Do some people pass out more easily then others

[Poseforme]

Or is the human body just set up to
pass out at certain conditions

Do you think that over time, the anxiety about this happening has meant you are more likely to faint? As in, if it doesn’t happen at certain restaurants is it anxiety fuelled or do you think it’s the food?

I am quite fainty, also both of my daughters. My daughters are diagnosed POTS and EDS.

I have been known to faint on standing and also when hot. The most common time for me to faint was when my children were in High School and I had 15 shirts to iron every Sunday. The heat/steam from the iron would set me off. I would often burn myself or the carpet with the iron. I don't iron anything anymore.

Also, in slow moving queues - theme parks, Next Sales queues, Anne Frank House queue.

I would faint quite regularly in school - one teacher said it was a good excuse to get out of lessons - long assemblies were mostly to blame.

Thinking I've probably passed this down to daughters although I'm not diagnosed.

@Notreallyawaitress

One of my daughters faints after larger meals. She mainly has larger meals (i.e. more than one course) when going out for a special occasion. She loses her colour, fast heart rate, very clammy, feels like an elephant is sat on her chest and has passed out too many times to mention. Sometimes she recognises halfway through a meal that this is happening and can 'recover'. She tends to eat little and often now which stops these episodes from happening.

She was told (by a cardiac consultant) it was blood rushing to the stomach to help digestion thus taking blood away from other organs. She was told it was some type of autonomic dysfunction/POTS. She faints due to a sudden drop in blood pressure.

Never fainted in my life but I have dreams where I do sometimes. Weird.

How is that you’ve had hypothermia more times than you can remember?

I’m 42 and never fainted. I’ve even had medical emergencies where others would have passed out and I’ve been chatting away 😳 - like the time they discovered I had undiagnosed placenta prévia during an elective c section and I lost 2.5 litres of blood. Mad panic everywhere, couldn’t stop the bleeding and I was just lying there calm as anything chatting away to the anaesthetic team. Weird. I have very low blood pressure too so that makes it even weirder.

My dd aged 19 faints easily. Most memorably after getting her ear pierced aged 16. She walked out of the shop absolutely fine and really happy with it (top of the ear, done in a proper tattoo studio etc) and then fainted really dramatically in the middle of the shopping centre! She took ages to come round, we had a huge crowd gather round and I was literally just about to press 999 on her phone as I was getting worried and she came round!

Littlepies I do think the anxiety plays a part in making it more likely to happen - more casual lunches etc are normally fine.

MyOtherCarIsAPorsche thats very interesting. I’ve mentioned it to my doctor when having blood pressure checks but they didn’t really have an explanation.

My DM passes out in times of stress/ conflict.

stupid I've got a dead thyroid, and 2 years ago there was contamination in the sole Factory producing T3 in France. I can't do thé T4/T3 conversion. Most people get thyroxine, but I need tri-iodothyronine. There was a protocol but the village pharmicist refused to use it. No tablets for 6 weeks, gained 10kg and was sleeping under a quilt when it was over 40°C. I had a température of 34.4 for over 6 weeks. Unfortunately my xh told a+e that I took thyroxine and had 7 or 8 suicide attempts. Also, at hospital they just check T4 and TSH which is useless. The SAMU, paramedics, have told me my best chance of staying alive is to keep out of hospital. They've diagnosed hypothermia 3 times but once at hospital, because of xh fucking up my records, I've never had any treatment. Fortunately I've got a very good endo 60 miles away, the local ones can't interpret a blood test to save their life.
Had a big argument with a SAMU Dr by phone who refused to send an ambulance as it was 'impossible' to suffer from hypothermia for 6 weeks and be alive. She suggested my thermometer was broken, or I couldn't use one. I'm old enough to have used a mercury one as a child.
Stress stops the thyroid from working properly, sends me into hibernation. I had an unauthorised massive overdraft in the aftermath of my French divorce, and with all the fuss over brexit risked being chucked out of the country.
At least I know the signs !

I have very low blood pressure. I used to faint

Sometimes when I've fainted, I've thrown up a little.

I have medium to high blood pressure. Never fainted.

Yes - I think mine is due to low BP plus I can't stand sight of blood. Once, I even fainted in bed!

Only fainted once when I trapped my finger in a fire door as a child. Fell backwards through glass, smashed my head open on the frame and had a fit
After that I had a lot of fits which was diagnosed as seizures after a head trauma. Since they stopped I've never passed out/had a fit but sometimes feel faint if I stand up too quickly!

Thank you for sharing this @Notreallyawaitress, I’m very similar so it’s interesting to read that you think it’s a factor, definitely for me because it’s happened so often I panic about going out. I’m wondering if it’s become a mental health thing now rather than a physical one!

There are no fainters in my family, so possibly there is some kind of genetic link.
I have a ridiculously high pain threshold and there have been times I have begged my body to 'let go' and faint/pass out but I never do!
I had surgery many years ago and due to medical negligence I was left without painkillers for 24 hours (major surgery, not just mole removal or something) and I walked to the nurses station to ask for painkillers. I was, in my mind, very sore.....never seen so many nurses move so quickly as they then panicked about a 'faint risk'. I knew I wasn't going to drop as it just doesn't happen!

I have vasovagal syncope, I still don't know all my triggers, but low BP, shock and pain seem to feature.

Last time was when the teen had to have blood taken. I ended up on the floor and peed myself. In children's A&E. That was extremely embarrassing.

I have often felt it coming on when having a smear test, and when I had a biopsy that sent me over. Anything cervical definitely triggers it.

It's not pleasant, I can't control it and anyone not having sympathy for something I don't ask for seems a bit harsh.

@Notreallyawaitress @MyOtherCarIsAPorsche I've been told the same by a first responder who was called to me. It's especially when I've been hungry beforehand as your body wants to focus on processing the food, all the blood rushes to you stomach and down you go! They said to me that's partially why it's standard practice to sit down to eat. On occasions when I've fainted it's often when I either haven't had chance to eat or have eaten after a longer period inbetween.

If it's happening to you when you eat out, possibly you are going longer between meals so you don't 'spoil' your appetite for your nice meal out? Possibly a banana or slice of toast before you go out will help?

Agree with all the other posters that fainting is not glamourous, there is no gentle swoon involved, it's disorientating, can make you feel sick and generally spoils the occasion!

Yes, I have high vagal tone and lowish blood pressure, so faint whenever I run a high temperature (eg with flu, covid). Sometimes I vomit as well, just as I come round from the faint. I used to be needle phobic too, and regularly fainted with immunisations as a child, and blood tests when older.
I had to be careful when pregnant, as my standing bp was down to 80/60. I used to laugh when putting up iv fluids on my hospital patients, as my own pressure was often lower than theirs!

I once fainted on the tube years ago. Everyone just stepped over me. When I came round a few minutes later I had to sit on the floor as no one offered me a seat. I suppose I should just be grateful no one nicked my handbag.

I faint easily, naturally lower BP and I have to be careful re my potassium levels due to the side effects of long term bulimia in my teens and 20s. I hate fainting, it's so embarrassing! I can't take hot baths either