Thanksgiving morning, I got up off the couch after feeding Pipsqueak to get the girls breakfast and had one of my “episodes.” I haven’t had one in a long time and I don’t know that my girls have ever seen it.<\/p>\n
I don’t remember exactly when they started, in college maybe? \u00a0Or after? \u00a0All I know is that I haven’t had as many in the past 8 years that I’ve been pregnant and\/or breastfeeding. \u00a0And I remember the worst one was shortly after we initially moved to Florida, just before we were married and I got pregnant with Honeybun.<\/p>\n
I figured out after a while that they occurred more frequently during my monthly cycle and taking a daily multi-vitamin helped so I’ve always attributed it to possibly anemia (though I’ve never been diagnosed and my blood work always comes back normal). \u00a0I also have extremely low blood pressure which I’ve always thought is probably the root cause of the problem (typically\u00a090-something over 50-something, even throughout my pregnancies!)<\/p>\n
Needless to say, it caught me completely off guard when it happened just a few days ago without any warning, prior symptoms or build up.<\/p>\n
The best way to describe one of these\u00a0“episodes” is as an extreme headrush. \u00a0You know that feeling you get when you stand up too quickly? \u00a0It starts like that and then intensifies a thousand percent.<\/p>\n
Sometimes I’ll just get the typical headrush that passes quickly. \u00a0And sometimes it’s more intense and I have to lean over something and wait a few seconds for it to pass.<\/p>\n
But other times, it continues to intensify and lasts for what seems like an eternity. \u00a0Typically the worst ones happen when I hop up too suddenly and am walking, they don’t come on right away like a typical headrush. \u00a0I feel the rush come on and know to grab whatever is near to get my balance because what happens next is the scary part: my legs and arms get weak and begin to shake, my vision goes black and I am unable to support myself and end up crumpled in a heap on the floor.<\/p>\n
The weird thing is, though, it’s not really a “black out” because I remain conscious, aware, the entire time. \u00a0But I can’t do anything except let it happen, wait for it to pass. \u00a0Usually once I’m on the floor it takes a few seconds more before I regain any sort of control.<\/p>\n
I have no idea what it looks like, maybe the shaking isn’t as visually intense as it feels? \u00a0Perhaps it doesn’t last as long as it feels like it does? \u00a0It must not be\u00a0too<\/em> scary for observers because both my girls witnessed it on Thanksgiving morning and didn’t freak out.<\/p>\n I head Sugarplum saying “Mommy? \u00a0Mommy, what are you doing?” as it happened. \u00a0And once I was on the floor I heard Honeybun’s voice asking if I was okay but neither sounded scared or overly concerned. \u00a0And for the first time I can remember, I was able to speak before it was over, saying “I’m okay girls, I’m okay,” because I didn’t want them to be worried.<\/p>\n
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