Out Cold

This is slightly old news and to call it news is an overstatement, but did you see the clip of the woman fainting on The Price is Right?



It’s not the first time it’s happened, over the years, it’s occurred at least two other times on the show.

Not sure why they fainted, it can happen for a number of reasons. I know this all too well.

Let me paint you a picture….

It’s a warm summer night. We're on a double date with friends at Bennigan's. I know that’s bad enough. Worse yet, there is a 45-minute wait. We decide to wait it out. We chat and stand off to the side near the entrance. About 30 minutes later, I become very tired. I yawn, again and again. Next thing I know I’m waking up to voices. I finally come to, and there are paramedics hovered around me. They’re taking my vitals and making me drink water. Woozy, I complain that I’m starved. And I refuse a trip to the hospital, I insist all I need is food. After some persistence, they finally agree to let me be and go on their way. Meanwhile, a table magically opens up and we’re seated and potato skins rapidly appear.

Not a recommended way to get a table and food quickly in a crowded restaurant, but I must say it does work.

I didn't give it much more thought, I’ve fainted twice before, at Metallica and SeaWorld. I’ve mentioned the Metallica tale before, but not SeaWorld. My parents brought us to Florida when I was twelve. We visited Orlando, Daytona and New Smyrna Beach. The day we visited SeaWorld it was ungodly hot and humid. I remember my dad getting us fish to feed the dolphins. After that all I can recall is laying across his lap being force fed a cold beverage. Each incident occurred while it was hot, I always assumed I fainted from dehydration.

A few months after the Bennigan’s incident. I gave Frank another near heart attack. This time, I dozed off on the couch, woke quickly and went to the bathroom. I remember peeing, but I have no clear recollection of much else until I woke up in the emergency room. Turns out after my pee, I fainted, but all Frank heard was two loud thumps. One must have been my head hitting the wall, then next was my body hitting the ground like lump of bricks. He ran to check on me, trouble was he couldn’t get in. My lifeless body blocked the door. He immediately called 911. I vaguely recall the paramedics asking him questions and later carrying me out on a stretcher, but I swear it was only a dream. Rather it was a real nightmare for Frank.

In the hospital they ran test after test and they were only able to determine that I had low potassium. After replenishing my fluids and potassium I was released, but I had to follow up with a neurologist. In the meantime, I was unable to drive. Talk about a pain in the ass – I commuted 60 miles between, home, work and school. Sleep studies and a number of other tests were ordered. Test after test returned normal results. Until I underwent the Tilt-table Test. While I was hooked up to a few monitors and strapped to the table I remember thinking “this is silly, nothing is happening”. Famous last words, after 30 minutes I was out cold. Again, all I recall is the nurse in a flutter working to get my pulse and blood pressure back in normal range, my vitals quickly plummeted to 34bpm and 90/60. That’s all it took to have my diagnosis, Neurocardiogenic Syncope. In short, my blood vessels are too weak to pump blood properly when I stand upright for a duration of 30 minutes or longer, my blood pools to my feet and I faint. Having this knowledge and being aware of my triggers has kept me safe. I can recognize symptoms and quickly sit or lay down to counteract syncope. It’s been about eight years since my last episode. Just another diagnosis to add to my feelings of being a medical oddity.