Fainting attacks - vaso-vagal syncope

[Rocker]

Last year, I started to have occasional fainting attacks, one of which happened whilst I was driving - fortunately I was able to stop safely. In an effort to diagnose the problem, I underwent a number of tests, ECG, Holter monitor, carotid artery echo-scan, echocardiogram, angiogram, and CT brain scan. The echo cardiogram revealed that I had a large hole between the atria of my heart, and the angiogram showed some blockages in my coronary arteries. I had open-heart surgery in January to close the atrial septal defect, and to have a single bypass graft. After recovering from the surgery, I felt far better, in that I was no longer short of breath, and I looked forward to a renewed lease of life.

Unfortunately, in the past month I have had a couple more fainting attacks, one in the Coles check-out queue, and one in my shed, when I was fortunate not to pull the cabinet that I was working on off the bench on top of me when I collapsed to the floor. After the latter attack, my GP had me admittted to the local hospital, where my heart function was monitored continuously for 36 hours, but nothing untoward was observed, so I was discharged, but they referred me for a tilt-table test in Brisbane, where they strap you to a table, after fasting overnight, and then tilt it upright, to try to induce a fainting episode; meanwhile your ECG and blood-pressure is monitored. My test succeeded in inducing a fainting episode, so I was diagnosed as having vaso-vagal syncope - fainting attacks triggered either by low blood volume or by blood pooling in the lower part of the body, so that there is insufficient volume of blood in the heart for it to function properly, so it shuts down temporarily, causing a faint.

The good news is that the condition is not life-threatening, since, once you collapse, the heart starts up again and you recover after a few seconds. The bad news is that proneness to fainting attacks renders activities like driving, using woodworking machinery, and climbing ladders, potentially very hazardous.

This article on vaso-vagal syncope, http://cumc.columbia.edu/dept/syncope/test/level-2/diagnoses/neurocardiogenic.htm suggests that low blood-volume, which can trigger a fainting episode, may be caused by dehydration, which may be a result of a low-salt diet. I have been avoiding salt in my diet, thinking that doing so would help me to maintain my usually normal-range blood pressure. I am now going to resume eating salt in the hope that this may help to keep my blood volume up.

Rocker

[Groggy]

The best news here Rocker is you now know what is going on.

I hope you get it sorted out so you can WW again. Be a bit of a giggle if the salt fixes it. Anyway, let's hope it does and you are back to normal asap.

[TommyC]

Rocker, thats a tough burden to bear for one who enjoys working with machinery and power tools. Giving up driving, however may seem a blessing (clarification - I live in the city!). I'll be thinkng of you when next i use your wonderful mortice jig, that has made my joinery so much more precise and enjoyable. Look after yourself.

[Gra]

Looks like a good time to talk to brendan for a replacement tablesaw:2tsup:

[echnidna]

That's a bummer David,
Well the sawstop may be invaluable to you.
So will darkside woodworking with hand tools.
A safety footswitch on your tools may help, so that you only have power on while you're foot is on the pedal.

[jmk89]

David,

Let me add my best wishes.

Perhaps what you need is an equivalent to a "dead man's handle" as used in trains (ie something that you have to hit every couple of seconds to keep the machine going).

[petersemple]

I have read somewhere that regularly changing position or walking around can help too. DOn't take my word on it though, its been a while since I looked into it and may have mis-remembered details. There is plenty of info on the net though.

Peter

[wheelinround]

Gee Rocker glad your ok after all that

The salt is that just normal or Iodized your system needs

I know my mates dad who was put on No salt diet started talking funny words scrambled and backwards sentences jumbled. Same thing low salt Iodized effecting his thyriod and system.

[bsrlee]

How much water are you drinking? You are probably getting enough salt in processed food these days, unless you are growing & processing your own.

My senile Mum refuses to drink tea or coffee now, and will only take about an inch from a glass full when she had her tablets - the only other liquid she takes directly is some milk in her museli - guess what, the silly old b*****r keeps falling over & head butting the floor every few days. Which suits her as I have to stick around & listen to her verbal abuse all day in case she really does injure herself seriously :~

[switt775]

I was diagnosed with vasovagal syncope 11 years ago. That was after 7 years being so wiped out I couldn't work, most days couldn't even think straight. During this time I was told I had Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, "Tough luck mate, nothing we can do, here's a pension card, go away and don't bother us." Finally my wife found a magazine article about this condition being studied at Johns Hopkins Medical Centre. She showed it to me, I showed it to my doctor, the test was arranged, and I fainted right on cue.

The good news is that there is treatment. The first thing they try is adding salt back into the diet, and making sure you get enough fluids. If that doesn't work, there is a medication called Fludrocortisone (florinef) which helps some people (including me). Basically it prevents the blood pressure dropping to the point where you faint. It can cause a slight increase in resting blood pressure, so if you already have high blood pressure, not a good idea. But if your bloodpressure is normal or slightly low (mine was low), it can help.

There can be other long term side effects which you will need to discuss with your doctor. But the result for me has been outstanding. I've been back at work now for 11 years, and haven't had a fainting episode in all that time.

BTW, your GP will likely have very limited knowledge of this condition. When I was diagnosed, my GP had never heard of it, and was told by the neurologist who did the test that it's so rare that most GP's will never treat a patient with this condition.

If you're researching it's helpful to know that in the USA it's called Neurally Mediated Hypotension (NMH).

Best of luck. With the right treatment, there is no reason to believe you will be forced to give up woodworking, or anything else you enjoy doing.

[Honorary Bloke]

That's a tough diagnosis David. I have had "coughing syncope" for many years (hard coughing causes a faint) but at least I can tell if it is coming on and react accordingly. I hope this treatment relieves the symptom, it is quite disconcerting and potentially dangerous as you pointed out. :)

[Rocker]

Thanks for encouraging comments and for suggestions from fellow sufferers. I am quite optimistic that the simple remedy of increasing my salt intake will fix my problem. But only time will tell. Meanwhile I suppose I shall have to revert to using my table-saw's guard for rip cuts. But it is a pain to keep taking it off when I need to use a crosscut sled, and then replacing it. If I were at an earlier stage in my woodworking life, it would probably be worth investing in a guard mounted on an arm.

Rocker

[echnidna]

can't you hang a gaurd down from the roof?

[Cliff Rogers]

Geeze Rocker.... I hope it comes good for you. :fingerscrossed:

[RufflyRustic]

Hi Rocker,

What a scary thing to have happen, not once, but a couple of times. I hope it comes right for you very soon.

cheers
Wendy

[prozac]

.......If I were at an earlier stage in my woodworking life, it would probably be worth investing in a guard mounted on an arm.
Rocker

That's being frugal. So what if you die before you feel you have got your money's worth. If you want it then buy it and amortise it over a shorter number of years, then if you live past that time it will seem like a bargain!

prozac

[MajorPanic]

David, David, David!!

We are sorry to here of your problem but we don't want to here your pitiful excuses :!

The forum has decreed that you GET BETTER ASAP, so with all our best wishes... just do it!! :wink: :U

[Rocker]

Mark,

I am working on it, but it is hard to do when doctors give you numerous conflicting views about your condition. I have been told:

I have an inner-ear problem;
I have a neurological problem;
I may have a cardiac problem, but monitoring has not so far confirmed that;
I drink too much strong coffee;
I don't drink enough water;
That I should eat more salt;
That there are lots of possible cures for my condition, but none of them work.

I am going to see my cardiac surgeon again in a couple of weeks. I am hoping that he may conclude that I need a pacemaker. But it is very frustrating not knowing what I can do to prevent these attacks from happening unpredictably.

Rocker

[Rocker]

I got a loop recorder implanted under my chest skin yesterday; it continuously records an ECG. If I get symptoms, I have to press a button on a hand-held recorder held against my chest; this will download the relevant ECG from the loop recorder, which will remain implanted for a year or two. Hopefully this will help to diagnose my problem with fainting.

Rocker