Fainting

[Kiki2]

I am going to be sitting my A Level exams in june and I am very stressed out about them.

The other day i felt really wierd...i was revising and i started to feel like no matter how hard i tried i would fail and i could tell i was hyperventilating but i couldnt stop myself. i ended up fainting and was wondering if this was normal ? my doc says i am having panic attacks.

[scoobygirl2005]

Aw hunni. I think its normal yes although I haven't experience fainting when I have a panic attack yet. Anyway the symptoms in a panic attack can vary. Have you tried speaking to someone at school about your worries regarding your a level exams? Because that may be a good idea and may help you.

Scooby2005
x x

[JayK]

<b id="quote">quote:</b id="quote"><table border="0" id="quote"><tr id="quote"><td class="quote" id="quote">I am going to be sitting my A Level exams in june and I am very stressed out about them.

The other day i felt really wierd...i was revising and i started to feel like no matter how hard i tried i would fail and i could tell i was hyperventilating but i couldnt stop myself. i ended up fainting and was wondering if this was normal ? my doc says i am having panic attacks.

<div align="right">Originally posted by Kiki2 - 16 May 2006 : 12:28:58</div id="right">
</td id="quote"></tr id="quote"></table id="quote">

I have one question about this 'fainting' thing.
Please do not think im doubting you here but I want to know if you are really sure you actually fainted
or
You were so convinced and scared you were fainting that you 'went down' for a second.
Would you describe actually fainting or was it more like you felt things 'blacked out' for a second.
(obvious question here - did you actually hit the floor or did you arms go out automatically to protect the fall?)

The reason I am asking this is because it is definately all the signs of a panic attack.. I mean its absolutely is.
Including 'feeling like you were going to faint' (classic panic attack symptom)
Except
Even though PA sufferers are absolutley CONVINCED they are about to faint it is actually next to impossible to actually faint.
(trust me.. my actual 'fear accelerator' was fainting itself)
Natures 'fight or flight' panic response does NOT want to allow you to faint in anyway shape or form.
Racing heart and High blood pressure make it next to impossible even if you tried to.

The Exception: Some people (its rare) really do have a LOW blood pressure.
What happens here is that the blood cant get up there to the precious brain which is built cleverly enough to cause a faint... fainting equals lying horizontal.. blood now doesnt have anymore uphill battle.
Victim regains conciousness after a minute or two.

Anyways.
Try and consider my questions because there is a common sort of 'fainting' which is really not fainting.
Your panic attack sensations will cause your eyes to 'tunnel vision' and the pressure will definately feel like 'Its all blacking out.. Im Blacking OUT' and at that moment some people will 'go for the floor' as a sort of reflex to what they think is 'passing out'.

If you really do think this was a full on 'faint' where you lost conciousness then please let us know?
That seems to be something a Doctor should investigate imo??

[marie ross]

Hi Kiki

Sorry to hear about you fainting, thats my biggest fear whenever i go out, although it never ever happens, i keep telling myself one of these days i'm going to work myself up so much i'm just going to hit the deck!!! Have you been eating properly??? I used to faint when i was a lot younger because i was missing breakfast, etc. Has your doctor asked to see you, if it happens again, you could be anemic, or like JayK said have low blood pressure, although please don't take my word for it, i'm just trying to suggest other reasons why you fainted.

Good luck for your exams

Marie XXX

[Keitharcher]

Hi kiki

well you have got it at the wrong time havent you. Panic and exam nerves, in my opinion relieve the exam nerves and the panic will be reduced. You have to tell yourself thsat you have been covering the work all year, you know it and when it matters (the exam) you will be able to pen it. As a uni lecturer i can also tell you that for A levels they are looking for the thought process behind your answers, so just be thourough and you will get through them, good luck

Keith

[Ammeg]

hey kiki,
quite afew people on here do faint with panic!! i have fainted afew times now- try not to write it much and it tends to scare people!!
Ummmm JayK- sorry are you a doctor?? it is not impossible to faint durin panic, my doc has told me this!! we have had many heated disscussion on this and it is not just due to blood pressure!!!
not havin a go just statin the other side of the 'argument'
Ammegxxxx

[shiv]

Just to stand up for Jay here. My dad's a leading expert on anxiety and he says it's virtually impossible to faint from a PA, unless it's related to needles phobia where the blood pressure actually drops. Jay makes some valid points ie you can't faint through HIGH blood pressure. I've had very bad panics where I've totally 'lost it' and remembered next to nothing but I would call this a black out rather than a faint. I know people collapse but this again is not a faint. Anaemia is something worth investigating as this commonly causes fainting along with many other NON LIFE THREATENING(!) illnesses.

Anyway I like a good debate, me!

Shiv x

ps, i'm not calling anyone a liar here before i get told off. I myself have had weird and unique symptoms, just letting you know my point of view.

[JayK]

Believe me.. I am exactly the person who is convinced I can pass out from a panic attack.
Even after being told this is 'impossible' by a GP (and any anxiety/PA experts say this).
Im not a doctor but my doctor is (so says his diploma) and Ive questioned it too.
But
My understanding is that any 'fainting' would have to have something to do with some independant issue or something that is 'in addition' to a panic attack but not 'because' of a panic attack.

The reason I asked about specifics is because I know at least one young woman who did think she was fainting.
When she looked at it carefully she did agree it was what felt like 'blacking out' and she 'went down' not from being unconcious but as a 'reaction' to what she thought was going to happen.

For me.. the 'tunnel vision' and the pressure in the eyes and head had me convinced I was 'going down'.
I was even tempted the first few times to 'go for the floor' when my legs became so shaky.

Remember.. you do not have legs shaking from weakness... they are actually VERY strong and twitching and shaking to help you RUN or fight.
But
It sure does 'feel' like they are weak and trembling... like your gonna pass out.

Anyways... If you are actually fainting then Im just saying that goes against the rule for panic attacks and therefore is definately something I would recommend a Doctor look at.
Im not doubting anyone.. Im actually saying its worth getting a checkup on because it indicates a different problem.

[Kiki2]

hi jayk,

yes i am sure it was definately a faint. its happened more than once now too! i was in a room full of ppl yesterdayay wen it happened and my friend was there, she ended up taking me to the hosp. the doc said that it was panic attacks and that i was hyperventilating so much that i passed out, something to do with not enuff oxygen in the brain.

kiki

[JayK]

<b id="quote">quote:</b id="quote"><table border="0" id="quote"><tr id="quote"><td class="quote" id="quote">hi jayk,

yes i am sure it was definately a faint. its happened more than once now too! i was in a room full of ppl yesterdayay wen it happened and my friend was there, she ended up taking me to the hosp. the doc said that it was panic attacks and that i was hyperventilating so much that i passed out, something to do with not enuff oxygen in the brain.

kiki

<div align="right">Originally posted by Kiki2 - 17 May 2006 : 11:39:58</div id="right">
</td id="quote"></tr id="quote"></table id="quote">

Aha... well there was something i was thinking about later here and that does fit into the picture a bit better.

Let me explain what I mean here... A terrible mistake all of us (and people trying to help) when you go into hyperventilation is to try and get MORE OXYGEN to the person.
wrong wrong wrong.
During the Panic Attack you were undoubtedly taking very quick shallow breaths.
Hyperventilating.
Problem: Someone says 'here.. bend your head between your legs and take IN big deep breaths.
INHALE AS MUCH as you can.. INhale.

Nope.

You want to take a deep long inhale alright but more importantly you need to EXHALE longer.
example:
Inhale slowly to a count of 3
EXHALE to a count of 6... nice and slow exhale out.

Have you ever seen the classic 'breath into a paper bag' trick?
It was a classic in movies whenever a 'neurotic easily excited type' was panicing.
well... it works.
It works very very well because when you exhale into the paper bag you are exhaling the Carbon Dioxide into the bag and then breathing it back in.
You are balancing that 'oxygen overdose' back to normal.

Now, its not actually an 'oxygen overdose' but really its 'too much oxygen-to-Carbon dioxide.
Hence the bag returns the balance.

Anyways.. the reason im telling you all this is because I do actually recall hyperventilating during a first panic attack and being convinced I 'need oxygen' I employed the head-between-the-knees' position and kept trying to quickly INHALE as much air.
Bad.
I can actually recall I did almost pass out lol.

btw.. you dont need a 'paper bag' either (and you could overdo that i guess) but the best trick I heard was to blow on your thumb as if it was burnt and you were cooling it.
Like blowing out a candle.
Phewwwwwww blowing a stream out.
just INhale naturally and slowly... blow again.

Even still.. actually fainting is just about non-existant from any lists of physical symptoms of panic attacks.
It really makes me think something is going on besides just the PA.
Someone here mentioned lack of eating or something happening in addition to the attacks.