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[history_grrrl]

Okay, well, I didn't *technically* pass out, but only because I was trying so hard not to. Instead, I keeled over in a slightly more controlled fashion. I was heading home with groceries and waiting to cross a street, when suddenly I felt really dizzy and realized I was going down. For a fleeting moment I thought I could stay upright by holding onto a nearby utility pole, but alas, no "holding" was possible. So I sort of slid down with my hands somewhere near the pole. My main goal was to not bash my head on the sidewalk.

Various blood, cardiac, pulmonary, and other tests at the ER, where I hung out for nine hours, turned up nothing weird. But I have a theory that I'd like to run by you guys.

My cardiologist put me on an anticoagulant a few months ago (not the kind that requires weekly blood tests). Although I hate it, I take it religiously in the morning and at night. This particular day (last Saturday), I was so focused on class prep that I didn't take my meds until mid-afternoon. The "incident" occurred maybe an hour and a half later.

So, my question(s):

1. Has anyone had anything like this happen, and if so, what caused it?
2. Has anyone had an adverse effect from not taking meds at the "usual" time? I know the instructions always insist we take stuff at the same time of day, but I've never understood why. I'm thinking this could have been a blood pressure thing.

I have to say, I am really grateful for the two guys and woman (mom of one of the guys) who came running as I went down, called the ambulance, and sat with me until it arrived.

[ursula]

Wow, h-g!  No advice to offer, but loads of good vibes!  That's a little scary.

[proftowanda]

These are good questions for your cardiologist.  

Call now.  

[walkingtree]

Seems like you need to take a thorough and serious medical examination--just to be on the safe side. I have seen someone passing out in the middle of a long line at a foreign consulate. I heard a big thud and there he was, lying down. He got back to consciousness in a few minutes. Go see your doctor.

[glowdart]

These are good questions for your cardiologist.  

Call now.  

Agreed.

[history_grrrl]

Thanks, people. I did call my cardiologist's office and should hear back soon about whether he can see me asap (fingers crossed -- he's usually booked about six months ahead, but I'm confident he'll fit me in under the circumstances).

[biomancer]

Yikes, HG!  I'm glad you're OK now.

I've passed out twice in sort-of-public places - once while I was working in a grocery store during college summer break, and once while setting up a lab as a TA in college.  Both times the passing-out happened because anemia and very low blood pressure due to what was basically uterine hemorrhaging.  I didn't go to the ER either time but did go to the college infirmary when it happened on campus.

As for the meds at the same time each day, there are a lot of drugs that get metabolized in a certain amount of time or have predictable withdrawal effects so it's important to take them at the same time each day.  I'm on a couple drugs (estrogen and singulair) for which, if I don't take them at my usual time, I notice those effects.

That said, anticoagulants are one of the drugs for which missing a dose has the most severe consequences.  I hate to raise the "worst possible scenario" specter, but given that you're on an anticoagulant and were late in taking it, it's entirely possible that you had a blood clot - possibly even a transient ischemic attack (one so transient that it cleared immediately and consequently wasn't detected).   By the time you got to the ER the anticoagulant should have been doing its job again.  My aunt who had the heart attack this summer had forgotten to take her coumadin that morning because she was off her normal schedule, took it after lunch when she remembered, and the blood clot that was found during the heart catheterization an hour or so after that was already largely degraded (even though it nearly killed her earlier).  

[history_grrrl]

Biomancer, your experiences must have been scary! I'm so sorry to hear about them.

And thanks for the helpful info. In fact I am on the anticoagulant because of a cardiac mass of some kind; my cardiologist wants to see if it might be a blood clot (it's either that or a benign tumor but tests are inconclusive), so he put me on the med on a trial basis. (If the mass shrinks, it's likely a blood clot.) I know what happened is consistent with some of the symptoms for the tumor. It's good to know about the possibilities, even if I don't really *want* to know, if you see what I mean.

[biomancer]

Biomancer, your experiences must have been scary! I'm so sorry to hear about them.

And thanks for the helpful info. In fact I am on the anticoagulant because of a cardiac mass of some kind; my cardiologist wants to see if it might be a blood clot (it's either that or a benign tumor but tests are inconclusive), so he put me on the med on a trial basis. (If the mass shrinks, it's likely a blood clot.) I know what happened is consistent with some of the symptoms for the tumor. It's good to know about the possibilities, even if I don't really *want* to know, if you see what I mean.

Oof, HG, either one of those is still rather scary.   I hope that whatever the problem turns out to be, it's easily treated and doesn't have a high risk of very bad things happening.  In the meantime, though, please do be careful not to miss another dose of the anticoagulant.

[llanfair]

Biomancer, your experiences must have been scary! I'm so sorry to hear about them.

And thanks for the helpful info. In fact I am on the anticoagulant because of a cardiac mass of some kind; my cardiologist wants to see if it might be a blood clot (it's either that or a benign tumor but tests are inconclusive), so he put me on the med on a trial basis. (If the mass shrinks, it's likely a blood clot.) I know what happened is consistent with some of the symptoms for the tumor. It's good to know about the possibilities, even if I don't really *want* to know, if you see what I mean.

Oof, HG, either one of those is still rather scary.   I hope that whatever the problem turns out to be, it's easily treated and doesn't have a high risk of very bad things happening.  In the meantime, though, please do be careful not to miss another dose of the anticoagulant.

Those are both scary.  Sending you good vibes, and I hope you're able to get in to see your cardiologist very soon.

[hegemony]

I hope you won't have to drive while you're waiting for an answer on this.  Sending you best wishes for a speedy and easy-to-remedy diagnosis.

[bud04]

WOW HG! Take care of yourself. I hope you feel better. I'm sending you lots of hugs!

<<<<<<<<<<HUGS>>>>>>>>

[gennimom]

Yikes, HG! I once nearly passed out in public, and would have hit the floor if my sister hadn't yanked Genni out of my arms and her BIL caught me. We finally figured out it was the crowd we were in (people leaving an arena after a graduation ceremony), the heat, and too long since I'd last eaten. All easily fixed. Your problem on the other hand sounds much more serious. I hope you get it figured out soon before it happens again!

[treehugger1]

I've never passed out in public, but I did have a similar experience one morning upon getting out of bed about 10 years ago. When I went to stand up, I felt incredible light-headed, then everything went black and I slumped to the floor. There I regained consciousness, but could't get up without blacking out again. I felt really sick and scared and begged to be taken to ER. I literally crawled to the car b/c I couldn't get up ... etc. etc.

When I got there, they said I had really low blood pressure. They ran tests which all came back negative. I just gradually started feeling better.  I do remember thinking it might have been related to some medication I was taking. But I've never officially discovered the cause and I've never had anything similar happen since (although I continued with the same medication.) So it's possible that your experience is just a wierd one-off. (Let's hope, right?)

[klaradeb]

I passed out twice in public as a student - once in class and once while standing in a crowded bus. In the first case someone called the campus doctor, who said I had low blood pressure and was probably hypoglycemic due to not having eaten that day. In the second case I got to sit for a bit and somehow got myself home. I did a blood test after that, but they found nothing except mild anemia. I ate a rather unbalanced diet at the time, but even now low blood pressure and anemia are pretty normal for me - I've learnt to avoid standing without moving for extended periods of time or I start feeling dizzy. I wouldn't worry too much.