FAQ

Find answers to some of the more frequently asked questions on the Forums.

Forums guidelines

Our guidelines keep the Forums a safe place for people to share and learn information.

Passing out a bit

Kat-007
Community Member

For over a year, I have been 'fainting', almost everyday. It's not necessarily fainting, as I'm still semi-conscious, but to keep it simple I'll just refer it to that, otherwise I call it episodes, because I also get severe dizzyspells as well. It starts off with heart palpitations, shortness of breath, feeling numb/cold, and then as if I'm being pulled back. I also feel like I'm extremely disorientated and confused as well.

I have had a lot of medical appointments and tests done to see what was going on. I've had four heart monitors, an MRI, two EEGs, and numerous blood tests. Everything came back fairly normal. I now have very few options left, and my mum and I are considering it to be a stress/anxiety problem. I've spoken to my psychologist about it, and she also agrees.

I'm not too sure how to feel about it all. I guess it's good that we can finally find the cause, however I am not sure I want that o be the answer. I was fainting all of last year pretty much on the daily basis, however they've recently returned. Only last week when I was working I ended up passing out for the first time in a month (before that it was around three months). I just feel really upset about it, because I genuinely thought that everything was going alright.

I scare quite a few people when I pass out, and there isn't necessarily a cause or reason as to why I get the symptoms before fainting. I feel extremely apologetic and guilty about it, because I have always been quite independent. I feel so embarrassed because I suddenly have a spotlight on me. I don't tell anyone when the symptoms begin to occur either, because they change and start goggling me. Like I'm some kind of young child.

I'm still fairly young, being in high school, and I'm just afraid that my fainting spells will continue again. They cause me a lot of stress and I often find that I am behind in work. Just the feeling of not knowing when or where these spells can occur frightens me. I've already passed out on the stairs twice, and I'm tired of the bruises and scrapes I get from the falls.

I just really want to be normal again, but these episodes just keep me feeling anxious about everything, which I'm sure isn't helping to the condition. I just want to know if there are others who have experienced this, because I really feel alone about it. Is there anything I could do? Anything anyone else did that helped?

I just want to know some stories and find some sense of peace: that I'm not alone.

Have a good day! ❤️ 🙂

2 Replies 2

sisu100
Community Member

Hi Kat-007,

Thank you for taking such a brave step in sharing this with us, we're so grateful that you've reached out here on the forums.

It sounds like it's been quite a rough year for you having to deal with these fainting episodes. I imagine it must have been really distressing and upsetting to have the fainting happen again last week, just when you were starting to feel normal and better again. Unfortunately, I have not experienced this myself but I just wanted to say that I'm here to be a listening ear if you needed a chat. Hopefully others that have experienced something similar can jump in and share their story or some words of advice.

I'm sure dealing with the fainting and also the anxiety that comes with it can be really tiring both physically and emotionally. I hope you do find some time to take care of yourself and do things that make you happy as well, whether it be just a short walk outside or doing some meditation.

Please feel free to check in and update us on how you're going if you feel up to it. Hope you're having a lovely week 🙂

Emmen
Champion Alumni
Champion Alumni

Hello Kat-007,

It sounds so tiring to have these fainting spells. The scary thing is that the more it happens, the more worried you become, and that contributes to your anxiety.

I didn't have fainting spells, but I did have spells of breathlessness. That made me feel weak and I hated it, because like you, I'm a pretty independent person. I was even afraid of eating with people, because eating just made the breathlessness worse. Up until I did a health checkup (which came out fine), I was convinced I probably had some terrible illness. These anxiety symptoms we feel can be very disruptive to our daily lives, and you're definitely not alone in feeling so helpless about it.

I'd like to offer a few suggestions that you can consider trying.

Firstly, don't avoid the social situations. In your case, be around people, keep up with your work as usual. This may sound silly, but give yourself a way out when you feel the fainting spells come. So if you feel lightheaded, perhaps 'accidentally' drop a pen on the floor or bend down to adjust your shoelaces so that you have a chance to crouch down without causing much alarm.

Secondly, try to do calming breathing exercises every few hours. You could do one in the morning, afternoon and evening, more frequent if you feel it helps. Hopefully that keeps your body in a more relaxed state and eventually stops the fainting spells (or at least, makes them less frequent).

You're definitely not alone in having anxiety disrupt your life, but I have faith that you will get through this.

Take care,
M