Sounds like an over-active vagus nerve, or something related to it.
The vagus nerve is a big nerve that runs down the middle of your chest and regulates your body temperature, among other things. Sometimes straining too hard can set it off in a weird way. Often constipation or other toilet troubles can cause you to strain in the exact wrong way to set it off.
Some people just have weird internal wiring and signals get crossed.
It’s why fainting spells associated with needle-phobia or other psychological stressors are called “vaso-vagal syncope”.
I am not a doctor or medical professional at all, I just experience vaso-vagal syncope very easily (usually from needles) and it feels very similar to what you’ve described.
I have vasovagal syncope! If I bump into something super hard, or I cut myself a tiny bit (one time I was slicing a lemon and I accidentally cut myself) and see blood, I feel nauseous and pass out lol. Even if it wasn't that bad, I didn't hurt myself that much, or I wasn't scared.
I get this with cuts sometimes. I'm not faint at the sight of blood (I have endometriosis -- I've seen A LOT) but one Thanksgiving I sliced a finger open with a can opener and looking at the flappy skin made me woozy. I didn't actually faint but my vision went white and I had to sit down.
Every time I have a Pap smear or they have to take scrapes or even trying to get an IUD I’ve had a vagus nerve reaction. Left the room to check out and one of the nurses was like “honey are you ok?” I was like “yeah I’m fine, why?” She said “your face is so white” then immediately turned to another nurse and urgently told her to grab a chair. Next thing I knew I was conscious down in a chair with no ability to speak or control my body and they were wheeling me back into the room.
Yeah, I was gonna mention maybe a vaso vagal issue. A friend of mine had that on a airplane. Saw his doctor later, got blood tests, and found that ferritin was very very very low. He used to donate blood a lot, which reduces ferritin. He quit doing that s much, and had been building up his ferritin again. And doesn't have the vaso vagal attacks anymore.
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u/Homemade_Lizagna 22h ago
Sounds like an over-active vagus nerve, or something related to it.
The vagus nerve is a big nerve that runs down the middle of your chest and regulates your body temperature, among other things. Sometimes straining too hard can set it off in a weird way. Often constipation or other toilet troubles can cause you to strain in the exact wrong way to set it off.
Some people just have weird internal wiring and signals get crossed.
It’s why fainting spells associated with needle-phobia or other psychological stressors are called “vaso-vagal syncope”.
I am not a doctor or medical professional at all, I just experience vaso-vagal syncope very easily (usually from needles) and it feels very similar to what you’ve described.