To think fainting when having a poo every now and again is normal (for me)?

[faintingontheloo]

TMI warning lol.

Ever since I was a teenager I have very sporadically had bowel movements that have caused me to faint whilst on the loo (sense of doom, cold sweat followed by collapsing), usually after diarrhoea. It happens very infrequently, maybe once every 2-5 years. I remember Googling it when I was around 16 and reading about vasovagal syncope and just accepting that that was what it was and never thinking much of it.

This year it has happened 3 times, alongside some other symptoms so I went to the GP and a stool test showed high inflammation, and it has made me wonder if the fainting is linked to the cause of the inflammation. The GP didn't seem really seem interested in the fainting, so AIBU to think it's just normal for me to faint from this? I don't have low blood pressure

My SIL fainted on the loo a few years ago and seriously injured herself when she hit the marble floor. She was lucky my brother was nearby and able to call an ambulance, but her head and facial injuries took months to recover from. Please get yourself checked over to find out what’s causing your problem.

Vasovagal syncope (fainting) is commonest in young adults.

Opening your bowels is one of the commoner triggers.

It's uncommon in older people (unless it has affected them all their lives) and it is not related to taking antihypertensives. You are thinking of orthostatic hypotension, which has a different underlying cause.

Apart from that, spot on 😁

Good overview here

It's perfectly normal for me, I'm 44 and have been a fainter since my teens. I've always had low blood pressure which may not help.

Doctors aren't bothered when I've mentioned it. Ended up in A&E twice after banging my head - had a nasty concussion one of those times!

It's mainly during blood tests these days, but has happened on the OP's circumstances when I've had a tummy ache. It's mainly pain that sets me off.

I can feel woozy sometimes if I need a poo and have eaten too much.

If there's inflammation then that's not really normal- God willing it's something they can improve and then you mightn't get the fainting either.

Some things I do think are just 'one of those things,' like about once a year I get loss of balance for no reason.

But you should do all you can to get to the bottom of it medically and sort it out. x

Fully agree, this is me all over. It is an awful feeling, all consuming at the time.

You have my deepest sympathies. I don't faint but once a year or so I have an upset stomach in the small hours, then an intensely painful poo followed by dramatic cold sweat, often leaving me feeling wiped out.

I'm pretty sure it's a vasovagal reaction of some kind. There are other people out there who get it, some worse. One woman in a forum described how she'd trained her bf to listen out for the sound of her scratching floor tiles as that's all she could do to signal that it was time to come in and carry her out of the bathroom. So I count my blessings!

Not on the loo but I'd get awful sweats , shakes felt like I was going to die. It turned out to be severe reactive hypoglycemia

I also fell down the stairs and hit my head! Lovely.

I have the same problems you described.

I have IBS and Endometriosis, recently discovered rectocele prolapse too.

I also have a neurological disease, fibromyalgia, and autoimmune disorder. So i have no idea what it the cause is from all these. I also get infrequent sporadic dizziness, lightheaded and fainting or near fainting occasionally without the toilet issues.

I've felt faint before during a bad bowel movement but never actually passed out (luckily). I get hot, sweaty, shaky, feel sick.

www.ctvnews.ca/health/fainting-on-the-toilet-is-a-real-medical-problem-but-doctors-say-it-can-be-avoided-1.3895702

It is very common in older people. You just have to get into the habit of sitting on the edge of the bed for a few minutes before standing up.

This happens to me every now and again (once every year or so!) but usually when constipated and I always assumed it was because I got in a panic about not being able to go! Now i'm wondering if it's similar to what you've described

It occasionally happens to me, I have rheumatoid arthritis, which is an auto immune inflammatory disease.

Fainting sounds very like vasovagal syncope - the gut is closely linked to your vagal nerve and when that’s stimulated you get a drop in blood pressure (sweats, nausea, fainting)

The poo sample with inflammation is something that should be looked at more closely. If it is a faecal calprotectin test that’s raised it can indicate inflammatory bowel disease (which could also be the cause of your diarrhoea) and so you should ideally be referred to a gastroenterology team to decide on further tests (depends on the level of FCP in your stool etc) but worth having a chat with your GP about it x

Yes I have this too. Infrequent, sudden hot flush, pain when going, and a half faint, collapsing to the floor sometimes but not all. I have ibs. The doctors gave me a 24hr ecg but because it's infrequent it found nothing.

Can you describe the sense of doom more, I wonder if I had that too but couldn't nail it down. Do you get the hot flush to the head?

I would describe the sense of doom as a feeling that I was going to die, even though logically I know this is something I have experienced before and it will pass soon. It's like something primal takes over and all I can think about is begging for the feeling to stop, all my head can think about is 'no, no, no, no, please no, please no, please no'.

It's really important you ask your GP for a blood test for Coeliac disease before even thinking about IBS or anything else.

Wow @faintingontheloo is the doom feeling something the doctor would recognise? You've nailed the feeling I get too, no no no, I'm going to die. That's incredible!

It's a known medical symptom and its associated with blackouts due to strain on nervous system, which including fainting in these circs.

It's also associated with heart attacks, though, so should be taken seriously when there's no other explanation.

I have a condition called POTS (amongst other things) which might be worth a google. I struggle with sudden temperature changes the most and often feel nauseous with a racing heartbeat after a hot shower or bath, which is unfortunate as I use hot baths for pain relief. It can also sometimes happen after a bowel movement although I have never fainted from that. Going from lying down to standing up makes me lightheaded. If any of this is sounding familiar it's worth looking into. It's often a co-morbidity to other medical conditions and not taken that seriously by medical professionals in my experience.

Inflammatory markers + blood in stool = key markers for IBD. So this may potentially be more serious than simply fainting on the toilet.

The colonoscopy will determine if you have it.

I think I might have this too, it's never happened when using the toilet, usually I've been eating a large meal (or still in process of eating one of the times) and suddenly feel very unwell and faint (and usually vomit after) but it only happened once every couple of years or so. I got a dr to check me out once but they were happy I was completely fine afterwards and didn't seem concerned at all. I think it's perhaps too infrequent for them to worry. Several times a year is a significant change though so I wonder of it's worth talking to GP some more about it

I didn't faint or have the sense of doom, but the feeling hot and then cold sweat, and feeling incredibly weak that I couldn't stand / support my own weight along with diahorrea were symptoms of coeliac disease for me before I was diagnosed. Still get it if I've been glutened.

Absolutely awful feeling. Sweaty, and impending doom.

thankfully for me the actual fainting is even rarer than the actual incidents. When I’m done i just collapse into bed instead and fall asleep instantly, which I absolutely never nap, but I have no choice in the matter.