Do any of you faint? I've collapsed 3 times in the last month - always in public!!😡😡 Very embarrassing!
Do you have GCA or PMR?
PMR. At the beginning I was on high dose of pred - 40+, because ESR and CPR kept going up and up, even on pred. Therefore, they must have suspected something else. I fainted/collapsed several times, hospitalized
twice. Now I have been reducing very slowly, at present 5 mgs. One doesn't faint when reducing, does one??? Have had PMR over 3 1/2 years.
Hi Constance, sorry to hear about your fainting. I can only imagine what it must be like. I haven't fainted but I have experienced dizzy spells/light headedness. I would make appt. with gp and get some blood work done and checked. All the best. Pat
I have my blood tested every month, have for the last 3+ years. It yo-yos like mad. Although, I must admit , it has settled down recently.
Have you spoken to your dr. about the fainting spells?
No. I'm afraid of being hospitalized again and having all those horrid tests again.
Oh Constance you need to let your dr. know what is happening.
Constance,
No messing around, you need to ask your GP to refer you to a Vascular Consultant and preferable as soon as possible.
The blood supply can be compromised with GCA and sometimes with PMR - get it checked out asap.
just a thought I take it your bloods have looked at anemia & Vitamins etc + blood pressure.as pat said i think a visit to Dr is called for before you injure your self.Take Care. Dave
Thanks all of you. I have an appointment with my Dr on Thursday. Will see what he suggests.
Constance, I used to faint all the time when I was of child bearing age as I suffered from such heavy periods. I was always being put on iron tablets - once I was on 1000 mgs for over three months!
i now as par of the course take an iron supplement daily, and my iron levels are fine.
domhave your iron levels checked as fainting and shortness of breath are signs of iron deficiency.
regards, tina
Absolutely with lodger on this one - as you might expect. And I'm going to be even more blunt than usual - don't panic but I am telling you some of the scenarios you are risking.
Constance - you are risking your health and possibly even your life by sticking your head in the sand. You describe it as "fainting" but you have absolutely no idea what it is that is causing it. The first that springs to mind (strangely) is an arrythmia causing extended gaps between heart beats - do I remember you mentioning palpitations at some point? If not I'm sorry if I am jumping to conclusions. However - having an autoimmune disorder often leads to an increased rate of these things. Whilst a slow heart beat is mostly not too much of a problem in itself, it can put you in nasty predicaments. You could faint at the top of the stairs. Or in the bath. Or in all sorts of other risky situations. Where the outcome could be far worse than being in hospital for a few days having a few tests.
Or they could be TIAs, transient ischaemic attacks. Also probably more common in people who have had GCA. They are warnings that something is not right and often that is enough to save your life because when they find out what it is they can do something about it. Otherwise you are at risk of a major stroke - which would mean more than a few days in hospital believe me. And even so - the fainting risks are the same as the ones I just mentioned.
If you have another before Thursday then please get someone to dial 112 and tell them what is going on. Three times in a month is far too many. If I were there with you I'd be on the phone to your doctor now - and I'm very surprised your other half hasn't been on the phone. It is one thing having fainting attacks when you know what is causing them but a very different matter otherwise - and once you know I won't get stroppy, I promise.
Have you been prone to fainting in the past? I fainted in Waitrose recently, (a good place to faint in) I had not fainted for ten year. I am not sure if it was anything to do with the PMR or not. I phoned up my GP who said "You'll live". I do get dizzy which I think may be the pred, but have not fainted since. I think if I had fainted three times I might have made more of a fuss though. I would definitely contact your doctor.
Thanks Eileen. Not OH's fault. Threatened I'd leave him if he called the ambulance. It's only happened three times, and don't forget the temperatures have been horribly high, what with that and old age, probably not soooo serious.
Fainted loads of times as a kid. One teacher always stood behind me in assembly. However, I was as skinny as anything in those days. I had a terrible circulation. Also I hated eating! Not much trouble there now!
Later my husband made me stay in bed before he left for work. He said he was "sick of scraping me off the floor" before breakfast.
But, of course, I have PMR now and EVERYTHING is caused by PMR and Pred, isn't it???????
I was pretty prone to fainting when I was younger too, although I was not particularly skinny! I was told it was low blood pressure.
Pred is guilty of EVERYTHING that happens. You name it pred will be behind it.
Possibly not - but let the docs decide that! After a few tests preferably
Er - NO!
My dizzy turns were atrial fibrillation - though I never actually hit the floor! And that is most likely due to PMR - not pred
JOKE!!!