Flu shot allergy testing Vasovagal syncope?

I had a full allergy work up yesterday and a flu shot, and when I went back to work I passed out (I pass out very easily, have for about five years...they always said it was because of anxiety, but it never really fit). Then after passing out and the emts coming they said it may be Vasovagal syncope that I have, anyone else have this, and would that make sense?

Vasovagal syncope is just a fancy term meaning you fainted because you had a radical dip in blood pressure caused by the veins and arteries dialating rapidly and unexpectedly. The dip in blood pressure means less oxygen is getting to the brain, and you lose consciousness. Presumably when you fall to horizontal, the brain is able to constrict the blood vessels and raise the blood pressure. If you think of the circulatory system as being a system of pipes full of blood, and the pipes ordinarily have a certain diameter. There is just enough blood to fill the pipes, without any extra space. So if all of a sudden you had a couple of those pipes double their size, there obviously wouldn't be enough blood to keep the whole system full. The pressure of the blood would also drop. To refill the system you would either have to get the pipes all back to the original same size, or get more blood. Since you can't very well instantly add blood, the body gets the pipes back into the right size again. Blood vessels are designed to dialate and constrict anyway, it's one way you maintain a steady temperature and give off or hold in heat. It's also usefull for maintaining your blood pressure. In vasovagal syncope, you faint for reasons which are not related to disease or injury. You can faint because the emotional state overrides the controls, usually it's a big fear or shock that does it. The body releases epinephrine- your "fight or flight" drug, and part of the effect of that is to dialate blood vessels. If done quickly enough, it will cause the pressure to drop, and you to faint. It's common enough in the hospital, lab or doctor's office. People are scared, tense or worried, and something triggers it. The sight of blood will do it, needles, or anticipation of pain will all cause folks to drop in their tracks. What they are basically saying is that you passed out for reasons that are not linked to disease or injury, but rather your emotional state at the time. In your case, it's probably related to being keyed up for all the allergy testing, getting the flu shot, and then rushing back to work again. You probably hadn't had much to eat, and had a lot on your mind at the time. All that fight or flight finally took a toll, and you passe out. It shouldn't be a frequent occurence, though. That suggests that you must stay pretty well keyed up and stressed, until your body simply can't handle it any more. The cure in the long run is to learn to manage your stress better, or to learn stress reduction techniques so you can shortstop the syncopal episodes. If you pay close attention to what happens just prior to you passing out, you will no doubt notice some signs you can use to predict it. Things like excess sweating, especially on the face and above the lips, narrowing of vision, or feeling like you are underwater are all common warnings. When you feel your particular signs coming on, you should raise your feet and concentrate on slowing your breathing- yoga relaxation techniques or meditation work well for this. While you may not always be sucessful, you may find you are more often than not- and can eventually learn to relax and not trigger them to start with. You probably should start with a good physical exam to make sure there isn't an underlying physical problem like hypoglycemia, and once you get an all clear, find somebody who can work with you on stress reduction, relaxation techniques.

Yup. I have the same problem with the flu shot. You're allergic. Make sure your medical records are documented seven ways for Saturday that you have a MAJOR allergy to the flu shot. Vasovagal syncope is one of the key symptoms to anaphylactic shock, and that can KILL you. Ever hear of people who are so allergic to bee stings that they have to carry an epi-pen to inject themselves if they get stung? Same thing with you and me -- only the fix for us is to never get the flu shot again.

hmmm....look it up and ask a doctor.