in the audience) Fast forward to the eye test 10 years ago… fainted, had to have smelling salts and oxygen. Then trying to get contact lenses ( hilarious!!!) I threw up and fainted and the doctor said i needed psychological help :) Husband in the hospital with a broken Femur, the nurse says “you look kind of…..” Woke up on a gurney outside his hospital room. (the family still laughs about that !) I am sooooo GLAD to know it is not just me being “squeamish” and to “buck up”…..

Comment on Fun with Vasovagal Syncope! by Dianna

Dianna — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:46:52 +0000

I too have vasovagal syncope (29yo female, 4th year medical student), but I have convulsive syncope so I get a grand mal seizure type activity every time I pass out (urinary incontinence/tongue biting). The neurologist thinks I have a low seizure threshold. It had only happened 5 times (blood draws and concussion), but last summer, they did the “new” glaucoma test (not the puff of air), and I had the syncope/seizure a few minutes after they touched the tocometer to my eye. I wasn’t even aware that anything touched my eye (because it was numb). I had assumed it was the touching of the eye and not the drops that caused the syncope. Did you guys have the glaucoma test and pass out or just the drops and pass out? I’m trying to decide whether to tell them not to ever use flouriscein drops or just not to get the tocometer glaucoma test.

Incidentally, the eye doctor decided to finish the eye exam!…here I am, sitting in a pool of my own urine and feeling nauseated and diaphoretic, but yeah, let’s check my vision NOW!!

Comment on Fun with Vasovagal Syncope! by Amber

Amber — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 04:54:39 +0000

I too nearly fainted today after receiving the eye drops and glaucoma test. I asked the doctor if he thought it was the eye drops, but he felt it was due to the pressure placed on my eyes from the glaucoma test itself. He did try to rinse the drops out of my eyes several minutes after I felt faint, but it was absorbed by my body already. The doctor said he’d seen this once or twice before and had the sense to lay me down immediately.

My symptoms started about a minute after the test. I felt suddenly nauseous, then dizzy, and then I broke out into a hot sweat like a hot flash I suppose. I felt dizzy and agitated as well.

The doctor said my blood pressure had dropped significantly and the technician said I looked extremely pale when the doctor called her in to help.

A note was placed in my file and a letter sent to my doctor.