Consciousness; it's precious

I don’t very often, but I fainted the other day. I surprised myself. I try not to swoon, as a rule. The circumstances were uncommon, though, and that’s usually how it is when something like that takes us by surprise. I had been sitting up, awake, all night, with my mother-in-law, as she was passing beyond the veil that separates this world from the next. My good husband and I were both physically and emotionally exhausted. We stepped out for a brief respite, while the hospice workers tended to cleaning and preparing Mrs. Blackburn for final farewells. Upon reentering the room, something about the moment was overwhelming and I stumbled backward, thankful (after the fact), that a chair had been directly behind me. That physical experience eclipsed my emotions, briefly. Likely, about 1/3 of you know what I mean because you’ve experienced it, too. NMS (neurally mediated syncope), neurocardiogenic syncope, and vasovagal syncope are all terms for what we call fainting. This, generally benign symptom is resultant from a short-term malfunction of the autonomic nervous system; blood pressure drops, irregular heartbeat accompanies, and the brain doesn’t get as much oxygen as it needs. That’s when the system goes into low power mode. It can look (and feel) scary, but generally is harmless. This most common type of fainting, can happen as a result of seeing something unpleasant or shocking (such as I did), sudden emotional upset (as I was experiencing), standing still for an extended period of time, or from being too hot or being in a stuffy environment for too long. Since 1/3 of us will experience at least one fainting episode in our lifetimes, don’t be overly concerned if it happens to you, especially if you’re dehydrated, under a lot of stress, are experiencing anxiety, fear, pain or hunger. If you’ve been consuming alcohol (maybe too much of it), you may lose consciousness (that can actually be dangerous, so don’t do it). If you’ve just hopped up from lying down or relaxing for a while (that’s postural syncope, and is also pretty common), you may feel faint, so take your time when getting up and going, especially as you age. See your doctor if you had chest pains before you fainted, if you have a history of heart disease, if you were injured during the fainting experience, if you’re pregnant and fainted, if your fainting incident was preceded by loss of bladder or bowel control, if you’re diabetic, if you faint often, and/or if you were unconscious for more than a few minutes. There ARE possible neurological and cardiac causes. Ask your doctor if you have any concerns. Let’s appreciate every waking moment in life. Consciousness; it’s precious.

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