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"Fainting - a different experience every time."

I'm not sure what it is about me. But every now and then, like once every two years or so, I faint.

My first was when I was nine years old. I was stood for a long time waiting for a bus to arrive to take me home at Exeter bus station. It was a hot sunny day and I'd been in town a long time.

When it eventually arrived, I started walking to the bus.

Next thing I know there was dark. Everything was like a blackish brown and all I could see were lights. Suddenly my hearing came back and I started to see again. I was being held up by my mum who had managed to catch me and hold six bags of shopping whilst the stereotypical Exeter citezens stepped over me to get onto the bus.

Oh, don't worry about the poor kid who collapsed for no reason. As long as you get your seat on the bus!

When I realised what had happened, my first instinct was to find my bus ticket. I'm not sure why it seemed so important to me at the time, but when I did I climbed onto the bus and found a seat. Some wierd lady in her 50s stared at me for a while and my brother, two years younger than myself, started feeling rather ill.

We got off the bus at a train station the route went through and my mum decided it would be better to go by taxi. When we got home my brother felt rather ill and I felt all wierd. My arms and legs felt quite light and my head still wasn't 100%. My mum called the doctor and she told me that it was quite normal for someone my age, though was probably brought on by a virus - assuming it was similar to what my brother had.


I can't remember the next two faints. I didn't black out, however things went rather hazy. They weren't very eventful though, and therefore I can't remember them too well.

One day I had to have a blood test for something. I was sat in the doctors surgery and the nurse put the needle in my arm. I hate needles at the best of times, so I looked away as it went in. It stung, but I could cope. I then watched as one vile filled, then another, then another. The fourth however didn't fill with a single drop. Suddenly, my mind panicked and my hearing went tinny and I felt rather dizzy. I stayed concious but the nurse decided to take out the needle and put me on the bed. I lay there until I returned to normal which didn't take long, then went home.


The next faint was when I was 16. I was late for school by around two or three minutes and it was assembly day. Those who were there on time got a seat, those who weren't had to stand at the back. I was one of those, stood at the back listening to waffle about Ucas forms which didn't interest me in the slightest as I knew I wasn't going to university.

I was just stood there thinking about how I hate standing up for so long in hot rooms and whilst in school, I had a thing about being self concious. As much as I couldn't give a damn what people think of me now, school felt rather different. So many potential females making hormones cause strange psychological reactions, I was bound to feel self concious.

The first thing I noticed was a feeling of warmth in my head. Then my fingers went all tingly. I immediately realised what was happening and tried to increase the blood pressure. I moved my fingers like I was typing on the wall I was leaning against (though without making a sound) and pushed myself with my feet. All it seemed to do was slow the inevitable. Next thing I knew my hearing was going all tinny. Rather like a mixture of the vent and water effects in Duke Nukem 3D. Then I noticed my hands had gone very white. I started feeling cold and my face felt all clammy. Then my eyesight started going strange. I knew that if I didn't act soon I would be on the floor and everyone would be talking about it for days... (though I think I'd've preferred that in the end...any attention is better than no attention - unless it's from some idiot - could've got me a sympathy vote from some of the girls...).

I looked around, not caring what others would think of my actions, then noticed an old chair facing the other way against a wall to my right. I quickly ran for that like a drunk goat and fell onto it, leaning forward with my head almost level with my legs. Atleast if I collapsed then, I wouldn't hurt myself too badly. I did get a look off one girl...though it was more of "I don't want whatever he's got". It took a while for me to return back to normal, but I decided I wasn't staying in school. Deputy head of school said, "Why bother turning up if you feel like that?", though I don't think he meant it like that (he was one of the better teachers) and as the school nurse wasn't in, I just walked out of school.


Now it may seem strange, but only a few weeks ago I got curious about the experiences felt in fainting. I sort of wanted to faint again, just to relive the experiences, but knew that it isn't the sanest idea, and so left it at that.

The other day, I went on a first aid course with St. John's Ambulance learning basic first aid for work. This involved things like cuts and bumps to CPR.

We had just discussed the treatment of shock. Not as in psychological shock, but physical shock where the brain becomes selfish and takes all the blood for itself. We had then gone onto blood. A video was put on showing all sorts of obviously fake but potentially real cases.

Normally I'm fine with blood. I can look at others when they've cut themselves, I can watch the most gruesome stuff on TV, and can even just about manage a blood test (with the exception of the one mentioned above) however, in this case, I felt like a girl (no offence to girls, but I really felt like I'd been stripped of my testosterone completely).

I was sat watching the video and all I could think of was this one comment that was briefly mentioned on the video, "blood can be squirted several feet into the air". Meanwhile the video was waffling on about other cuts and was showing examples on screen. I started to go very cold. I immediately noticed my hands went white and my breathing became slow and struggled. Then my hands went tingly so I pretended they were both stress balls and kept squeezing - hard to cause bloodflow. Then I felt wet, there was no heat causing my sweat to evaporate. Then I slowly deteriorated into an almost unconcious state. My hearing went all hissy this time, like a poorly tuned radio signal that was getting worse. The my sight started going funny; all I could see was red and green dots making various shapes and eventually coming together like a numberless colour blindness test. I lowered my head again and very very slowly I started to regain a sense of normality.

That was my worst faint ever. I thought I was going to go into complete shock and black out for good. Especially when I seemed to suffer most the symptoms of shock. However, I wasn't scared. The thought of just blanking out for good made me feel calm. I didn't get any strange flashbacks of my life, nor did I feel any regrets. I just thought that if that was it, then so be it. It's better to go along with the ride than spend my last seconds denying it could happen.

Obviously I didn't want to die, and probably didn't come anywhere near close to doing so, but at the time, I wasn't sure how far it was going to go. As I said, it was my worst faint I've ever experienced, worse than when I did go unconcious.


Would I like to experience a faint again? Sure, maybe in later life but only if it happens by itself. I wouldn't want it artificially caused by anything, that would just be sick. I'm just really curious about the experiences and the only way to know is to experience them first hand.

So what about the rest of you? We already know of Forest Fan's fainting experience (and no, I don't want this to turn to a religious debate). Anyone else had similar experiences, or would just like to comment? I'm happy to answer any questions based on my experiences anyway...

Discuss.

But I didn't faint, I was completely conscious.

If you went to the doctors, explained what happened that morning, he'd tell you it was a faint.

Just because you believe it was something else, it doesn't mean it wasn't a faint. Even if it was 'Satan attacking you', it was still a faint.

But that's for the other thread.

Unless you believe Satan is attacking me, which I will tolerate as discussion in here if you'd care to explain why.

Well I've never fainted so I don't know much about the subject.

Forest Fan wrote:
> Did you only post this after my 'fainting', which was actually a skull
> bashing?

I had the idea to post this because of your own fainting experience, however this has nothing to do with you, unless you want to contribute in some non-religious way.

Does it?

cookie monster wrote:
> Ive never fainted. I have been into shock thought, its not so bad,
> cant really remember it much, just slurred speech and a tendancy to
> "tune" into and out of reality.

Sounds like a usual friday night for me. ;D

Did you only post this after my 'fainting', which was actually a skull bashing?

My experience felt rather worse than that. I should've followed the training I had just been given really...probably wouldn't have got so bad.

Ive never fainted. I have been into shock thought, its not so bad, cant really remember it much, just slurred speech and a tendancy to "tune" into and out of reality.

I'm not sure what it is about me. But every now and then, like once every two years or so, I faint.

My first was when I was nine years old. I was stood for a long time waiting for a bus to arrive to take me home at Exeter bus station. It was a hot sunny day and I'd been in town a long time.

When it eventually arrived, I started walking to the bus.

Next thing I know there was dark. Everything was like a blackish brown and all I could see were lights. Suddenly my hearing came back and I started to see again. I was being held up by my mum who had managed to catch me and hold six bags of shopping whilst the stereotypical Exeter citezens stepped over me to get onto the bus.

Oh, don't worry about the poor kid who collapsed for no reason. As long as you get your seat on the bus!

When I realised what had happened, my first instinct was to find my bus ticket. I'm not sure why it seemed so important to me at the time, but when I did I climbed onto the bus and found a seat. Some wierd lady in her 50s stared at me for a while and my brother, two years younger than myself, started feeling rather ill.

We got off the bus at a train station the route went through and my mum decided it would be better to go by taxi. When we got home my brother felt rather ill and I felt all wierd. My arms and legs felt quite light and my head still wasn't 100%. My mum called the doctor and she told me that it was quite normal for someone my age, though was probably brought on by a virus - assuming it was similar to what my brother had.


I can't remember the next two faints. I didn't black out, however things went rather hazy. They weren't very eventful though, and therefore I can't remember them too well.

One day I had to have a blood test for something. I was sat in the doctors surgery and the nurse put the needle in my arm. I hate needles at the best of times, so I looked away as it went in. It stung, but I could cope. I then watched as one vile filled, then another, then another. The fourth however didn't fill with a single drop. Suddenly, my mind panicked and my hearing went tinny and I felt rather dizzy. I stayed concious but the nurse decided to take out the needle and put me on the bed. I lay there until I returned to normal which didn't take long, then went home.


The next faint was when I was 16. I was late for school by around two or three minutes and it was assembly day. Those who were there on time got a seat, those who weren't had to stand at the back. I was one of those, stood at the back listening to waffle about Ucas forms which didn't interest me in the slightest as I knew I wasn't going to university.

I was just stood there thinking about how I hate standing up for so long in hot rooms and whilst in school, I had a thing about being self concious. As much as I couldn't give a damn what people think of me now, school felt rather different. So many potential females making hormones cause strange psychological reactions, I was bound to feel self concious.

The first thing I noticed was a feeling of warmth in my head. Then my fingers went all tingly. I immediately realised what was happening and tried to increase the blood pressure. I moved my fingers like I was typing on the wall I was leaning against (though without making a sound) and pushed myself with my feet. All it seemed to do was slow the inevitable. Next thing I knew my hearing was going all tinny. Rather like a mixture of the vent and water effects in Duke Nukem 3D. Then I noticed my hands had gone very white. I started feeling cold and my face felt all clammy. Then my eyesight started going strange. I knew that if I didn't act soon I would be on the floor and everyone would be talking about it for days... (though I think I'd've preferred that in the end...any attention is better than no attention - unless it's from some idiot - could've got me a sympathy vote from some of the girls...).

I looked around, not caring what others would think of my actions, then noticed an old chair facing the other way against a wall to my right. I quickly ran for that like a drunk goat and fell onto it, leaning forward with my head almost level with my legs. Atleast if I collapsed then, I wouldn't hurt myself too badly. I did get a look off one girl...though it was more of "I don't want whatever he's got". It took a while for me to return back to normal, but I decided I wasn't staying in school. Deputy head of school said, "Why bother turning up if you feel like that?", though I don't think he meant it like that (he was one of the better teachers) and as the school nurse wasn't in, I just walked out of school.


Now it may seem strange, but only a few weeks ago I got curious about the experiences felt in fainting. I sort of wanted to faint again, just to relive the experiences, but knew that it isn't the sanest idea, and so left it at that.

The other day, I went on a first aid course with St. John's Ambulance learning basic first aid for work. This involved things like cuts and bumps to CPR.

We had just discussed the treatment of shock. Not as in psychological shock, but physical shock where the brain becomes selfish and takes all the blood for itself. We had then gone onto blood. A video was put on showing all sorts of obviously fake but potentially real cases.

Normally I'm fine with blood. I can look at others when they've cut themselves, I can watch the most gruesome stuff on TV, and can even just about manage a blood test (with the exception of the one mentioned above) however, in this case, I felt like a girl (no offence to girls, but I really felt like I'd been stripped of my testosterone completely).

I was sat watching the video and all I could think of was this one comment that was briefly mentioned on the video, "blood can be squirted several feet into the air". Meanwhile the video was waffling on about other cuts and was showing examples on screen. I started to go very cold. I immediately noticed my hands went white and my breathing became slow and struggled. Then my hands went tingly so I pretended they were both stress balls and kept squeezing - hard to cause bloodflow. Then I felt wet, there was no heat causing my sweat to evaporate. Then I slowly deteriorated into an almost unconcious state. My hearing went all hissy this time, like a poorly tuned radio signal that was getting worse. The my sight started going funny; all I could see was red and green dots making various shapes and eventually coming together like a numberless colour blindness test. I lowered my head again and very very slowly I started to regain a sense of normality.

That was my worst faint ever. I thought I was going to go into complete shock and black out for good. Especially when I seemed to suffer most the symptoms of shock. However, I wasn't scared. The thought of just blanking out for good made me feel calm. I didn't get any strange flashbacks of my life, nor did I feel any regrets. I just thought that if that was it, then so be it. It's better to go along with the ride than spend my last seconds denying it could happen.

Obviously I didn't want to die, and probably didn't come anywhere near close to doing so, but at the time, I wasn't sure how far it was going to go. As I said, it was my worst faint I've ever experienced, worse than when I did go unconcious.


Would I like to experience a faint again? Sure, maybe in later life but only if it happens by itself. I wouldn't want it artificially caused by anything, that would just be sick. I'm just really curious about the experiences and the only way to know is to experience them first hand.

So what about the rest of you? We already know of Forest Fan's fainting experience (and no, I don't want this to turn to a religious debate). Anyone else had similar experiences, or would just like to comment? I'm happy to answer any questions based on my experiences anyway...

Discuss.