Fainting spell

Hey everyone... 🙂

So, about three years ago, I had my first real blackout. I’d been dealing with non-stop stress for days, barely eating anything, and there was this massive heatwave going on. I skipped breakfast, was rushing around catching the subway, and out of nowhere, everything just went dark—my vision blacked out, my ears started ringing like crazy, and I just passed out. It only lasted maybe 10 to 30 seconds before I came to, but I scrambled off the train and sat on a bench with my heart absolutely hammering in my chest... though things settled down pretty quickly after that.

It didn't happen again until about a year ago, and even then, it was a perfect storm of heat, skipping breakfast, and being totally on edge because I was working a really gross, heavy job doing autopsies. One moment I'm staring at a huge amount of blood and suddenly my vision goes dark and my ears start buzzing, so I just mumbled an apology to my supervisors and bolted outside to get some air... I didn't actually pass out that time, though.

Since then, I've had a few much milder dizzy spells—usually just when I'm rushing to campus early in the morning without eating, or when I'm standing around or doing something physical. It's pretty obvious to me that my blood sugar is just crashing, which leads to that lightheaded feeling... so that part makes total sense physiologically.

But today was different. I actually ate breakfast, I was hanging out in an air-conditioned room, I was totally calm (well, okay, I was sleep-deprived from partying, but still...), and I wasn't doing anything intense or gross. Then, completely out of the blue, it hit me again—blackout vision, loud ringing in my ears, heart racing... I grabbed some water and sat down immediately... it passed fast, but man, I felt absolutely wiped out afterward.

Has anyone else dealt with stuff like this, or does anyone have an idea why this keeps happening? 😘

It could be anxiety or depression, but you should still check in with your doctor to rule out anything else.
Eat a solid breakfast—stick to whole grains with slow-burning carbs so your blood sugar doesn't crash on you. Generally speaking, just watch your diet; aim for high quality and make sure you're getting fresh fruits and veggies every day. How are your iron levels looking?
Either way, it’s worth seeing your physician to get some blood work done. Once you have those results, they can figure out the next steps.

I went through all of this, and honestly? I spent so much time blaming myself. I thought it was just because I was hitting the coffee too hard, smoking, or forgetting to actually eat. I kept telling myself, "Oh, it’s just because I lost weight," but I was totally kidding myself. Eventually, I finally wore down my doctor until she sent me for every single test imaginable—kidney stuff, OBGYN, vestibular testing, blood work, you name it... the whole works. Everything came back fine, which was confusing as hell. But then my brilliant doctor decided to order an MRI of my spine, and boom—there it was. Turns out I have some damage in four of my cervical vertebrae. That was the culprit! It messes with my circulation and causes those dizzy spells. I spent six weeks doing physical therapy, but honestly, swimming and soaking up the sun did way more for me. Seriously, if you’re hanging out at the beach, go for a swim—just make sure the water is cold! I’ve been doing okay for about a year now. I had one dizzy spell once, but that was due to something else entirely.

That’s actually super interesting, thanks for all the input.

Regarding that whole spinal issue, I’ve definitely come across some info about that online too... I was wondering if you ever dealt with any actual injuries around your neck area, or maybe just bad posture or something else that might have caused those discs to start degenerating?

Back when I was a kid, I used to struggle with being a bit anemic, but I haven't really dealt with that in recent years, and I make sure to stay on top of my B vitamins now...
As for anxiety, that’s just not in my vocabulary—I'm genuinely happy and totally content with how my life is going.

northernmarlin79 said:Interesting stuff, thanks for all the input!

I’ve seen some things online about the spine issue too... have you ever actually dealt with a neck injury or something? I mean, maybe just bad posture or something else that caused the discs to start degenerating?

Back when I was a kid, I used to deal with anemia quite a bit... haven't had issues lately though... and I make sure to take my B vitamins...
As for anxiety? Nah, not for me—I'm happy and honestly pretty content with how life is going.

Bad posture and physical labor, plus I've been working as a retail clerk for 22 years.

northernmarlin79 said:Interesting, thanks for all the input.

Regarding that spinal issue, I think I’ve come across similar info in a few places... I suppose you might ask if you've ever dealt with any neck injuries, or perhaps just issues from poor posture, or whatever else might have triggered this disc degeneration?

Back when I was a kid, I used to be prone to anemia... though that hasn't been the case in recent years... and I do take B vitamins...
As for anxiety—hardly. I'm quite happy and satisfied with my life.

I actually went to see a physical therapist because of some pain in my shoulder and upper arm... and honestly, I nearly fainted during the exam when she told me to tilt my head back as far as possible... apparently, it was all due to weak neck muscles and cervical spine deformation caused by sitting too much, lying down constantly, and generally having terrible posture...

northernmarlin79 said:Hi everyone... 🙂

About three years ago, I had my first blackout—it was one of those perfect storms where I’d been stressed for days, barely eating anything, and we were in the middle of a brutal heatwave. I hadn't eaten breakfast, I was rushing around on a crowded subway in the city, and suddenly—out of nowhere—everything just went dark. My vision blurred, my ears started ringing, and I just passed out... it only lasted maybe 10 to 30 seconds before I came to. I managed to get off the train, found a bench to sit on, and my heart was absolutely racing... but things seemed to settle down relatively quickly after that.

It didn't happen again until about a year ago—and once again, it was hot, I’d skipped breakfast, and my nerves were totally shot because I work a pretty gruesome, heavy-duty job doing autopsies. At one point, seeing a significant amount of blood, everything just went black again; the ringing in my ears returned, and I had to quickly apologize to my supervisors and step outside for some air... though I didn't actually lose consciousness that time.

Since then, there have been a few much milder instances of feeling faint—mostly just when I'm rushing to campus early in the morning without having eaten, or when I'm standing for long periods or doing physical labor. It's pretty obvious to me that my blood sugar is crashing, which leads to that lightheadedness... it's all quite easy to explain physiologically.

But today? Today I actually ate breakfast, I was in an air-conditioned room, I was calm (well, despite being sleep-deprived from staying up too late...), and I wasn't doing anything strenuous or unpleasant. And yet, out of the blue—bam!—it hit me. Blackout, intense ringing in my ears, heart pounding... I grabbed some water and sat down immediately... it passed quickly, but I felt utterly exhausted afterward.

Does anyone else deal with this? Does anyone have any idea what might be causing it? 😘

It could be a heart issue. Or a million other things.

I passed out myself last year. I didn't go to the doctor, just like you didn't. Then it happened once more after that.
I'm also working an exhausting job, going to college, and I don't eat nearly enough to support my activity level (plus, I've dealt with anemia in the past), and I don't sleep... It could be that, but it doesn't have to be.
If you want to stay healthy, please see a doctor. One day, it might be too late.

Yes, go see your doctor, but make sure they take a really thorough medical history—step by step—and perform a full physical exam before ordering an EKG. That should cover about 90% of the diagnostic work
I know it can be tough to push a physician to be truly meticulous, but try to subtly hint that you aren't just some casual visitor wandering through the clinic hallways without cause...
It could be hypoglycemia, a cardiac arrhythmia, low blood pressure, a psychogenic pre-syncope, some other psychological condition, or even anemia. Whatever it turns out to be, you need to find the root cause, because treating the symptoms alone is almost pointless