Fainted / Passed out

You absolutely have to get this checked out by a neurologist, no matter what!

So, something weird happened a few days ago...

I was out on the patio, having my first glass of white wine and snacking on some sesame sticks, when suddenly I got this sharp pain—like I’d swallowed a whole apple and it was stuck right in my esophagus... (that's where it all started...)

I think (though I can't be totally sure) it happens when you burp and hiccup at the exact same time... probably some pressure thing. Anyway, for about 20 seconds, I just froze—couldn't breathe, speak, or move—just waiting for the pain to pass.

After those 20 seconds, I suddenly felt incredibly nauseous. I rushed to the bathroom, and just as I reached it, I remember that sensation you get when you stand up too fast and everything goes black and you lose your balance.

Then I blacked out (obviously, since I don't remember hitting the floor), and the last thing I recall is waking up on my back, my head slamming against the tile. (The result is a massive bump on my head that hasn't gone away yet).

I came to after maybe 5 or 10 seconds, once my girlfriend heard the thud and ran into the bathroom to find me.

Nothing like this has ever happened to me before. I've never passed out or had an episode of slamming my head into the floor.

Since everything happened so fast, I have a feeling it's all connected, starting with that painful sensation in my throat.

Just a heads up... I deal with GERD, but I'm not on any meds right now (stopped about 4 months ago). Things have been much better since then, so I'm really hoping to avoid going back on them... (Nexium 20mg/day).

To be fair, I completely overhauled my diet and lost 10 pounds in the process (over about 3 months—all fatty foods) without any exercise, which is a little worrying...

My diet is mostly bread, olive oil, salt, pasta, potatoes, rice, poultry, spinach, lettuce, zucchini, and carrots (mostly mild stuff) and for drinks, just water, sparkling water, and occasionally white wine. Since I can't do yogurt, I take powdered probiotics.

Is this something I should be worried about? Thanks!

Michelle Brown6 said:So, something weird happened a few days ago...

I was out on the patio, having my first glass of white wine and snacking on some sesame sticks, when suddenly I got this sharp pain—like I’d swallowed a whole apple and it was stuck right in my esophagus... (that's where it all started...)

I think (though I can't be totally sure) it happens when you burp and hiccup at the exact same time... probably some pressure thing. Anyway, for about 20 seconds, I just froze—couldn't breathe, speak, or move—just waiting for the pain to pass.

After those 20 seconds, I suddenly felt incredibly nauseous. I rushed to the bathroom, and just as I reached it, I remember that sensation you get when you stand up too fast and everything goes black and you lose your balance.

Then I blacked out (obviously, since I don't remember hitting the floor), and the last thing I recall is waking up on my back, my head slamming against the tile. (The result is a massive bump on my head that hasn't gone away yet).

I came to after maybe 5 or 10 seconds, once my girlfriend heard the thud and ran into the bathroom to find me.

Nothing like this has ever happened to me before. I've never passed out or had an episode of slamming my head into the floor.

Since everything happened so fast, I have a feeling it's all connected, starting with that painful sensation in my throat.

Just a heads up... I deal with GERD, but I'm not on any meds right now (stopped about 4 months ago). Things have been much better since then, so I'm really hoping to avoid going back on them... (Nexium 20mg/day).

To be fair, I completely overhauled my diet and lost 10 pounds in the process (over about 3 months—all fatty foods) without any exercise, which is a little worrying...

My diet is mostly bread, olive oil, salt, pasta, potatoes, rice, poultry, spinach, lettuce, zucchini, and carrots (mostly mild stuff) and for drinks, just water, sparkling water, and occasionally white wine. Since I can't do yogurt, I take powdered probiotics.

Is this something I should be worried about? Thanks!

You can't get a diagnosis on a web forum.
It could be orthostatic syncope, vasovagal syncope, arrhythmia, anemia, or something else entirely.
Basically, you need to get checked out properly. You should have them check your blood pressure while sitting vs. standing, run blood work, an EKG, and potentially a TTE or a Holter monitor.

So, I got up from bed tonight and after maybe a minute, everything just went black—vision totally cut out—and I could feel my pulse dropping... I hit the floor immediately because, honestly, I know from experience that if I hadn't, I would've passed out cold.
I’ve had similar episodes before caused by hypoglycemia, but this time none of the usual stuff showed up—no shakes, no sweating, no racing heart, no nausea or weakness—so I’m thinking it was just a massive blood pressure drop.🤷
But this slowing heart rate thing has me worried... is that actually a normal precursor to fainting? Everything seemed to level out once I was lying down.

Edward Murphy4 said:So, I got up from bed tonight and after maybe a minute, everything just went black—vision totally cut out—and I could feel my pulse dropping... I hit the floor immediately because, honestly, I know from experience that if I hadn't, I would've passed out cold.
I’ve had similar episodes before caused by hypoglycemia, but this time none of the usual stuff showed up—no shakes, no sweating, no racing heart, no nausea or weakness—so I’m thinking it was just a massive blood pressure drop.🤷
But this slowing heart rate thing has me worried... is that actually a normal precursor to fainting? Everything seemed to level out once I was lying down.

You should definitely sit down with your primary care doctor first and get some basic diagnostics out of the way—think standard blood work, an EKG, and maybe even an ultrasound of the heart if they think it's necessary, or possibly a transesophageal one. Depending on what they find, you might need to go for more targeted testing like a Holter monitor or an EEG before deciding if you actually need to see a specialist, like a cardiologist or a neurologist.
Looking at the symptoms described, vasovagal syncope is definitely on the table, but we really need to rule out a whole bunch of other stuff first. Does anyone else in your family deal with similar issues?
Anyway, major props to you for handling that first aid like a pro right there at home. 😉

velvetmoose9 said:You should definitely sit down with your primary care doctor first and get some basic diagnostics out of the way—think standard blood work, an EKG, and maybe even an ultrasound of the heart if they think it's necessary, or possibly a transesophageal one. Depending on what they find, you might need to go for more targeted testing like a Holter monitor or an EEG before deciding if you actually need to see a specialist, like a cardiologist or a neurologist.
Looking at the symptoms described, vasovagal syncope is definitely on the table, but we really need to rule out a whole bunch of other stuff first. Does anyone else in your family deal with similar issues?
Anyway, major props to you for handling that first aid like a pro right there at home. 😉

This has been happening to me on and off for the last 10 years.🤣 Doctors haven't found anything specific, except for the fact that it only hits when I'm stressed out. And yesterday... yeah, yesterday was one of those days.

As for the first aid part—sadly, I have way too much experience with that.😬

Edward Murphy4 said:This has been happening to me on and off for the last 10 years.🤣 Doctors haven't found anything specific, except for the fact that it only hits when I'm stressed out. And yesterday... yeah, yesterday was one of those days.

As for the first aid part—sadly, I have way too much experience with that.😬

Alright, so you've probably already gone through all those tests, maybe even a tilt-table test, and I'm guessing everything came back looking totally normal... What did they actually list as your diagnosis in your medical records?

Other than anxiety, I don't have any diagnoses...

I’m dealing with something pretty similar. I’ve actually passed out twice now. The first time was during a church service—everything just went black, and then boom, I was down. The second time was during a math exam; I told the proctor I felt dizzy and was seeing spots, so I sat down, and luckily, I felt better almost immediately. Now, every single morning before school starts, I get incredibly nauseous. It doesn't stop until I finally throw up, and then I'm fine. I've seen a doctor and I'm currently on medication for it. Is there anyone else out there going through this exact same thing? Please let me know. 🙂

Lately, I’ve been dealing with this weird thing where everything just goes pitch black in front of my eyes out of nowhere, and I get hit with this intense wave of weakness, almost like my heart is being squeezed tight for a second. It all flashes by in just a few seconds, you know? And it isn't even that sudden standing up from a chair kind of thing, because it happens while I'm just walking around... plus, it's definitely not because I'm tired, since there are times when it hits me while I'm just chilling and feeling totally rested

I guess I was just out walking the dog when everything suddenly went black.

Hi there,
A few days ago, I experienced my first fainting spell. I was out with some friends, hadn't been drinking, and we weren't in a crowded or stuffy room—plus, I had eaten well that day (if that makes any difference). I felt absolutely wonderful all evening, but then suddenly, I felt this brief flash of heat. The next thing I remember is just sitting on a wall, surrounded by my friends. They told me that I simply collapsed onto the ground and was unconscious for about five minutes, so they had to carry me outside. Once I came to, I actually felt fine, 🤷 though I do have a bump on my forehead from the fall.

Should I be worried and go see a doctor, or is this not really that serious?
Thanks so much for your help.

Loss of consciousness generally stems from an intense metabolic overload, a profound emotional shock, or perhaps a traumatic head injury.
I find it highly unlikely that you simply collapsed out of thin air.
It’s entirely possible you overdid it on the caffeine that day... though I would strongly suggest checking in with your primary care physician, just to be safe :-) .
Best of luck.

Charles Martinez16 said:Hi there,
A few days ago, I experienced my first fainting spell. I was out with some friends, hadn't been drinking, and we weren't in a crowded or stuffy room—plus, I had eaten well that day (if that makes any difference). I felt absolutely wonderful all evening, but then suddenly, I felt this brief flash of heat. The next thing I remember is just sitting on a wall, surrounded by my friends. They told me that I simply collapsed onto the ground and was unconscious for about five minutes, so they had to carry me outside. Once I came to, I actually felt fine, 🤷 though I do have a bump on my forehead from the fall.

Should I be worried and go see a doctor, or is this not really that serious?
Thanks so much for your help.

You definitely need to schedule as soon as possible an appointment with your primary care physician to get checked out, likely followed by a referral to a cardiologist and probably a neurologist too (your GP will make that call once they have the full picture of your medical history and what happened).

I’ve definitely had those moments where I just blacked out like that too, even before my mom got sick and before I was dealing with all this heavy life pressure. I guess it might have been mostly because of stuffy, cramped spaces. It's strange, though, because people work in those kinds of spots all the time without having these issues. For instance, it happened to me once during the summer while I was over at Pike Place Market. I did get a blood test done at a private clinic for a different reason, and everything came back normal. I didn't go in for any other tests, though.

So, it actually happened to me the other day... I blacked out for the first time in my life... I think.
Here’s how the whole thing went down:
It was a Feštica at a friend's place, tons of people, thick smoke everywhere—probably some weed mixed in there—and plenty of booze... now, I don't smoke, and as far as the alcohol goes, I had a bit, maybe half a liter of red wine, or maybe less if you count the mix of Coke and a splash of liqueur-vodka... but honestly, I didn't even feel it... I usually feel more of a buzz from a single beer than whatever that was.
Since I was exhausted (and I mean exhausted, not drunk, so let's not get ahead of ourselves here) I tried to just crash... but with all the noise, I was mostly just resting rather than actually sleeping. After about half an hour, I had to pee, so I stood up to head to the bathroom. Once I got inside, I hit this sudden wave of weakness—you know that feeling when you stand up too fast from a chair or a squatting position?—and I just felt this desperate need to sit or lie down. I started leaning over to try and crouch on the floor... and the next thing I remember is this sensation like waking up from a dream... that groggy, heavy feeling where you can hear the music thumping in the background and something feels incredibly uncomfortable about how you're lying... then, after a few seconds, I'm totally back to reality, finding myself slumped in the corner of the bathroom right next to the toilet... I stood up, and I felt completely fine. I wandered back to the room, sat down, then laid on the couch... and then the cold sweats hit me, along with that weakness again... but it passed within a minute or two. For the rest of the night until morning, I was running to the bathroom pretty often because my stomach started acting up big time... my stool was black, probably just from all that red wine, I guess...

Now, just for context, I deal with high blood pressure and some issues with my cervical spine, so I get dizzy spells every now and then... but collapsing like this? Never happened. Besides, there wasn't even any dizziness leading up to it this time... it was just a sudden cut in the film, one or two seconds after that initial rush of weakness hit. Is this just a perfect storm of drinking, smoke, exhaustion, and standing up too fast... or should I be looking at this as a sign of something more serious that needs a doctor's attention?

I'm a little freaked out by how fast it happened (that weakness hitting before I could even drop to a crouch or sit on the floor) because I didn't have time to react... and I can't help but wonder what happens if this hits me again in a different situation, like if I'm driving a car or riding a motorcycle?

Casey Phillips18 said:Syncope refers to a sudden loss of consciousness, whereas pre-syncope is that sensation of vision darkening without actually losing consciousness (which is what you mentioned happens to you).
It is entirely possible for a person to lose consciousness abruptly, it’s possible to experience only the "blackout" sensation, or perhaps a combination of both the darkening vision followed by the loss of consciousness.
Once consciousness is lost, a full recovery typically occurs within a few minutes.

The causes of syncope can vary widely; many instances are relatively benign, such as standing up too quickly, a drop in blood pressure, heat exhaustion, or being in a cramped space, though they can also stem from more serious conditions, such as cardiovascular disease.

Since there is a history of epilepsy treatment, it would probably be wise to have that looked into as well.

My mother has cardiovascular issues and glaucoma. She suffered two strokes a few years back and lives alone. She takes medication for her blood pressure and cholesterol. Yesterday, she passed out. She says she didn't even feel sick; she had eaten, felt fine, and then nothing—she has no memory of it. She fell and hit her head. They ran scans at the ER, did an EKG, and checked her blood sugar. Her blood pressure was 170 over 100. I’m extremely worried. Why doesn't she remember anything, and what should we be doing? She sees a neurologist regularly at a new hospital, but I fear they won't even give her a real exam; it’s usually just a one-minute checkup before they stamp the prescription and send her on her way. I don't know what to do.
Thanks in advance,

Casey Phillips18 said:Syncope refers to a sudden loss of consciousness, whereas pre-syncope is that sensation of vision darkening without actually losing consciousness (which is what you mentioned happens to you).
It is entirely possible for a person to lose consciousness abruptly, it’s possible to experience only the "blackout" sensation, or perhaps a combination of both the darkening vision followed by the loss of consciousness.
Once consciousness is lost, a full recovery typically occurs within a few minutes.

The causes of syncope can vary widely; many instances are relatively benign, such as standing up too quickly, a drop in blood pressure, heat exhaustion, or being in a cramped space, though they can also stem from more serious conditions, such as cardiovascular disease.

Since there is a history of epilepsy treatment, it would probably be wise to have that looked into as well.

My mother has cardiovascular disease and glaucoma; she had two strokes a few years back and lives alone. She takes medication for blood pressure and cholesterol. Yesterday, she passed out. She claims she didn't even feel sick—she had eaten, felt fine, and then simply remembers nothing. She fell and hit her head. They did a CT scan, an EKG, and checked her blood sugar at the ER. Her blood pressure was 170 over 100. I'm extremely worried. Why doesn't she remember anything? What should we do? She sees a neurologist regularly at a new hospital, but I'm afraid they won't even really look at her; the appointments last maybe a minute, just a quick check to tell her to stick to her meds. I don't know what to do.
Thanks in advance,

Man, I haven't posted anything in here for years, and thank God for that because I was really hoping nobody else had been passing out or fainting lately!

Well, yesterday, I actually passed out for the first time in my life.

It happened because I cut myself, and man, the blood was just gushing everywhere like something straight out of a horror movie, right? So, while I was scrambling to grab some paper towels to stop the bleeding, my head started spinning, I felt all my strength just draining away, and everything went hazy... then I just hit the floor. Honestly, the only thing I can really remember is that sudden sensation of falling backward, but the actual fall itself is just a total blur.

Waking up was an absolutely terrifying experience. It starts with your vision getting all weird and distorted—nothing is steady, it’s just spinning around like a dizzying film reel—and then slowly, sounds start creeping back in, but they're muffled and loud all at once.
I mean, those first few seconds of waking up were just brutal. You're trying to see, but nothing is clear, everything is shifting and moving, and you're just sitting there desperately trying to steady your gaze, wondering, "What is happening to me? Why can't I see normally?" It was pure agony, honestly. Just absolute misery. Those moments were so incredibly scary and unpleasant.

Lately, I’ve been experiencing this sudden, disorienting blackness in my vision accompanied by intense head pressure, specifically right after I stand up from a crouched position.
It’s strange, though, because I don't encounter any of these issues when simply getting out of bed.
I have this nagging suspicion that it’s tied directly to the physical exertion of crouching down and then forcing myself back up; it seems to happen exclusively during those specific movements.

Does anyone have any insight into what might be causing this?