Fainting Sensation Follow-up

I had a post ER follow-up with my EP yesterday.
He said that it appears as if my problem could be VVS (just like Boatman). This is basically a sudden drop in blood pressure that causes the sensation of getting ready to faint, and at times causes your heart to stop (like me in January).
The good news is that my Sinus Node maybe OK (no way of knowing); I have a PM in case the VVS is intense; Now I am taking a small dose of Beta Blocker to try to manage the VVS.
Long story short, my EP was absolutely not worried about anything (as usual), and he seems to think they have finally figured out what the source of my problem might be.
Has anyone else been diagnoses with VVS (Vasovagal Syndrome)?

6 Comments

Nope...can't help..but wanted to say hello

by LIVE_STRONG - 2008-08-01 04:08:24

Hello there,
I have spoken to you a few times on cardiacathlete. I have SSS and the doc said I could be headed for VVS...so my pacemaker was implantes last Friday.
We might have the same EP....mine is never worried either!
Good Luck, Holly

How are you feeling?

by tripastor - 2008-08-01 04:08:42

Holly,

Good to hear from you. How are you feeling after your implant?

VVS

by ela-girl - 2008-08-01 05:08:00

Hi, tripastor.

Yes, there are a handful of us here on the site that have VVS (also known as NCS and other things). I also have this pain in the butt condition. You've mentioned Boatman and some others that come to mind with this condition are Karen and bowlrbob. There are more, but their names escape me at the moment.

I had severe bradycardia and NCS for 5 years before receiving my pm via emergency surgery. My old cardiologist didn't know what to do with me and said I was too young for a pm--so, he just put me on a beta-blocker and kept upping the dose when I went back to seek help. It was a dark time in my life. I couldn't do anything alone, I couldn't drive, I slept all the time, and I just didn't have a life. I was just existing. Not to mention I was physically getting hurt when I would blackout without warning. My BP would be 60/40 and my heart rate 4 BPM. Not good. When I moved states, I got a great EP. Thanks to him I have my life back! The pm has controlled my symptoms, so I am now off the beta-blocker. Thank goodness. Beta-blockers are nasty little meds. I've only had pre-syncope symptoms a handful of times in the almost 2 years I've had my pm--but I had those symptoms when I had a lot of other stuff going on, too. Like having a sinus infection on top of a migraine--my body just got too stressed out. I'm now 31 thanks to my pm!

I could tell you lots about your condition if you have questions. I've also posted/replied about it a lot. So have others. Use the search feature in the upper right hand corner to look up info on the site if you haven't done that already!

Have you also tried other things like taking in more salt in your diet, keeping your electrolytes up, or wearing compression stockings? These things didn't help me but can help others. Do you have a rate drop response on your pm?

Glad your EP has helped you on the path to hopefully the right diagnosis! Have you had a tilt table test or other tests?

Happier pacing,
ela-girl

VVS

by bini - 2008-08-01 08:08:04

I also have VVS- mine is due to a condition called POTS. VVS is a pain to deal with and each person responds differently to treatments.
I wish you all the best and please keep us updated!

VVS

by busby - 2008-08-01 09:08:39

I was originally diagnosed with SSS, but although no one has actually told me I think I have VVS, mainly from what I have read on this site and the fact that I still have a day of pre-faint feelings ocassionally. I now have that rate drop response feature turned on and I think it has helped some, but not totally and I can live with that.
Today is 2nd August and while I was at the gym this morning I was thinking that it is exactly 5 yrs since I had my PM put in because my heart stopped 5 times that day. I now go to the gym up to 6 times a week, doing weights, aerobics and pilates and I am probably the fittest I have ever being. I have come a long way from thinking that day, 5yrs ago, that I had done my last grapevine in an aerobics class.
There seems to be a lot of similar people on this site.
Robin

VVS

by ElectricFrank - 2008-08-02 01:08:53

The vagal nerve has a strong effect on heart rhythm and is also very responsive to emotional input. This can lead to a situation that feeds on itself. A slight feeling of fainting leads to increased vagal activity, which affects the heart and increases the fainting..and around we go. Some of us are more sensitive than other to this effect.
The same thing happens with shortness of breath. The anxiety produced by the feeling will bring about shallow fast breathing which makes the symptoms worse.
The best approach to either is to consciously slow and deepen breathing. I call it going to "longness of breath".

By the way (don't try this at home unless someone is with you), but an effective way to experience this is to stand with your arms crossed in front of you, tighten your chest muscles, pull in your stomach, and breath rapidly. I did this exercise with a group of biofeedback therapist's in a class on panic/anxiety and had a room full of near panic attacks. Again, slow deep breathing will reverse the process quickly.

Wierd frank

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Born to be Wired is your theme song.

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Today I explained everything to my doctor, he set my lower rate back to 80 and I felt an immediate improvement.