Hey everyone, I was hoping for a somewhat scientific explanation to something that I experience from time to time and I’m really struggling to understand the process behind it.
Bottom line, I’m a 40M that is prone to vasovagal syncope when drawing blood. It is something that I cannot control, not sure if it is nervous system or another reason behind it, the only solution so far is to keep my feet up when drawing blood and not looking at the blood being collected.
What I’m more curious though is about the “return to conscience” process after I faint, since it feels like a slow “come to live” process, which has roughly these steps:
* Step 0 – I faint (normally I have no recollection of this part)
* Step 1 – I feel myself to be awakened and aware, at least at a conscience level – I can think, analyse and recollect stuff, but I cannot see, hear, feel, control my body, etc. It is like I’m in a sort of a blank clear (with light) space
* Step 2 – I feel my body coming to life, but feels like I have someone holding me down (normally no one is holding me down after I wake, I’ve confirmed this)
* Step 3 – I feel my hearing starting to work – I can listen to sounds, but normally very far away until I completely recover my hearing
* Step 4 – Vision starts to work, but at first I can only see blotches and fuzzy shadows until I can fully recover my vision and, even then, there is some awkwardness in the way I see things for a couple of minutes
The full process seems to take up until a minute from my perspective, but from other people’s perspective (I’ve double checked with my wife, she’s seen a couple) it takes less than 2\~3 seconds.
So anyone that can help me understand this a bit better, I would appreciate it.
Thanks!!
In: Biology
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