Monday, November 13, 2006
~ Vasovagal syncope ~
1:18:00 am
I'm supposed to be on night duty now... But apparently, I'm on MC since I wasn't feeling very well... Not that I didn't go to work, I did actually... Just that I nearly fainted at work...
But I guess I did gave my colleagues some shock... Well, I didn't mean to, though...
I was feeling perfectly fine while I was in the ward earlier on... In fact, I was alright when I was taking report for the first two cubicles...
But when we got to the last cubicle, probably the second patient of the cubicle, I suddenly felt a bout of nausea overpowering me... It disappeared within seconds but then, I became very restless and I found that the information that my colleague was passing over to me, was too much for me to take... I started feeling cold and clammy and everything around me became white... I remembered saying that I wasn't feeling well but I guess no one heard me...
When I just couldn't take it anymore, I leaned my back against the nurses' counter (thank God for the nurses' counter!!) and my colleagues realised that my face was getting pale... They got me to sit down, checked my blood pressure and it was only 71/48 mmHg (hypotensive), checked my hypocount and it was at 5.8 mmol... And I was also bradycardic since my pulse was only 52...
My 'stepmother' (she's actually my Senior Assistant Nurse, but don't ask me why they refer her as 'stepmother'... But mind you, only to me ok! *Hehe*) made a cup of Milo for me... I guess I recovered after that but still felt the giddiness in my head... And my NO actually dragged the chair (I was sitting on the roller chair) to the tearoom... Rested a while in the tearoom before heading to the walk-in clinic...
There, at the walk-in clinic, I was diagnosed with
vasovagal syncope... But the funny part was, the doctor (I guess he was still pretty young, probably in his mid or late 20s) gave a 'tsk' at almost everything I said because as a nurse, I should know what I should do and what I shouldn't do... But he's nice lah... And the funnest part was, he gave me a list of diagnosis chart and asked me to help him find my diagnosis so that he can write it on my MC... *Haha*... He told me that instead of me looking at him write, I might as well help him look for my diagnosis... He even asked me whether I needed any medications... *Chuckles*...
Anyway, reasons for my fainting spell:
1) I didn't eat for the whole day... Okay I admit that this is my fault, even though my parents and special someone had reminded me to eat, I just didn't do so... And yes, I got 'scoldings' from both parties including my colleagues and the doctor...
2) I donated my blood two days ago while I was having my menstruation... I guess that was why my haemoglobin was low... In fact, it was just borderline... 12.2... Any lesser than 12, I couldn't donate... But stubborn me went ahead with it...
As for now, I'm feeling a whole lot better although I still feel like my head is gonna burst... Yes, the headache is there...
And for those of you who don't really know what
vasovagal syncope is, I got this information from the Net so that you would understand... =)
What is Vasovagal Syncope? Vasovagal syncope is not a serious or life threatening condition, but in effect an abnormal reflex. This results in a drop in blood pressure leading to decreased blood flow to the brain resulting in dizziness or fainting. The mechanism of vasovagal syncope is the subject of a great deal of research. It may best be described as the following:
- When we sit or stand, blood settles in the legs and abdomen
- As a result, less blood returns to the heart
- The blood vessels leaving the heart have detectors in them called baroreceptors that detect a decrease in blood pressure
- The baroreceptors send a message to the brain, which in turn sends a signal to the heart to increase the heart rate, and tighten up the blood vessels
- This process occurs constantly in all of us as we adapt to changes in posture
- In vasovagal syncope, an abnormal reflex occurs that results in withdrawal of the message that speeds up the heart and tightens up the vessels, often because of an overshoot in the reflex that compensates for the fall in blood pressure
- The resultant decrease in blood flow to the brain will result in dizziness or lightheadedness if mild, and progress to fainting or loss of consciousness if more severe
- There are several variants of vasovagal syncope that can trigger the same reflex, including situations such as the sight of blood, injury, blood testing (needles), going to the washroom and several others that are quite uncommon.What are the symptoms?The symptoms in vasovagal syncope are slightly different for each person, but often include many of the following characteristics:
- Most episodes occur while standing, occasionally sitting and almost never lying down
- Patients often describe feeling very warm and sweaty before blacking out
- Nausea and rarely vomiting can precede episodes
- Observers often describe the patients as pale ("white as a sheet")
- Patients are usually unresponsive ("out") for less than a minute
- Patients may have some twitching while unresponsive, but seldom shake violently, bite their tongue or lose control of bowel and bladder function. The latter are more suggestive of a primary seizure.
- After regaining consciousness, patients are usually immediately aware of their surroundings, who and where they are
- After an episode, patients often feel somewhat dizzy and report feeling tired for as much as 24 hours
- Patients that learn to recognize the warning signs can avert losing consciousness by sitting or lying down promptly.
written, NaDiaH eRNiYaNTi
