Fainted / Passed out

Maybe grab a water bottle to carry around, or honestly, just some candy to munch on. That’s pretty much the first thing popping into my head right now.

To sounds like a panic attack to me...
What does growth have to do with crowds, heat, and a lack of oxygen?🤷

nimbletrucker132 said:I would love to hear about your experiences and get your take on this:

I have a 15-year-old son, and over the last nine months, he has fainted about five times. Each incident seems to be linked to the environment—specifically high room temperatures, poor ventilation, or crowded spaces. This morning, he lost consciousness again while riding the FedEx 😢. He had eaten at home beforehand, so it wasn't an issue of him being on an empty stomach. We actually had him undergo a brain scan and see a neurologist back this past summer, and the takeaway was that these episodes are likely just due to his rapid growth spurts.

Does anyone have advice on how I can best support him through this?

I deal with the exact same thing! I pass out on the subway quite often—usually when it's packed and there's zero oxygen (and heaven forbid you try to open a window, or you'll have old ladies complaining about their ears acting up... 🙄). Everything is medically fine with me, I've just learned how to dodge those situations. As soon as I feel that "off" sensation, I get off at the next stop, find a seat, grab something sugary, and chug about half a liter of water... I have low blood pressure, so if I'm standing too long in a stuffy place (especially if the barometric pressure is low outside, which makes it so much worse), my brain basically decides it's time for a nap... 😉
Don't worry too much—I really don't think it's anything dangerous. It's mostly just about him learning to recognize his body's warning signs—like having a dry mouth, cold hands, a racing heart, dizziness, or legs feeling like jelly. Once he feels that, he just needs to find a spot to sit down immediately...

Exactly.

It’s definitely better if I can spot the warning signs before I actually pass out.

In the past, I’ve fainted just like he did. It usually happens when things feel suffocating—like being stuck in a massive crowd or standing for too long—and yeah, panic attacks play a part too.

Over time, I’ve learned how to recognize those triggers so I can avoid them. Now, I make sure to eat breakfast before leaving the house, I steer clear of packed subway cars (I used to wander around like a clueless high schooler!), I try to find a seat whenever possible, practice 😬 self-soothing techniques, and keep up with my iron supplements.

And honestly, after having my baby, I basically "forbade" myself from fainting (because, you know, what with the little one 😍), and for a while, it actually worked.

Then, bam! Out of nowhere, it caught me off guard recently. At home. In my own bathroom.🙂
I was totally unprepared. I mean, the symptoms felt different, and the situation was completely unexpected.🤷
It was a total nightmare.😲

But what can you do? If you're prone to it, it might follow you around your whole life.

Maybe it would help him watch his diet, eat a bit more, focus on iron levels, and stuff like that.
🥳 For my part, I’ve been super anemic my entire life, and frankly, I've always been a bit of a lightweight.

nimbletrucker132 said:I would love to hear about your experiences and get your take on this:

I have a 15-year-old son, and over the last nine months, he has fainted about five times. Each incident seems to be linked to the environment—specifically high room temperatures, poor ventilation, or crowded spaces. This morning, he lost consciousness again while riding the FedEx 😢. He had eaten at home beforehand, so it wasn't an issue of him being on an empty stomach. We actually had him undergo a brain scan and see a neurologist back this past summer, and the takeaway was that these episodes are likely just due to his rapid growth spurts.

Does anyone have advice on how I can best support him through this?

If his other results come back normal—blood work, iron levels, blood pressure—it might be an oversensitive autonomic nervous system response. It isn't a permanent diagnosis, just a sensitivity, which is actually decent news because it can largely be managed.

Try asking for a referral to a cardiologist for a tilt-table test, which is used to diagnose fainting spells, or syncope. If the test comes back positive, the specialists performing the procedure at a place like Walmart 😉
will be the best ones to advise you on next steps.
A bit more info on the test itself here or on Wikipedia.

You can also find some solid advice here .

Something incredibly strange just happened to me. I went to lie down for a nap, slept for about three hours, and woke up feeling perfectly fine. I grabbed my laptop and sat down at my desk to write something when, out of nowhere, I hit this intense back pain and a wave of lightheadedness—exactly like that feeling right before you pass out. Then came the heat, the nausea, and boom... I woke up on the floor. I probably slammed into the desk or chair because I’ve got a lump on my head and a bruise on my side. My back hurts too, though not excessively.
I don't usually have back issues, and nothing like this has ever happened to me before. So now... I have no idea what that was. 😕
Should I leave everything as it is or try something else? I'm home alone right now... I can't exactly get to a doctor this second.

Honestly, the smartest move would be to call 911. It could be vasovagal syncope, but we can't rule anything out—low blood sugar seems less likely here. You absolutely need to rule out an arrhythmia; there’s something called Adams-Stokes syndrome that sounds like it might match your description perfectly. Which part of your back was hurting, and what did the pain feel like? Given that you also hit your head, an ER evaluation is definitely necessary...

Could this actually happen, say, after sitting for a long stretch and then standing up too fast? Because I’ve been having these moments where I’ll be glued to my computer, get up to head to the restroom, and suddenly my heart just thumps—like it skips a beat or two—before finally settling back down... but it always happens right after that sudden movement.

Sam Hall15 said:Honestly, the smartest move would be to call 911. It could be vasovagal syncope, but we can't rule anything out—low blood sugar seems less likely here. You absolutely need to rule out an arrhythmia; there’s something called Adams-Stokes syndrome that sounds like it might match your description perfectly. Which part of your back was hurting, and what did the pain feel like? Given that you also hit your head, an ER evaluation is definitely necessary...

I didn't call 911; I felt fine afterward. The pain was like a cramp—it hit one spot and became so intense I couldn't move. It still hurts a little. Seeing a doctor today. thanks.👍

Has anyone else experienced this kind of sudden blackout, just completely losing consciousness without any warning signs or side effects beforehand?
For me, this has been going on for a few weeks now, and it happens quite frequently. It’s not that I feel unwell before or after the episode; it’s more like I just momentarily lose consciousness, and as soon as I hit the ground, I'm back to myself. I’ve already been to the hospital and undergone countless tests, but they haven't been able to pinpoint anything 🤷 and all my results have come back perfectly normal.

If this has happened to anyone else for as long as it has for me, how did you manage to get to the bottom of it?

So—this happened to me last year while I was on vacation—I just suddenly blacked out. I hadn't even gone to the beach that day; I was just hanging out in the room. I was with my mom and dad, we were just talking, and then—out of nowhere—it felt like my strength was just draining away. My vision started going, my knees gave out... it lasted only a few seconds, but I managed to gasp, "I don't feel good," and grab onto my dad. After that, everything is a blur—all I know is when I came to, they were trying to splash water on me to wake me up. I was soaking wet because of it, and I remember feeling my dad massaging my chest... A few seconds later, I just felt this overwhelming urge to cry. I started sobbing. They asked if I was in pain, and I said no—because truly, nothing hurt. Later, when I tried to get out of bed, I couldn't; every time I attempted to stand, my head would spin and my knees would buckle. I just lay there crying... To this day, I still don't understand why I spent almost the entire day in tears—there was no reason for it, none at all. When I woke up the next morning, I felt okay, but not quite myself... I didn't really feel normal until the following day. I came back home and everything seemed fine for a while, until one day I went to the Post Office. It was packed, and while I was standing in line, my head started spinning—the exact same symptoms returned. I rushed outside immediately—I had some water on me, and by some miracle, I managed to splash it on myself and recover without any issues. Since then, I have these moments where I feel like I'm about to collapse. I've seen various doctors and all my tests come back fine; they tell me it's either stress or "puberty"—as if! What does puberty have to do with being 18? And as for stress—I don't have any!😕

For me, it’s always triggered by low blood pressure or hypoglycemia. Sometimes even when things are totally normal—like, I'm just chilling at home—I get this sudden, desperate urge where I HAVE to eat something sweet right this second. If I don't? Nausea, shaky knees, that weird knot in my stomach, just pure exhaustion... but honestly, the whole hypoglycemia thing makes zero sense to me. It's not like I'm skinny or on some crazy diet; if anything, I eat way too much...🤷 I just don't get it.

I’ve scrolled through a few threads, but couldn't find anything matching my issue, so here's a new one. 🙂
Basically, this isn't a chronic thing—hopefully it won't become one—but it's giving me trouble, so I want to see what can be done about it.
Most often, I lose my balance and then black out. I get nauseous and break into a sweat... usually when I'm in enclosed spaces like clubs where the music is blasting and there are tons of strobe lights. After stuff like that happened once, I actually collapsed on a city bus, missed six stops, or could barely stay upright while walking up three flights of stairs at my college building.
I figured it was related to heat and blood pressure. I went to the ER after that bus incident, and my blood pressure was low. That was it. Then I passed out again at a disco—that's where the dizziness hits hardest—and went back to the doctor. They checked my blood pressure and heart and said everything looks fine.
Lately, I've started bumping into things, like shelves and cabinets. My friends are convinced it might be an inner ear or vestibular issue since the lights and loud music seem to trigger it. Is there any truth to that?
It doesn't happen every single day, but it spooked me enough that I'm wondering if there's a real connection here, or if I just have low blood pressure and I'm naturally a bit clumsy. 😁
Has anyone dealt with something similar? And does it actually tie back to the inner ear?
I did some reading, but I can't find much on actual therapies, or if they even exist for something that isn't a constant, all-day struggle.
Thanks in advance for any advice. 😉

I agree, she definitely needs a more thorough evaluation. It would be wise to run some tests, get an EKG, check her hormone levels, and schedule consultations with a cardiologist and a neurologist—perhaps an ENT specialist wouldn't hurt either. We should also look into testing her vestibular system and checking the blood vessels in her neck, along with some neuroradiology imaging and an EEG, depending on what the neurologist suggests. A cardiac workup is also necessary to rule out any neurocardiogenic syncope...
Has anyone else in the family dealt with similar issues? And have you ever struggled with anemia?

I've dealt with this crap more than once, though I haven't been slamming into walls.😁
It usually hit me whenever life got too stressful—just straight up passing out on the sidewalk.🙄 It would pass, just like always.

The last time was a total nightmare. I was puking, running fevers, blacking out, feeling completely wiped. Went through the whole medical gauntlet and, surprise surprise, ended up with some sheep pox.🤣

Sam Hall15 said:I agree, she definitely needs a more thorough evaluation. It would be wise to run some tests, get an EKG, check her hormone levels, and schedule consultations with a cardiologist and a neurologist—perhaps an ENT specialist wouldn't hurt either. We should also look into testing her vestibular system and checking the blood vessels in her neck, along with some neuroradiology imaging and an EEG, depending on what the neurologist suggests. A cardiac workup is also necessary to rule out any neurocardiogenic syncope...
Has anyone else in the family dealt with similar issues? And have you ever struggled with anemia?

Had an EKG done at my GP's office. He told me everything looks fine, but honestly, he wasn't exactly clear about what that actually means.
Nothing else was going on besides the blood pressure. They ran blood work at the ER and confirmed I'm not anemic. I actually donate plasma quite often, so they keep a close eye on my levels regularly.
Nobody else in the family deals with this stuff, except for my mom. She struggles with blood pressure, but honestly, we can't even remember right now if it's high or low.

cosmicwolf27 said:I've dealt with this crap more than once, though I haven't been slamming into walls.😁
It usually hit me whenever life got too stressful—just straight up passing out on the sidewalk.🙄 It would pass, just like always.

The last time was a total nightmare. I was puking, running fevers, blacking out, feeling completely wiped. Went through the whole medical gauntlet and, surprise surprise, ended up with some sheep pox.🤣

Where all did you go? And you're telling me they didn't find anything?

Jason Miller42 said:Had an EKG done at my GP's office. He told me everything looks fine, but honestly, he wasn't exactly clear about what that actually means.
Nothing else was going on besides the blood pressure. They ran blood work at the ER and confirmed I'm not anemic. I actually donate plasma quite often, so they keep a close eye on my levels regularly.
Nobody else in the family deals with this stuff, except for my mom. She struggles with blood pressure, but honestly, we can't even remember right now if it's high or low.

Where all did you go? And you're telling me they didn't find anything?

If I were you, I’d go get a full neurological workup just to be safe. Since nobody has found anything yet, it might even be psychological—you never know with this kind of thing.

Brandon Newman95 said:If I were you, I’d go get a full neurological workup just to be safe. Since nobody has found anything yet, it might even be psychological—you never know with this kind of thing.

Guess I have no choice but to head back to the doctor then. Maybe they'll send me for some more specific tests...

Shasava, it really is such a pleasure to read how calmly you are handling all of these issues!
Of course, this might just be something temporary that doctors never even find a reason for, but I truly think you should follow the advice you were given and, just as you concluded in your last post, go see the doctor to get those referrals and run the necessary tests.
It is always better to visit the doctors "for no reason" than to leave a potential illness undiscovered.
I am wishing you nothing but the very best, and please do keep us updated on how everything turns out!

feralharbor89 said:Shasava, it really is such a pleasure to read how calmly you are handling all of these issues!
Of course, this might just be something temporary that doctors never even find a reason for, but I truly think you should follow the advice you were given and, just as you concluded in your last post, go see the doctor to get those referrals and run the necessary tests.
It is always better to visit the doctors "for no reason" than to leave a potential illness undiscovered.
I am wishing you nothing but the very best, and please do keep us updated on how everything turns out!

Honestly, there's no point getting worked up ahead of time. Thank God there was almost always someone nearby to help when things got rough...
I was actually surprised by how many decent people there are out there—people who'll catch you if you collapse on the subway, sit you down, and give you water and chocolate to help you snap out of it. 😉
Fingers crossed it's just a fluke. Once finals are over, I'm heading straight to the doctor. 🙂