OT - what's wrong with me

This is not related to UC and I don't think it actually is. I had this long before I got UC.

In the morning I usually feel faint. If I don't watch it, I could black out. It happened to me the first time when I was 11 years old. I blacked out on the bus because I had to stand for a long period of time and the air was bad. This still happens. When I'm shopping and have to stand in a long line by the cashier, I just sit down on the floor (embarrassing I know!!) but if I don't I will black out. My last really bad black out was November 16 2010. I had gone to the doc for some blood work. I came out of the office and I thought to myself: If I don't eat something NOW I will faint before I reach my car. A few meters after that I collapsed on the street.

It always happens when: in the morning, when I didn't eat yet or in a longer time, when I stand too long and/or the air is bad. I get a weird feeling to my stomach, I get cold sweat and eventually I black out if I don't do anything. Thankfully I know how to prevent it (eating, glass water, Gatorade for sugar, sitting down) But no doctor has told me what it is?? People tell me it's low blood sugar. Other people told me it's my blood pooling in my legs and not coming back up to my head therefore I feel faint which would indicate a heart or circulation problem.

In fact, at my last GI visit I brought some fruit juice because I haven't eaten in a while and I didn't want to feel faint. He saw it and he mocked me telling me how much sugar there was in there! I tried to explain to him that I needed it otherwise I feel faint. He said I should just eat regularly and it will go away. I've had this since I'm 11 years old (now 29) I don't think this is true. Also what do I do when there are circumstances I cannot eat (yet)?? If I don't have my prevention measures I will faint.

Some insight on this would be really appreciated as I'm battling this currently every day and it makes me feel really sick.

My daughter gets that too! She 15 but she has since about 12. When getting ready for school sometimes she has to go out on patio for fresh air. I have no idea what it is but yes, it's a little worriesom. She gets sick to her tummy more than faint I think. Dizzy for sure. Just always try to keep a cereal bar with you, that what I make her do.

Soy, mine sounds a little different. Mine doesn't just go away. If I keep standing in the line to the cashier, I will faint.

DMC, yes I have my strategies to keep myself up so I don't faint. I cannot digest cereal bars though. In Germany I used to have dextrose drops I always carried them around and they helped. I'm not finding them in the US.

Red, I was never tested. How can I get tested for this? So you think it's low blood sugar as well?

Edit: hypoglycemia keeps coming up as diabetes. Now I'm scared. To which doctor can I go to determine this?

I just looked and the website says to drink some fruit juice etc then I wonder why my GI didn't take me serious at all but mocked me for this

What doctor should I go to who will take me serious and get me tested?

Thank you all. As always, you've been very helpful

Don't worry I know how panic and anxiety feels. First hand. But it doesn't make me black out and feel faint. I can determine which is which.

Hey Andrina-

Do you think it could be related to your adrenal glands? If you've taken steroids in the past, it's possible that your adrenal glands are overworked and therefore be producing less/more cortisol (stress hormone) than needed. This can be empirically tested by the ACTH stimulation test, but I don't feel it is an accurate measure of our stress levels. The lesser term that's not accepted by the medical community is called "adrenal fatigue", but it is actually more common than people like to realize.

I suffered with the medically accepted adrenal disorder called "adrenal insufficiency" because I was producing zero cortisol at one point in my life (confirmed by the test). It was steroid withdrawal related, but stress from life also played a major role in causing it. I suffered from all the symptoms you described.

I would say take care of your stress levels, avoid situations or people that bring you down, and just pamper yourself when you need to. Prioritize your rest and sleep over everything else. Carbohydrates might make things worse, so adding more protein might help. There's a good book that accurately described my situation.

I also can't help but think Azathioprine is causing some of these issues in some way. I wanted to disappear while on immunosuppressants because they just exhausted my body to the point where I felt like doing nothing. I had trouble getting up and doing daily chores. I would consider exploring other modalities of treatments if possible.

Good luck!

Well I had a few examinations done.

I went to the urologist because of what I thought was kidney pain and he had me not eat and drink for 24 h. So I came there and I was really low energy. He was concerned and did a blood sugar test. Come to find out, my blood sugar is normal.

He then sent me to an internist. She did a very simple test. She had me stand up and measured my blood pressure for a few minutes. She asked me when I get the faint feeling. I already felt funny to my stomach. So anyways, my blood pressure dropped 15 points just by standing there. She said if it had dropped 20, I would have fainted. She then diagnosed me with orthostatic hypotension. Basically there is nothing she can do for me. I can wear compression stocks (done that) and she gave me meds to retain my fluids in my legs. That's it.

Just in case anyone was interested in the outcome.

Wow, that's interesting, so its a form of low blood pressure! I guess you must feel some sort of relief knowing for sure what was causing this.