Developed A Fear Of Fainting

[Heartwillforever]

Iv'e been passing out on and off for years now. You would think I would get use to it but I can't. The last time I fainted was in May then recentally just started back up again. I went to the doc because of this...and when I stood up to leave I woke upon the floor. How embaressing!! I hit my head off the chair he said. Then i almost passed out from hitting my head. I couldn't see or hear anything. He put me on midrodine. I took it 5 years ago . It helped then and it seems to be helping now. The problem now is that I'm afraid to go anywhere because I dont want anyone to see me passout. I'm afraid if I go to the doc he will just think it was all anxiety or something. I've never had anxiety but now I'm just so nervous about it.:/ Anyone ealse have this problem? If people diddn't make such a big deal about it I think it wouldn't be as bad.

[lieze]

Yes I did have this fear but I have never passed out.

I just had the presyncope but I would get so nervous.

And I would worry especially when I was any where but home that I would get this way.

I guess the fear has passed some. I would say it is very similar to a social anxiety type thing.

In your case it really happens but you just don't know when it will happen.

I'm sorry that you're living with this.

It's horrible. I don't even faint and I can hardly stand the swimmy and crushy sensations I get in my head when I go places. It just makes me want to crumple and give up.

Hang in there we're here whenever you want to talk about it.

lieze

[Brye]

Definitely!! It's a horrible feeling!! There are a lot of things I can't do because if it. I would love to coach some of my kids teams but I'm afraid of how traumatic it would be if I passed out in front of them all. I can't even fill in if my husband can't make it to coach. Very frustrating. It's bad enough they've had to witness it. I feel awful for them. Then when it happens it's so hard to decide when follow up is needed. Is this just another POTS moment or is there something else going on. I feel you fear anyway. Never something anyone should have to get used to!!

Brye

[ladyt]

hi..

I used to be a bigg time fainter, and i still do it time from time (yesterday actyally).. Its one of the reason I use wheelchair.. But I can faint sitin too (did yesterday)..

many many years ago I did gett an anxiety attatc after fainting in a pub whit peole i didnt realy know in an ust moved to a new town (it was not my first fainting,).. The anxiety attac sceard me silly , so i desided that I would never have one ever again. So fare i have managed that.. But I am avare that can be imposible for others for difrent reasons.. Like I have tryed for years to not pass put or ust become a uselless yellyfish.. So fo me I could try to controll one element, my fear etc..

This stuff take to much from my life allreaddy... But of course because of the fainting and the rest I have stuff i dont do, or only at a better moment/ extra help..

Like I dont go swimming alone, and only whit people that are comf in the water and whit my stuff.. If I am going horesbackriding i have an entourage (other wise they say no).. Thats why i havent been on a horse for about two years or so..

I can relate to a fear of fainting.. But whit all the stuff your body is doing, added fear is better to shed.. Very easy to say, and often very hard to do.. But if u canfind a way to lessen it... By talking to some one, writing it down etc etc..

But u should se a doc about it.. I am on midodrin also, I faintet much more before it.. but as i said, still faint..

And DONT gett emberrased.. Its nothing to gett emeraseed about.. Its an awfull conditon..

But i do understan why u can feel emmerased etc.. For me whan i faint, after I am usealy a bitt out of it, and that in a veird way help. Cause I have to use all myenergy to gett home ore to a better place and gett better etc.. And I sort of try to tune out people aruond me (expet a few)..

Sometimes I gett angry/frustraited, like in situations that are spesial etc.. Like in weddings and stuff like that.. i dont whant to be the woman that always faint (but i gess i am).. I would like some positiv atension, not over a stupid awfull thing like fainting.. And people gett so weird about it..

But whit my wheelchair i last longer.. So the last wedding i fainted in was later in the evning.. still not fun but.. Fainting along strangers when i have my parter or mom whit is no bigg deal.. i will never se does people again..

To day my goal is to never faint again, or try my hardes (i know i dont really controll this, but influens i have), so when i faint i gett bit anoid ..

Sorry I had a nice weel formulaited post in my head.. i dont gett to express it ust like i wnated to , bitt all over tha place.. brainfogg..

best of luck..

And dont be emberast about it to your doc, gett hin to help u..

[Janey]

I understand how if something becomes a constant possibility for you, you fear it. I have this about vomiting. My stomach is the first thing to go whenever I get POTsy, and there are SO many ways to vomit when you have dysauto - through gastroparesis, intestinal dysmotility, acid-reflux, POTS, pre-syncope, abdomen pooling... there isn't an hour of the day where I don't feel nauseous all the time.

I think it's about control - as they are things that we can't control, we fear them. It's like not even having a hold on the time or place or whether it's in public or private. It's irrational, but it's natural, I think, if these things threaten us constantly.

My thoughts go out to you

[gertie]

It has ruined my life. It is always in the back of my mind. I have fainted elsewhere but it's usually in the bathroom. Now the added fear of having to use the BR especially if I'm away from home. I also have Meniere's disease so the stress level is unbearable if I have to go anywhere in a car. Just taking my DH to one of his dr visits or when he has to go to the hospital for anything that will take all day is almost more than my mind can tolerate. I'm sorry I can't say anything that will help you other than I know how you feel.

[sj75]

i cant help other than to say that i have exactly the same fear, going out can be a real problem for me as i dont want to be ill in front of anyone. I wish i knew what the answer was.x

[flop]

When I first became ill I had exactly the same problem. I didn't want to go anywhere alone where I might faint and create a scene. I felt okay at home with my family and at work because I had good collegues who knew just to lift my feet up, fetch a glass of cold water and let me rest - but I didn't want to go to the shops or the cinema or anywhere where fainting would cause a fuss.

I didn't want to talk to my doctor about my fear because I thought I would be labled as "anxious" or that they would think the fainting was all in my mind!

I found that talking about my fears helped me to conquer them. I actually realised that when I was very anxious my tachycardia was even faster than normal so being frightened actually made my POTS worse. I didn't see a therapist but this is the sort of thing that can be helped by therapy.

I got some books on anxiety from the library and then started to learn basic meditation skills. Nothing fancy, just how to relax my mind so that I am not thinking about anything. At about that time I also started going to a Tai Chi class (I wanted gentle slow exercise to help my joints without making my tachy).

Now I am more comfortable with my POTS and the fact that I sometimes faint. I do adjust what I do but I am now happy to go out and about alone. Sometimes I do faint (yes, had one today whilst at my orthopaedic appointment!) but I have learnt that as soon as I wake up I say "I'm okay, I don't need an ambulance, I faint a lot". By being able to tell the strangers around me that I'm okay, they also calm down and it stops people from making a fuss. I do have a bracelet with my medical info incase I faint and hit my head hard, but I haven't needed it so far.

I hope you can learn to live with your symptoms so that you can still enjoy going out and doing things. POTS stops us doing many things but enjoying life needn't be one of them!

Flop

[nooniegirl]

I too suffer from the fear of fainting, in fact it has at times been so bad that it over shadows the POTS. I worry about fainting on the street, which I have done, fainting when holding the kettle, crossing the road, when I am alone with my children, when I use the bathroom (I don't lock the door), the list goes on. I also worry about who will help if it happens when I am out with my two children, I had a nasty inccident when it first happened and a drunk had started to walk away with my pushchair and my baby!! The other ridiculous thing is I worry I won't come round.

I suffer from a severe hospital phobia which has not been helped over the last year with all my POTs inccidents. I have been referred for Cognitive Behaviour Therapy to help with the phobia and I am hoping they may help me deal with the fear of fainting.

I feel really silly about it all and life before pots was never filled with so much anxiety.

Jess

[DESPERATE DEB]

Iv'e been passing out on and off for years now. You would think I would get use to it but I can't. The last time I fainted was in May then recentally just started back up again. I went to the doc because of this...and when I stood up to leave I woke upon the floor. How embaressing!! I hit my head off the chair he said. Then i almost passed out from hitting my head. I couldn't see or hear anything. He put me on midrodine. I took it 5 years ago . It helped then and it seems to be helping now. The problem now is that I'm afraid to go anywhere because I dont want anyone to see me passout. I'm afraid if I go to the doc he will just think it was all anxiety or something. I've never had anxiety but now I'm just so nervous about it.:/ Anyone ealse have this problem? If people diddn't make such a big deal about it I think it wouldn't be as bad.

I can definitely relate. I can't even lock the door on the bathroom anymore and actually take my phone in there with me just in case I have to ring someone in the house because I can't shout out to them! I get nervous when I'm out in case it happens and sometimes I think I will actually bring it on just by keep worrying about it. I really feel for anyone who has this phobia because it really affects my whole life now. I want to go back to work and am worried that I'll start work and won't be able to keep it up or if I fainted at work then they wouldn't keep me. I have now found a place where hopefully I can get some work at home which would suit me much better.

Hope you all have a "good" day today xx