9/11/18 – Vasovagal Syncope During IBS Attacks

3 days of terrible issues, hopefully coming to an end. These days and bouts are very scary as just when you think you have a run of semi ok days then the bad days come back to haunt you. Was it food, was it something else? What triggers do you have? Gut issues in general are life changing, life altering and can ruin any life you think you might have. They can force you into hiding from everything in your life. How do you keep from staying home all the time? What motivates you to push past your symptoms?

My latest symptoms are truly fantastic. Vasovagal syncope (vay-zoh-VAY-gul SING-kuh-pee) occurs when you faint because your body overreacts to certain triggers, such as the sight of blood or extreme emotional distress. It may also be called neurocardiogenic syncope. This in my case is not fully fainting but it is the strangest and most unnerving feeling I have ever had related to my gut issues. It seems to be directly related to how my motility is for that day. I can literally feel the motion in my gut mixed with gas being pushed around in my intestinal tract. As this material moves it can cause these pangs of overreaction that can cause these symptoms. They go from small dizzy spells to needing to hold onto the closet wall until they pass which can take a few seconds depending on how bad they are and how quickly I can get past them. These episodes tend to clear up after a bowel movement, but till then they can continue till that occurs.

I think many that suffer with chronic gut issues try to move past or hide their symptoms. Many others have no idea what is faced daily when battling these symptoms. It seems that IBS and depression have not been studied enough at this point but I can tell you from my forced field study that I think it can easily lead to chronic low level depression. There are just to many negatives with these issues to not think it will not effect you at some level when it constantly is there trying to ruin your each and every day.

In the end I hope that the last 3 days worth of symptoms and lost days at work will pass, those of us that suffer from these types of symptoms can only hope that we have the continued support of those around us and for those of us alone like I am that only have us to deal with these issues, know that we are all not as alone as we think we might be and need to turn to each other for that support network.