Fainted / Passed out

So, I was stuck in this incredibly stuffy, suffocating little bar the other day... we were just standing around sipping some wine when suddenly everything just went black. I literally hit the floor. Is that actually a thing that happens when your blood pressure drops? Especially since wine can tank your pressure and there was absolutely zero airflow in that place... I mean, I’ve had those dizzy spells before if it gets too cramped, but usually, I just step outside for a breath of fresh air and it clears right up. This time, though... I didn't even make it out... Plus, I'm pretty thin, so maybe that played a part in it too... Has anyone else dealt with something like this?

Alright folks... I'm new here—apologies for jumping straight into a thread right after registering—but I need to lay out my situation first to see if anyone can actually help. I'll get my profile filled out and everything else squared away in the meantime...
It all started last September. I grew up in a rural area, I'm turning 17 next month, and I've been into bodybuilding. I weigh about 165 lbs, I'm ripped, I run daily for 3.1 miles, and I eat clean—nothing processed, just natural, home-cooked stuff. No drinking, no smoking. I train hard, I'm in peak shape, and honestly, I’ve always felt invincible. I’ve never had issues before—I could work under a blistering 120-degree sun and just sweat through it without a second thought. I've never even been to a doctor, except for one time when I had some grit stuck in my eye. Aside from the dentist, I haven't been sick once in my seventeen years. And that’s where it all went south. Last September, I had four teeth fixed and one pulled at the dentist, and that was the first time I blacked out. Then, I bumped my leg—nothing major, just a minor hit—and passed out again. Later, I cut myself on some glass—lost a lot of blood there—and knocked out once more. Today, I was using a screwdriver and messed up my arm—I didn't puncture it, just pressed too hard trying to see where it caught, and the skin stretched out until my arm looked like a pyramid—likely hitting that vein-tendon thing that runs down toward the wrist—and boom, passed out again. I don't get why this keeps happening. Every single time, I make it home, sit down, call my mom, lie back, and *then* I lose consciousness. It's not even the sight of blood—when I hit my leg, there wasn't any blood, yet I still went down. And seeing blood doesn't gross me out; I can handle pain just fine. Even now, with this arm messed up, I'm typing just fine—it's only the moment the incident occurs that I pass out. It makes zero sense given my lifestyle, my health, and my physical build...
Thanks to anyone who tries to help; hope I haven't bored you all to death...
Best regards...

The issue you're facing isn't actually physical—it’s psychological... It's fear.

Look, I’m not afraid—I’ll offer you my hand right now and you can just cut it... I truly don't care. In the middle of all this, I forgot to mention that I do BMX stunts—which means fear isn't an option in my line of work. And if this is some kind of psychological issue, why didn't it hit me immediately? For instance, when I cut myself on glass—first I just went to wash my hands, watching the whole thing happen without a care in the world while both my hands were bleeding and it was dripping down my legs. It was a wrist cut—thankfully I didn't hit any veins—so I went inside and called my mom over; she wrapped it up, though I actually had to show her how to do it properly. It wasn't until everything was bandaged—maybe three or four minutes later—that I finally passed out.
I assume there’s no cure for that kind of mental glitch—unless I just keep getting injured constantly and tell myself, "I won't pass out, I won't pass out." 😁
Now, thinking about it more clearly, maybe you have a point—because the very first thing that crossed my mind yesterday was that I was going to black out, so I immediately laid down and propped my legs and my injured arm up in the air...

I truly believe what you're telling me—honestly! But, if I may suggest one more step—you really ought to get a professional opinion from your doctor. At the end of the day, we're all just speculating here, aren't we? It might be best to sit down with your physician and work together to pinpoint exactly what that "trigger" might be.

As a starting point, though—and please take this as friendly advice—try to learn how to recognize those early warning signs of fainting. Once you start feeling it coming on, just make sure you find a safe spot to lie down immediately... you know, just to prevent any nasty falls or hitting your head on something. 😉

I don't deal with fainting—ever—except when things go sideways like I mentioned above. Look, I’m physically intense; I train three times a day, I've got insane stamina, and I can handle just about any weather—whether it's 0 or 100 degrees, it doesn't move me. I've never felt dizzy or off-balance before... absolutely nothing. It was only those few instances I noted where I actually felt myself going down and ended up on the floor. The first time was just sitting in a car, and the rest... well, I was down. Honestly, I don't get why someone like me—considering my physique and my mental toughness—would have even one single moment of passing out. It’s actually embarrassing—because everything my friends can't do or aren't allowed to do, I can and I do—yet here I am, losing consciousness. Once it passes, I just get right back up like nothing happened. Like it didn't even occur.

Alright, here’s the deal, I don't even know where to start...😁
Lately, I've been dealing with constant dizziness. I actually passed out once, and now I can't even step foot outside without this wave of panic hitting me—not because I'm afraid of the sensation itself, but because the idea of collapsing in public is just mortifying! 🤣

So, I went to get some blood work done to see if that was the culprit, since I've struggled with low iron my entire life. But the results came back perfect—better than they've ever been! 😁
It doesn't seem to be related to the sun either, because this awful feeling usually creeps up on me in the evening. I'm thinking it might not be blood pressure issues, since I could always leave the house despite my history with BP, though these dizzy spells have been popping up more frequently since this winter started. I keep wondering if I'm just psyching myself out and triggering this panic, which then makes everything feel worse, or... does anyone else deal with something like this?

Please, give me some insight before I go running to the doctor and causing a scene! 😛

To honestly smells like low blood pressure to me. Why don't you go get it checked out first? See a doctor.

Sure, but I’ve dealt with low blood pressure my entire life, so it never really caused much trouble before... until it turns out I was dealing with mild panic attacks and this constant fear of just passing out, which only makes everything feel worse.

Is this a psychological issue or perhaps something physical, like a misaligned atlas vertebra? I suspect there might be some merit to that theory, especially after catching some segments of Edge of Science. Everything being discussed here feels somewhat cryptic and shrouded in mystery. Perhaps getting an MRI would provide some clarity?

What do you mean by "mysterious"? I don't really follow that kind of talk. My doctor mentioned something about a vertebra too, but wouldn't those symptoms have shown up much sooner if it were actually something serious?
Anyway, I'm going to start the treatment they prescribed and then head back in to see if we can get a straight answer... It's possible, though. I tend to struggle with paranoia sometimes—nothing extreme, just those moments where the anxiety starts to take hold...

I'm 16, and I went to the gym for the first time the other day. I started off with about 15 minutes of alternating between walking and running, then hopped on the stationary bike for maybe 5 minutes. After that, I moved over to the machines. I was lifting some weights, but nothing too heavy—mostly just overhead presses, I think that's what they're called—and some leg exercises. At first, I just felt a bit nauseous in my stomach, so I sat down for a bit and felt okay. But once I stood back up to start chest exercises, I felt even worse than before. I tried heading toward the locker room, but everything started spinning wildly. I managed to hit the light switch, but then I just blacked out. When I came to, I was lying on the floor with my head buzzing, but after I washed my face, I felt fine again...

Before the gym, I had eaten one pancake with Nutella and drank a small cup of milk.

Maybe someone knows what the issue might be??

btw: I've also been feeling a little under the weather; I have a cough, a sore throat, and a runny nose...

Wait, you were feeling sick, nauseous, and you actually pushed through a workout anyway?!?

Man,
reading this, if you had a pancake right before working out and then felt weak and overheated, I’d say your blood sugar probably crashed... (just my amateur opinion)

But honestly, I think it’s pretty reckless to exercise when you aren't feeling well. And if you actually pass out, you definitely need to go talk to a doctor!!!

ironsurfer8 said:Wait, you were feeling sick, nauseous, and you actually pushed through a workout anyway?!?

Man,
reading this, if you had a pancake right before working out and then felt weak and overheated, I’d say your blood sugar probably crashed... (just my amateur opinion)

But honestly, I think it’s pretty reckless to exercise when you aren't feeling well. And if you actually pass out, you definitely need to go talk to a doctor!!!

Yeah, I checked online and apparently it can happen where your blood sugar drops if you eat something right before hitting the gym. Then again, maybe I was just a bit dehydrated too; I hadn't had anything to drink for about two hours before the gym, and nothing while I was there either. It's also possible I'm just overexerting myself during brisk walks since my fitness level isn't great right now.

placidlynx82 said:I'm 16, and I went to the gym for the first time the other day. I started off with about 15 minutes of alternating between walking and running, then hopped on the stationary bike for maybe 5 minutes. After that, I moved over to the machines. I was lifting some weights, but nothing too heavy—mostly just overhead presses, I think that's what they're called—and some leg exercises. At first, I just felt a bit nauseous in my stomach, so I sat down for a bit and felt okay. But once I stood back up to start chest exercises, I felt even worse than before. I tried heading toward the locker room, but everything started spinning wildly. I managed to hit the light switch, but then I just blacked out. When I came to, I was lying on the floor with my head buzzing, but after I washed my face, I felt fine again...

Before the gym, I had eaten one pancake with Nutella and drank a small cup of milk.

Maybe someone knows what the issue might be??

btw: I've also been feeling a little under the weather; I have a cough, a sore throat, and a runny nose...

It could be anything. Simple syncope, an arrhythmia...
You really ought to see a doctor and get a basic blood panel and an EKG done.

vividsailor7 said:It could be anything. Simple syncope, an arrhythmia...
You really ought to see a doctor and get a basic blood panel and an EKG done.

But what if the blood work, the EKG, and even the blood pressure all come back normal? I mean, what else could cause someone to faint?

Well, I was on this hospital diet that’s usually supposed to last 15 days, but I ended up stretching it out to 40. On that 40th day, I blacked out, and afterward, I felt incredibly nauseous and ended up throwing up several times. My blood work looked fine—glucose and iron levels were both good—and my blood pressure was steady at 110/60, so I'm just lost.

It happened right after breakfast; granted, it was just some toast, but still.🙂

Could be low blood pressure, blood sugar crashing, overexerting yourself, or just plain dehydration... especially when you're hitting it hard at the gym.

Roger Rodriguez said:But what if the blood work, the EKG, and even the blood pressure all come back normal? I mean, what else could cause someone to faint?

Well, I was on this hospital diet that’s usually supposed to last 15 days, but I ended up stretching it out to 40. On that 40th day, I blacked out, and afterward, I felt incredibly nauseous and ended up throwing up several times. My blood work looked fine—glucose and iron levels were both good—and my blood pressure was steady at 110/60, so I'm just lost.

It happened right after breakfast; granted, it was just some toast, but still.🙂

The fainting itself isn't quite as worrying as the vomiting that followed. If you haven't already, you really ought to go see a neurologist. It could be anything from vasovagal syncope to orthostatic hypotension or even hyperventilation...

vividsailor7 said:The fainting itself isn't quite as worrying as the vomiting that followed. If you haven't already, you really ought to go see a neurologist. It could be anything from vasovagal syncope to orthostatic hypotension or even hyperventilation...

I’ve had an EEG, a CT scan, and a carotid artery imaging test (I can't recall the exact name 😬), and the results show I have cervical compression syndrome. However, it seems everyone here just attributed my symptoms to my diet, so they didn't take the neck issue very seriously. Honestly, I'm not even sure if "that" could actually be what's causing me to lose consciousness 🤷

Roger Rodriguez said:I’ve had an EEG, a CT scan, and a carotid artery imaging test (I can't recall the exact name 😬), and the results show I have cervical compression syndrome. However, it seems everyone here just attributed my symptoms to my diet, so they didn't take the neck issue very seriously. Honestly, I'm not even sure if "that" could actually be what's causing me to lose consciousness 🤷

That right there is your culprit. Your arteries weren't delivering enough blood and oxygen to your brain, and well, you know what happens next. And yeah, the diet could definitely be playing a role too. What you're describing sounds like carotid and vertebral artery disease.