posted
Last night I was at an orchestra rehearsal. I could smell cigarette smoke on someone nearby and the room was hot. As I was playing both the heat and the smell were really getting to me. I got to the point where I thought I was either going to throw up or faint.
This has happened a few times before. Cigarette smoke had not been around before, but I do remember another unpleasant smell starting to really get to me. The last time I felt really hot even though the room was not hot. This time the room legitimately was hot. This time I sat down before it escalated, but in times before I stood up until everything went black. I was still standing and conscious, but I could not see. Any ideas what may be causing this?
Posts: 1015 | Registered: Aug 2004
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posted
That's how I always feel before I faint. Warm and extra-sensitive to bad smells. The good ones are the ones where you remain standing and just black out. The bad ones you end up sprawled on the floor.
How's your blood pressure? My fainting is usually due to low blood pressure.
One time I started to go in sculpture class and the professor had smelling salts. Fabulous, fabulous things. Brought me right back.
Posts: 7954 | Registered: Mar 2004
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Yes, I don't know much about how smells play into it but being warm makes the blood vessels near the skin open up more widely so the blood can cool off and that causes the central blood pressure to drop, since the blood is in the smaller veins instead of the bigger veins. Standing still is worse compared to either sitting or walking. I always thought that was why people sometimes have that reaction in church. Standing still in a warm place.
And there are lots of other possibilities also. I don't have enough information to talk about the others and I am a little rushed right now but basically you were about to faint for some reason which usually involves a lowered blood pressure.
posted
dpr: I was thinking about me being pregnant all the way to the pancake supper at church. It was really ammusing me. I haven't so much as kissed someone in 6+ months so I was thinking of me bearing God's next child.
I have some allergies, but I don't think they would cause it.
kq: Maybe, but they happened when I was not getting periods too.
ElJay: That is a really good guess. When I was heavier I had a normal blood pressure, but now that I lost weight my blood pressure has dropped. Is there anything you can do about low blood pressure?
quote: Standing still is worse compared to either sitting or walking
It has only happened when I have been playing, and I play standing up.
Thank you everyone. Posts: 1015 | Registered: Aug 2004
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If you notice yourself clearing your throat or coughing significantly more often than the people around you, you may have undiagnosed asthma. And the odors may be triggering a mild asthma attack.
Posts: 8501 | Registered: Jul 2001
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posted
Sorry, I just posted a musing which was already on the machine before I saw "It has only happened when I have been playing, and I play standing up."
You may be locking your knees while standing. Soldiers faint all the time from standing at attention with locked knees; even though they are warned against the practice.
posted
I'll chime in with low blood sugar. The nausea that pregnant women experience is often related to low blood sugar. A lot of people get headachey with low blood sugar. I don't mean in a technical hypoglycemia or diabetes sense, just when had you eaten last and was it a solid, balanced meal?
Posts: 2010 | Registered: Apr 2003
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aspectre: I suppose either could be happening. It seems like the odors trigger a reaction in my stomach not my lungs. Can you lock your knees when they are shoulder-width apart?
The last time it happened I had eaten not too long before, but I don't remember what I ate. Eating pretzels afterwards helped my stomach and my head feel better.
quote:Explain to your child that standing suddenly from a seated position can also cause feelings of faintness.
-From aspectre's link.
This happens to me all of the time. I always thought that was due to low blood pressure as well.
Posts: 1015 | Registered: Aug 2004
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Pretzels would supply both salt and sugar pretty quickly. Salt can raise blood pressure, and sugar could help with low blood sugar.
I associate both with headaches and feeling faint/nauseated, and it's quite possible you're suffering from both at the same time.
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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Usually when my blood pressure is checked it is around 103-109 over 58-64. That doesn't seem that low to me, but I seem to show all of the symptoms of having low blood pressure. Does being taller require having a higher blood pressure? (sorry if that is a stupid question.)
I just checked a website and hypotension usually starts at 90/60. The main symptoms they named were: fainting(esp. in hot environment), lightheadedness when standing up, and cold extremities. It sounds like me, but I don't know what could be causing it since all of the causes don't really fit.
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