Fainted at the mall today
I had to 'run' to the mall this morning to get a gift for my niece who will be born next week. Unfortunately, the only mall that had the specific gift I was looking for was 20 minutes away from home. Not that far for a normal trip... but today was anything but normal.
I got into the mall feeling fine.. figured I'd do some browsing for my baby as well as for my nieces. As soon as I walked out into the mall my ears popped. Okay, that was odd, but it's happened before. This time however, it was accompanied by my being very winded and feeling like i was running a marathon. I continued to walk a bit further into the mall to find a bench to sit down on. Sat for about 5 minutes, caught my breath and stood back up to continue shopping. Shrugged it off to being 8 months pregnant.
Within 2 minutes of walking further I started sweating and having palpations. I went outside to sit and called my mom (who couldn't be of any physical assistance since shes 500 miles away, but great moral support). Mom was instantly concerned but told me to just sit still until I felt better.
10 minutes pass and I feel totally fine again so I get up to head towards the car to go home. And after walking about 200 feet my world starts spinning, the sweating returns, and I feel like I'm going to puke. And then it happens... I FAINTED!!!
Luckily, I was very close to a counter of a store and managed to prop myself on the way down. I wasn't out very long. Literally, long enough to kneel on the floor and start crying. I had to call my husband who was outside doing yard work and didnt hear the phone ringing 40 times. So then I called my sister in law whos phone died mid-conversation of telling her to go get her brother to come get me (she lives 5 minutes from our house). Finally, I called my mom and cried and asked her to keep trying to call Andrew so he could rush up to the mall to get me. I didn't want to go to the hospital by ambulance! For some reason I was being really pigheaded and wouldn't let the mall medical people look at me. I was afraid they would ship me off to the hospital. I don't know why I was so resistant on that. A very nice couple sat with me and got me something to eat and drink to help me ward off the shakes that I was now going through.
Thankfully, my mom was able to get a hold of my husband who made it to the mall in record time. Now I've been barred from mall shopping by myself until after the baby is born :(
It was a very scary morning. But I'm feeling much better. I don't think I'm going to make a trip up to the hospital to get checked out as I can still feel baby Alex moving around just as normal and no cramping or anything. Just a heaviness in my head/neck. So I'm going to bedrest it the rest of the weekend and call the OB on monday morning to just let him know what happened. He's already aware of my shortness of breath and palpations. We think it's due to my ferritin level being so low and we are just keeping an eye on it. I saw him on thursday for my 32 week appt and everything was great except for those 2 issues.
*sigh* Sorry for the vent!
I got into the mall feeling fine.. figured I'd do some browsing for my baby as well as for my nieces. As soon as I walked out into the mall my ears popped. Okay, that was odd, but it's happened before. This time however, it was accompanied by my being very winded and feeling like i was running a marathon. I continued to walk a bit further into the mall to find a bench to sit down on. Sat for about 5 minutes, caught my breath and stood back up to continue shopping. Shrugged it off to being 8 months pregnant.
Within 2 minutes of walking further I started sweating and having palpations. I went outside to sit and called my mom (who couldn't be of any physical assistance since shes 500 miles away, but great moral support). Mom was instantly concerned but told me to just sit still until I felt better.
10 minutes pass and I feel totally fine again so I get up to head towards the car to go home. And after walking about 200 feet my world starts spinning, the sweating returns, and I feel like I'm going to puke. And then it happens... I FAINTED!!!
Luckily, I was very close to a counter of a store and managed to prop myself on the way down. I wasn't out very long. Literally, long enough to kneel on the floor and start crying. I had to call my husband who was outside doing yard work and didnt hear the phone ringing 40 times. So then I called my sister in law whos phone died mid-conversation of telling her to go get her brother to come get me (she lives 5 minutes from our house). Finally, I called my mom and cried and asked her to keep trying to call Andrew so he could rush up to the mall to get me. I didn't want to go to the hospital by ambulance! For some reason I was being really pigheaded and wouldn't let the mall medical people look at me. I was afraid they would ship me off to the hospital. I don't know why I was so resistant on that. A very nice couple sat with me and got me something to eat and drink to help me ward off the shakes that I was now going through.
Thankfully, my mom was able to get a hold of my husband who made it to the mall in record time. Now I've been barred from mall shopping by myself until after the baby is born :(
It was a very scary morning. But I'm feeling much better. I don't think I'm going to make a trip up to the hospital to get checked out as I can still feel baby Alex moving around just as normal and no cramping or anything. Just a heaviness in my head/neck. So I'm going to bedrest it the rest of the weekend and call the OB on monday morning to just let him know what happened. He's already aware of my shortness of breath and palpations. We think it's due to my ferritin level being so low and we are just keeping an eye on it. I saw him on thursday for my 32 week appt and everything was great except for those 2 issues.
*sigh* Sorry for the vent!
I've totally been where you're at - it's very scary. I passed out in Walmart. I can't be in stores very long and the mall is a HUGE no no. I think it's the lighting in the stores. I get clammy and my knees shake - it's horrible. I spoke to my OB about it and he said it's actually pretty normal. As long as it doesn't get to the point where you can't leave the house without passing out.
Glad you're feeling better now though.
Glad you're feeling better now though.
I am feeling much better, thanks. My husband took me out to Walmart to grab a snack for the night and while we were out I started to feel slightly dizzy again so we sat down in the pharmacy section right at the blood pressure machine. I decided to check my blood pressure. It was really low. 98/60. We sat for about 5 minutes and I tested it again and it was up a bit but still low for me so far this pregnancy at 109/73. On thursday at the Dr's office it was 125/78.
I consider myself a professional fainter so please take my advice. Now that you recognize the signs you will never faint again. As soon as you feel "off" or weird, lay down on the ground with your feet elevated. They have beds at most malls. Fainting is our bodies way of getting blood to the brain. Also make sure you don't lock your legs when you are standing in line or standing still. This is why people faint at weddings and at church. They lock the blood too far from the brain, the body makes us faint to restore good flow to the brain. Since I have low blood sugar and blood pressure while pregnant, I also made sure I carried a few hard candies and a tube of peanut butter with me when I went to Walmart.
The first time I fainted I was 15, I fainted 3 times when I was 18 and then when I was pregnant with my older girls almost fainted over 20 times. I only fainted 2 times when I got older, once after giving blood and once at the zoo when I was too hot. When I was pregnant with my 4 year old I realized I could predict that feeling pretty quick and never fully fainted again with that pregnancy or my 18 month olds pregnancy.
I hope that it doesn't happen to you again. It is an awful feeling.
The first time I fainted I was 15, I fainted 3 times when I was 18 and then when I was pregnant with my older girls almost fainted over 20 times. I only fainted 2 times when I got older, once after giving blood and once at the zoo when I was too hot. When I was pregnant with my 4 year old I realized I could predict that feeling pretty quick and never fully fainted again with that pregnancy or my 18 month olds pregnancy.
I hope that it doesn't happen to you again. It is an awful feeling.
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