Husband fainting at hospital trips

[Holothewise]

Hi everyone, just looking for a bit of advice.

My husband and I are currently going through IVF (just had embryo transfer today) and it has become apparent that he does not cope well in the hospital environment! He has passed out 4 times at various appointments seemingly with no warning signs and usually right at the end of the appointment/procedure.

Today he passed out after our transfer procedure as he was walking out the room. He says he felt fine while the transfer was being done, then went to leave to room and turned a horrible grey colour before slumping to the floor in the doorway.

This is our 2nd IVF cycle and I have tried to keep him out of as many appointments as possible as we want to avoid this happening so often, however today he was adamant that he was fine and wanted to be there.

My question is if anyone else suffers from these types of fainting episodes and if there is any treatment that helps? DH is very annoyed and frustrated at himself as he wants to be able to support me and wants to overcome this.

Sorry for the mammoth post, and thanks in advance!

[Fairylea]

Has he had his blood checked for anything else going on and had an ecg done? That would be the first thing I would do. Although people do faint from these kinds of things it’s quite rare for an adult to suddenly start fainting so much.

[notangelinajolie]

My DH fainted when I was in labour and a few years later we had rushed DD into a&e after an accident and he said he needed to go outside for fresh air - next minute a paramedic was wheeling him past me in a wheelchair ... he'd fainted right in front of a parked ambulance. I ended up with DH in one cubicle and DD in another. Hospitals and my DH definitely do not go together!

[2017SoFarSoGood]

perfectly normal in my family, unfortunately. A whole line of us who faint at the slightest hint of a hospital. Has caused quite a lot of concern over the years but all testing shows there is nothing much wrong with any of us, other than a propensity to faint. I like this article's explanation:

this

Good luck, and good luck to your DH too!

[TipBoov]

My DH did the same, there's nothing wrong with him, it's just medical environments.

Strangely he fainted during the embryo transfer but was fine during the csection!

[Holothewise]

Thank you everyone for your replies.

Fairylea his blood pressure does tend to run on the low side, he's from a tall family and they all seem to have trouble with low blood pressure at times. He had his heart checked several years ago for a different reason but no problems were identified. I might ask him to go back for another check to be sure.

2017Sofarsogood thank you for that article, I'll show DH when he gets home. It only happens in a medical environment, he's not keen on blood or needles although he has improved on that front and even helped me with my IVF meds.

I think it's the lack of warning signs that worries me the most, he doesn't complain of feeling dizzy or faint, just stands up and a few seconds later just sinks down. He told me yesterday the last thing he remembers is walking towards the door, then coming round with the nurses standing around him. Although thinking about it now he does complain he feels a bit warm before he stands up...hmm.

Thank you again everyone, I can now also tell DH he's not the only one!

[sadie9]

There probably are warning signs but he's not tuned into them. A swooshing in the ears, or bottom part of legs turning into lead. If he's in a hospital environment he should remain seated for 10mins before you go home. He should get up very slowly from a seated position and just remain standing at the chair while he assesses how he's feeling. The changing of position is a factor...standing up too long, or getting up suddenly from a chair.
Apparently if you 'pump' your feet and calf muscles during the scary event this is enough to stop the fainting episode.
Also something like sipping a can of Coca Cola, or earphones to listen to the radio, anything like that might help during hospital events.
My GP checked me and keeps telling me it's just Synocope or whatever, just the way some people react to things.

[sadie9]

Forgot to say Best of luck, have everything crossed for you...