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Fainting when standing for a while

(28 Posts)
reelashosser Mon 16-Oct-23 17:23:23

Has anyone else suffered with this? I first went to the doctor's a couple of years ago when it began to be a problem, although I have known for many years that I can't stand for long, although I could walk for several miles provided I could sit down occasionally. I had several tests including BP and ECG and all was normal and the surgery did not get back to me.

However recently I was shopping in Tesco and started to feel unwell (the problem always starts with an ache in my back, around my waist). I thought I could hold out, but had to leave my husband to pack the bags and went to sit on a bench by the window, near a till. I was concentrating on my breathing, when I suddenly woke up on the floor, having fainted. I later realised I had a black eye, swollen knee and a cracked rib - thank goodness I had only been sitting at the time!

The staff were wonderful, but sitting for over half an hour and having sweet tea and water did not make me feel better and we had to go home by taxi. Again I went to our surgery and had the same range of tests, and again I have not heard from the surgery two weeks later. I have today booked an appointment with a gp for a week's time.

Since fainting I have had a warning of it happening again and curtailed my shopping and still had to have help at the till, and have decided to do the shopping over two days.

Although we live about two minutes from a bus stop, I cannot use the bus as I know I cannot stand for long.

If anyone else has suffered from this problem and can give me a clue as to what it can be, I should be very grateful, as it would give me something to suggest to the gp if he has no suggestions for me.

I am 81 and quite healthy, but this problem is now severely curtailing my activities. I do hope someone can give me some suggestions.

karmalady Mon 16-Oct-23 17:32:35

ask for a test for aortic aneurysm, they can be slow leaking and could cause an ache around the back and waist

Shelflife Mon 16-Oct-23 18:23:55

No experience of this but my suggestion is to see your GP , perhaps take someone with you - do not pull any punches ! Ask for more detailed tests.
This condition is restricting your life and needs addressing asap. I send you good wishes and good luck.

BlueBelle Mon 16-Oct-23 18:38:25

…..And do an online shop instead of standing in queues or trudging around the shelves

wildswan16 Mon 16-Oct-23 18:40:31

Maybe ask your GP (if he hasn't already done it) to check your BP and pulse when sitting, and then after standing for 5 minutes or so.

MiniMoon Mon 16-Oct-23 19:56:48

Sounds like your blood pressure is dropping when you are standing. This is the reason soldiers faint when standing to attention for extended periods. Try not to stand still when queueing. Keep your feet moving, it might help.
I also think you ought to ask you GP to take your BP after you have been standing for a while.
I do hope you find a reason and a solution for the fainting.

coco12 Mon 16-Oct-23 20:25:23

Agree with Bluebelle you will benefit from online shopping. So much easier for you. Hope you feel better soon

Luckygirl3 Mon 16-Oct-23 20:40:11

The pain preceding the faint is something that needs feeding back to your doctor. A previous poster has suggested one possibility which is not to be ignored
I have passed out twice after pain in my back under ribs ... it was caused by spasm of a sphincter in the biliary system that irritated the vagus nerve.
I think you need to see the doc again.

LizzieDrip Mon 16-Oct-23 21:42:44

My sister in law had a similar occurrence to you OP. She was hospitalised because she injured herself quite badly. The tests she had in hospital showed it was caused by irritation of her vagus nerve. Might be worth mentioning this to your GP.

Redhead56 Tue 17-Oct-23 09:44:18

Please get your blood pressure double checked my mum had a few incidents you experienced it was a certain form of blood pressure.

maddyone Tue 17-Oct-23 09:51:52

My dad had this, exactly this. He was advised to sit, or even lie down immediately when he started to feel faint. It wasn’t ever found to be anything serious. It is caused by low blood pressure. I’ll guess that as we age, our heart finds it more difficult to pump blood right up to our heads when we are standing, and so the blood pressure drops. Lie down and the heart pumps blood properly again.

Once he collapsed in a toilet, in a restaurant. My husband had to climb over the door of the cubicle in order to unlock the door and get him out. Of course, as soon as he fell, the blood pressure improved and he came back to the table and was fine.

Dee1012 Tue 17-Oct-23 11:56:56

There's a condition called PoTs...postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome.
Some of your symptoms sound very similar if you look on the NHS website that has some information, it could be worth having a read through.

dogsmother Tue 17-Oct-23 11:59:53

It’s more than a postural drop, listen to karma lady.

Juliet27 Tue 17-Oct-23 12:17:07

This has happened to me recently a couple of times when I have been standing for some time in hot weather, although I don’t experience pain. I was indoors for the last one, could see stars and felt as though I was going to faint so laid down for a while and gradually felt better. I took my blood pressure and it was far lower than usual.
Apparently blood tends to pool in the legs when standing for some time and heat and dehydration don’t help the situation.

reelashosser Tue 17-Oct-23 16:26:38

Thank you all so much for your input. It's not my BP, I've actually stood for 50 minutes in the kitchen and then taken my BP and there is nothing wrong! And I managed then to get to a chair and sit down....

I am noting all your suggestions and will mention them to the doctor. I agree, the current situation is definitely life limiting, and I need to get it sorted.

Thank you again.

Disablednotgeriactric Tue 17-Oct-23 17:14:25

Need to check with GP this seems similar to POTs I get it when standing for too long my smart watch shows raised heart rate for 10 minutes then it goes back to normal thankfully I’ve only fallen once

Bromley Wed 18-Oct-23 11:21:02

This would happen to me and was dismissed by GP until I passed out when driving. Luckily no one hurt,even though the car finished up the wrong side of the road.I was given a heart monitor for a week which showed I have AF. Since having a Pacemaker (12 years ago ) I have been fine.

jenpax Wed 18-Oct-23 11:23:14

I get this and in my case its due to low blood pressure. I can walk (with stops) but start to black out if I am on my feet too long

sharonarnott Wed 18-Oct-23 11:27:03

I experienced something like this. For me it turned out to be heart related. Maybe it's something to do with your BP dropping, either way I'd want it investigating

25Avalon Wed 18-Oct-23 11:40:17

Dad had a similar problem as he got older. He would suddenly become aware that he was”going down” and would immediately collapse like a sack of potatoes. Luckily he never really hurt himself and would recover very quickly. The doctor did tests and said it was nothing to worry about and he could still drive. He had low blood pressure so idk if that was a contributory factor from other postings. He lived to be 96.

Desire Wed 18-Oct-23 12:18:30

do check your blood sugar too as it can cause fainting after period of standing

PinkCosmos Wed 18-Oct-23 12:33:25

My father had a couple of episodes of fainting for no apparent reason.

It turned out that he had a faulty heart valve.

I am not saying that this is the case with you but just thought I would post for info.

Sleepygran Wed 18-Oct-23 13:59:27

If you have back pain prior,do you legs feel weak?
If so, it might be an issue with the nerve supply. Strangely that comes from your neck area.might be worth asking for a neck x ray.

Notagranyet1234 Wed 18-Oct-23 14:03:32

Dee1012

There's a condition called PoTs...postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome.
Some of your symptoms sound very similar if you look on the NHS website that has some information, it could be worth having a read through.

I must admit I immediately thought POTS too Dee1012
I think ask the GP to do sitting and standing BP and I would clearly explain what precedes the condition, and don't let them fob you off.

Yorkslass23 Wed 18-Oct-23 21:39:27

I've been involved in healthcare and research too for over 40+ years, so I know a thing or two on the topic. When it comes to 'syncopal episodes' or the like, I have had personal experience. I have the real Meniere's disease, not just tinnitus (noises in the ears). I became totally deaf on the right, when I was 35 yo. There are a few symptoms of the disease (no longer tinnitus, which happens at the beginning), I would become like a drunken person, unable to walk straight. Later, I began having 'head drops' when I suddenly hit the ground (could not stretch arms to save myself either). Then, I would have to sit there for a while and later go to bed and sleep it off! In short, the episodes feel as though the blood in the brain goes down to the feet and bingo! I can sort of tell by the feeling in my head in the morning, if it is lingering in the background. I usually don't go out or travel far if so. It can hit suddenly...like the time I was in Sicily, at the heritage site of Agrigento, where I hit the ancient rocks, headfirst and I draw a crowd of like thousands around me. My heading was bleeding a lot. One man in the crowd, reached out and pressed a large hankie on my forehead and pressed hard. Turns out he was a neurologist, spoke English. People wanted to lift me up, after I told him I had Meniere's he said, "leave her for a while." I have a house on the mainland Italy. My daughter had to do the drive back, after the ambulance took me to a hospital. It turned out that I broke my ankle on those rocks. My face squared the maid at the hotel the next day! The positive bit of the story is that we got to travel first class by air and never had to check in or pull any of our luggage! I hope you get to the bottom of your dizzy, or light-headed spells. Interestingly, Meniere's is a medical phenomena. Until recently, there was little research into this crazy disease and they still are not sure what causes it. All I know is, I thank God I have 2 ears, rather and just one, but it sure did affect my social life, especially in noisy environments, because I cannot always join in the conversation - words can sound different to what is actually being said. Your problem could be vestibular also.