Strange Pots Questions

[lorrie]

This is nothing serious, but I am curious about a few things that have happened to me since POTS started. Please take a moment to share your experiences...

1. Where is the strangest place you have had an episode?

I have had tons of episodes in odd and embarrassing places, but the strangest is probably on a field trip to the zoo with my class. I fainted close to a emu exhibit and woke up with about 9 emus staring at me...thankfully, they couldn't reach me through the fence. I normally wake up to see human faces looking down at me...imagine how confusing it was to see those funny looking birds when I opened my eyes...lol

2. What is the weirdest suggestion you have received from someone who has been around when you faint?

I passed out in K-Mart one time and when I came around, an old lady said "honey, you need to be drinking more milk so your bones can hold you up better"....what? I was speechless...that was one strange old lady.

Sorry for the silly post, but I just wonder if any of you have ever had stuff like this happen.

[Guest tearose]

My POTS does not always end in fainting, I desperately try not to see spots and rarely end in faint. My goal has been to learn fast how not to go there. I still have tons of other sypmtoms to deal with but fortunately I only have several full fainting episodes. So, here was my worst:

Before I really understood what was happening and before my POTS diagnosis, I was having pelvic pain when standing and so to see what was happening anatomically my doctor ordered a "Stand Up MRI". :) I naturally passed out in the machine and wound up down and out and woke up on the other side of the room in the arms of a nurse, clammy, drenched in sweat and feeling nausea. A stand up MRI???? I can't stand still and I can't go without compression or I do pass out.

As for advise about how to avoid passing out, most unknowing people will just assume I am nervous or need some orange juice.

[bjt22]

Hmmm.....I just seem to attract the very elderly. They seem to always sense when I'm needing help when I'm out. Not sure what that's all about.

[Ernie]

Hi,

The most dangerous place I have fainted is crossing a 6 way very busy boulevard. I was paralysed for 20 minutes and it took that time for the ambulance to come and pick me up. Good thing other people formed a barrier to protect me.

Another dangerous time was when I was doing a postural test at the hospital and I passed out. The doctor decided to keep me up while I was unconscious for 6 minutes to see what would happen. My HR was 250 the whole time I was up unconscious. I had heart pain for 2 months after and had to see an ostheopath for my pericardinum. I woke up with terrible migraine, nausea, shakiness, heart pain, and other symptoms and don't remember.

The thing that I hate the most when I wake up is hearing: Don't worry I am a doctor! I they would know how much I don't trust doctor they would just shut up.

[hollie]

I've been pretty lucky that most of my episodes heve been at home. The worst I would say was the grociery store. Everyone just looked at me like I'm nuts (of course). As strange as this sounds... I would actually like some of my friends and family to watch an episode so they would know what's going on and see how bad I get. Most have not witnessed it.

As far as advice... you name it! Nothing that I'm sure you haven't heard before yourself. Although, I was told I need more sun once. I didn't get that cuz I'm constantly outside with my kids!

Hollie

[masumeh]

Strangest place.... toss up between my college campus's busiest staircase and a street in front of our house. Street was cold. Brrrr.

Strangest person's comment... First time my dad saw it, he just kept saying, "Wake up. Whenever you want to wake up. Can you wake up now? Not yet? Ok. How about now? Are you awake yet? Can you hear me? If you can hear me, say something? Oh, no, if you can hear me, do something. Blink your eyes. Are you awake? I know you can hear me. Wake up!" Then when my mom tried to convince him that I'm having an episode, but I can hear, he insisted that I cannot hear and I am just asleep (in the middle of the living room floor). That faint was brady shock and lasted about 2 hours. (I can hear while I'm out, but I can't move, speak, etc.)

Most people try to give me juice. I think they assume I've had a diabetic siezure from low blood sugar.

Most annoying is when they try to move my body while I'm out. It usually ends up injuring me.

[stellakitty]

Strangest place... Hmmm... I've fallen off the toilet more times than I care to confess and then can't remember getting up and going to the bathroom and wonder *** I'm doing on the bathroom floor with my panties down around my ankles. But I've read on some website that is a common occurance, only for me it happens just because I'm sitting there....

Strangest thing anyone has ever said... My mom and I were taking the Amtrack back from Milwaukee 2.5 years from a nsg consult to dx chiari malformation... We were at the Chicago station and I kept passing out... Finally this man carried me to a couch from my w/c and laid me down. While I was out, he told my mom if they (the doctors) had ever considered if allergies were the root of all my problems. My mom said no, we are pretty sure that I don't have allergies. Actually we were on our way home from an appointment and we think e know what might be going on... Then he finally siad you should contact Barbara Walters and them... They always figure out those crazy mysteries... They're good at solving murders, maybe they could help your daughter. By then I was awake and it was time to board the train... And no it's not allergies... The problem is with my spine and head and collegen, thank you very much crazy barbara walters fan.

[lorrie]

I guess I'm weird, but I got a chuckle out of some of these answers. It's amazing how odd the public can be at times. I can relate to those of you who have had juice pushed on you. Almost everyone (including medical people) insist it is from low blood sugar and nothing you can say will change their minds...lol

Thanks for taking time to share!

[ajw4790]

Hi,

Yeah, for me episodes do not often mean fainting, but pretty much everything other than it.

Weirdest place... The episode at Turner Field was not fun... I puked all over the concession area. Also, in a bad episode where vision and cognition is compromised I found myself in the mens bathroom... One of the workers came in and looked for the guy I had "been with". That was an unpleasant one as well...

Weirdest response... I actually haven't had any good ones that I remember. Mostly people blow off my symptoms. I guess one response that was unfortunate was a professor during a practical "hands on" test, in a VERY hot building (like everyone had pit stains etc.), and we were in a tight space with the florescent lights beating down on us, I stupidly was wearing black, and I was being forced to stand in approximately the same spot. So, recipe for disaster... I started to fade out then everything went black, but I could still talk and hear to a degree. Anyways, the response was because of the reaction I failed that practical exam, and that I needed to call the next day because my staying in the program was in jeopardy and that if I redid the practical I would only be eligible for the minimum passing grade... Which went on to put me on probation. At this point I was still undiagnosed and therefore did not have help from disability services. But, because of this one incident of my body not being able to take the environment, I was told that I had to pretty much shape up or I was going to be out of the program. (I guess I have a few stories along those lines... but no funny ones... the milk one that was hilarious... I wonder how she arrived at that thought process? )

[morgan617]

My first one. I paralyze. I had a bad experience with paramedics when I was having really bad arrythmias, like who hasn't, but was not too trusting of them after that (der)...but I did it in my husband's doctor's office during his visit. No clue what was going on..

The paramedic was very very sweet, and I had never met him (just the cretin before him) this was about something totally different than the arrythmias, but I remember looking at him and telling him how much I hated him because he was so mean to me. I remember he smiled because he realized I had no clue who he was, I was confused. But then I paralyzed and he was wonderful, so I had to send him cookies because I felt so bad.

The stupidest thing ever said is a tie between my dad and a doctor. My dad said, don't think about and it will stop. The doctor said, why is your potassium 2.3...like I would know and fix it magically on my own.

I also face planted in front of my doctor. I was going back to the room, he was standing there looking at a chart and glanced up at me. I remember turning my head and looking at him...and kersplat, absolutely no ability to even try and save myself. Then, while lying across my hubby's lap, I told my doctor he was the most beautiful man I had ever seen and I was in love with him.. Good grief, it's a good thing Dave knows how much I love him...so that was something stupid I said.