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Calla

Dec 03, 2023

Tips for fainting

in Disability FAQs

Hi! I am recently diagnosed with dysautonomia due to life long dizzy spells turning into fainting spells. It is a new phenomenon and I'm terrified of it happening in public by myself! I use a cane for other health issues and I know it draws attention to me, I would be so embarrassed if I fainted and had a bystander call an ambulance so I haven't gone outside of my house in a while by myself or in general. What can I do to overcome this fear/anxiety of this potential situation?

5 answers0 replies

Comments (5)

Mae

Mar 04

Maybe a sunflower lanyard or a normal one even that explains your conditions

Mae

Mar 04

Replying to

Ik this is super late

katierchap

Dec 29, 2024

hi! I'm going to be honest the fear never really goes away completely however you learn to manage the anxiety and nerves! my tips are,

wear a lanyard with health cards so that if you ever faint in public and a bystander comes to check on you they will know not to call an ambulance.
recognise your symptoms, be aware of how your body acts and how you feel leading up to an episode, this gives you time to find a safe place to manage your symptoms in peace and away from nosy eyes.
There's always a floor! if you need to sit down but think there's no where to sit. There most definitely is! there is ALWAYS a ground and if that's what you need then that's what you need.
I know im a bit late but thought that there was no harm in answering in case you or anyone else needed some reassurance

Calla

Dec 30, 2024

Replying to

I appreciate the reply! As for an update for anyone else following this or could find this helpful: I tend to not go anywhere by myself as the summer has made everything worse, and something I learned the hard way is apparently pregnancy can make dysautonomia much worse (who would have thought?).

Quick update: pregnancy makes it 10000x worse (at least for me), found an amazing and supportive partner, POTS can sometimes go away after pregnancy, life is terrifying but good. And we have a cat (tax added she sleeps like this).

Long update: I saw my cardiologist and he basically told me that life is going to suck and to avoid concussions, but he’s had patients that had the dysautonomia go away after pregnancy so it will either go back to normal, get worse, or disappear after birth but right now it’s the worst 9 month flare I’ve ever had.

Also to inspire some hope in others, I have found the best partner in the world since making this post and she’s amazing. I know for many of us it’s very hard to keep any form of relationships and it was honestly terrifying to have to share my “burdens” with someone else but it’s not even been an issue.

When I first told her about it and what my experience is her first reaction was that everyone has something they struggle with and it’s hypocritical to see others as less than for their struggles. She was scared at first by my syncope episodes since I get twitchy during that look like seizures but all is good. If I pass out in public she’s there to help, if I do it at home in the middle of the night she gets up carries me back to bed and makes sure I’m okay. It’s not even an annoyance to her and she’s never made me feel bad about it.

We are worried a little about caring for a baby with my conditions when she goes back to work afterwards but we have a solid support system around in the area. Thanks for checking in and offering advice, I kind of forgot about this post tbh and I appreciate the follow up! :)

GloriousPurpose

Dec 19, 2023

I don't know if you have this already, or if this is what you're looking for, but you could maybe get a lanyard with an ID card/ pins that let people know you have a fainting disorder or if your not comfortable with that there are subtler options. That might help take some of the stress off if you put instructions on the card of what to do if you faint for people to see so they wouldn't call an ambulance.

But maybe something you could do to start out is have a trusted friend or family member who is aware of what's going on and how to help go out with you until your comfortable enough to go out on your own. Or maybe even have a plan in place for certain places.

Would fidgets or headphones maybe help take away some of the stress?

Praying for you!

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