No cold sweat, blur vision, headache or fast heart beating.......!
I took some water from my own bottle and sat on a chair for a while and then left with my friend who was with me. He happens to be my neighbour too so we took the bus home together.
Looking back, I have 2 similar blackout episodes but did not pay any attention as it was very momentarily and no other symptoms.
The 1st occurrence (in 1Q) was when I was seated on a small stool and loading the washing machine with our laundry. I just blackout but before my body hit the floor, my right hand pushed me up upon consciousness. While I was a bit shocked but I felt alright so no action taken.
The 2nd occurrence (in 2Q) was after my lunch at Bedok Mall and my wife & I were at Uniqlo browsing the shelves but we got separated. I suddenly stumbled backwards a few steps and held onto the shelf to steady myself, during the momentarily blackout, and again recovery was very fast and we just ignored it.
The 3rd occurrence in the PC Show gave me a wake-up call and after discussing it with my wife, we decided to consult our family GP the following morning.
After discussing the options with our GP, we decided that I should go to SGH A&E since I am already a patient with their National Heart Centre (NHC).
I was admitted for a night for monitoring and a consulting Cardiologist discharged me since I have a coming appointment with my own Cardiologist at NHC in a couple of weeks. All the monitoring and blood tests were not conclusive but they suspected it to be vasovagal syncope.
"Vasovagal syncope (vay-zoh-VAY-gul SING-kuh-pee) occurs when you faint because your body overreacts to certain triggers, such as the sight of blood or extreme emotional distress. It may also be called neurocardiogenic syncope.
The vasovagal syncope trigger causes your heart rate and blood pressure to drop suddenly. That leads to reduced blood flow to your brain, causing you to briefly lose consciousness.
Vasovagal syncope is usually harmless and requires no treatment."
I saw my own Cardiologist soon and he immediately reduced my BP medication a bit and scheduled a blood test and Dobutamine Stress Echocardiography test too but in 4 months time. He said I could travel so I actually went to Sydney-Melbourne in July and toured the beginning of the Silk Route-China in Sept. I even climbed up the Sydney Bridge and part of the Great Wall of China too...!
In Nov, about 4 months after the last episode, while walking home from the bus stop, I felt faint again and my right hand automatically held onto a huge potted plant along the road ( there are a few nurseries there ) and my upper body landed in-between the big pot and a sawn-off trunk.....OMG...!!!
Can u imagine if my head has hit either the trunk or the pot? My chest hit the edge of the pot and it was a bit bruised and my right hand was scratched by the branches. My wife witnessed this episode and it freaked her out.... Me too, as this is the worse situation, so far!
My Cardiologist said that my tests results are good and no blockages of the arteries or heart problem. The thorough blood results are ok too! But because of my recent blackout in front of the nursery, he reduced my BP medication further and he suspects that it could be due to postural syncope ( ie. change in position ; eg sitting to standing up as I was taking a long bus ride before i walked home ). I have to monitor my BP and review the status again in Feb 2107.
The Cardiologist taught me to clench my fists and push my stomach muscles out to push up my BP if I feel faint in future. Ideally, sit or lie down even if in public as the danger is the fall and injuring myself esp the HEAD....!!!
Well, I hope no more blackouts in future and if I do fall momentarily, it is not a serious one.....
In the meantime, I hope my BP will be stabilised with the change in the dosage.
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