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I woke this morning without a fever, finally. This after three solid days of the flu, three solid days consisting of sleeping and coughing and not eating. It’s not that I didn’t eat at all, but that my sustenance was so meager (tea with honey, chicken broth, and crackers) that it was hardly enough to keep a small chihuahua going, let alone an adult.
Upon feeling rested and not feverish, I got out of bed and went in to take a shower, just as I would on a normal day. As I was showering, suddenly I had trouble seeing and my legs started to buckle under me. I knew I was going to pass out and I knew that I didn’t want to do it in the shower because my husband might not know what had happened. I had enough presence of mind to turn off the water, get out of the shower, grab a towel and head into the hall, where I called for my husband and then collapsed onto the floor.
Thankfully, I didn’t lose consciousness. Hubby grabbed another towel to cover me, then carried me into the bedroom. I sensed that my collapse was due to not having enough to eat. I have a small frame and don’t gain weight easily, which is great for being able to eat whatever I want, but is horrible for being able to weather illnesses that take away my appetite. Hubby brought me a giant glass of mango juice, which I drank down. My extremities tingled and my eyesight remained blurry until the sugar from the juice worked through my system.
The whole incident is actually scarier now that I look back on it than when I was going through it. When I felt the urge to pass out, nothing else mattered in the world. Not the fact that I wasn’t dried off, nor the fact that I left the bathroom without the towel around me, nor the fact that I collapsed onto a cold tile floor. All of these things would be physically uncomfortable under normal circumstances, but this wasn’t a normal circumstance. My body was out of control and it was going to do what it wanted.
The only other times I’ve had this lack of bodily control that made me not care about anything was during the deliveries of my children. Pain will do it just as readily as being on the verge of passing out.
Since this morning’s incident, I’m freaked out about it happening again, so I’m making sure to eat a little something every hour or two. I’m also continuing to take it easy (although I did manage to make it to the tax appointment with Hubby this morning). And if it does happen again, I’ll be hightailing it into the doctor.
Maybe I’ll take a bath tomorrow.
Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone!
The Woo Woo Teacup Journal 
Glad you’re feeling better babe.
Better than having to scrape me off the floor, isn’t it? 😉
This was a dramatic read with a good ending and I’m glad, this stuff freaks me out. But you leave us hanging with the idea of something even worse, drowning in a bathtub! You are too cruel…
Be careful and hopefully you’re on the road to feeling much better.
hey mary, I’m glad you snapped out of it! that was scary!
this actually happened to me a couple of times when I was pregnant with nathan, and my doctor said the combination of heat and low blood sugar makes showering an esepcially susceptible time for fainting. so if you’re already not feeling great, or weakened for some reason, remember to EAT something before you shower. 🙂
Erin – You are the third person to point out the heat of the shower as being an influence. Hubby and one of my friends also said the same thing.
Funny you should use the word “fainting.” It didn’t dawn on me that this was fainting until Hubby read a post on a forum he follows from a woman who fainted yesterday. For some reason, I don’t think of fainting as being as serious as passing out, even though they are the same thing. Maybe it’s because I think of fainting in terms of Victorian women and smelling salts. “I feel faint!”
When I told my sister about this incident, she said that she has blood sugar problems and keeps a glass of juice by the bed so she can drink it before she gets up. I did that last night, plus some crackers for good measure, and will do so until I’m eating normally again.
LK – You’re ever the writer. Imagining me drowning in the bathtub! If it makes you feel any better, I don’t fill the tub very full and I skipped the bath altogether this morning, just washed my hair in the sink. Thanks for the well wishes. 🙂
I knew that came out wrong not 2secs after I hit submit.
You led us through fainting and showers and water, and then at the very end you mentioned taking a bath, so naturally, the image was fainting in the tub…
Yes, knowing you wouldn’t fill it all the way if you did makes me feel much better.
: )
Interesting you mentioned “slumdog millionaire” because I have to write a report on that movie…hope its good…
I was about to post about the hot water likely being part of the problem, but it looks like that angle is well-covered! I hope this was an isolated incident and doesn’t happen again. Sounds like you’re taking the right approach, though.
Feel better soon!
Wow, you have had quite the sickness ordeal. Flu then unconsciousness is pretty debilitating. It takes a while to climb out of that.
I have actually gotten quite used to passing out. I do it on a semi regular basis. Have since I was a kid. I know my triggers and try to avoid them. I also have a pretty good sense when it is coming on, so I can get to a soft landing place. After doing it a few times, it gets less scary. Not that that is much consolation!
I hope you are feeling better and stronger every day. And if it happens again, get your feet elevated higher than your head!
M
I can’t imagine getting used to passing out, Martha. My goodness! I’m glad you’ve learned to cope. Feet higher than head, huh? Does that mean there’s a circulation component to passing out as I did?