I had a very strange experience Monday night. I had gotten very little sleep Sunday night (5 hours or so), and I was lying on the couch watching TV. It was about 12:40. I got up to turn the TV off, and then I started walking towards the kitchen. I suddenly noticed that my vision was slowly fading to black, and it seemed like I was less aware of what was going on around me. I was aware of a sensation of falling, but somehow the idea didn’t strike me to do anything about it. Before I knew it, I felt myself hit the floor, and my vision, etc. returned very quickly. It almost seems like I was losing consciousness, but hitting the floor seemed to jar me out of it. Naturally, this creeped me out very much. I’ve had something similar happen a few times before - I’ll be sitting down in Barnes and Noble, sitting in a chair, etc. and I’ll get up, and I will notice the same problem with my vision. It won’t last very long, but for maybe two seconds it will seem like I can’t see. I won’t feel dizzy or anything, and I never fell and hit the floor. I should add that I’m 14. So, is this easily explainable because of something, or do I have reason to be concerned?
Sounds like you might be experiencing orthostatic hypotension, which is just a fancy way of saying that when you move suddenly from a sitting or lying position to an upright one, your blood pressure drops, causing the tunnel vision you seem to be describing. Other symptoms can be dizziness and loss of balance, or even fainting. It’s more common in elderly people, particularly those who take blood pressure medications, but can happen to almost anyone.
Considering that you’re only 14 and that this is happening on a regular basis, I’d say it’s definitely worth mentioning to your doctor. In the meantime, drink lots of water since dehydration tends to exacerbate the problem, and be sure to give your BP time to adjust to sudden changes in body position. Instead of rolling out of bed and immediately getting to your feet, sit on the edge of the bed for a minute, then stand. When you get out of a chair, stand still for a minute before you start walking. THis will give your body time to adjust and hopefully will prevent you from falling again.
And it goes without saying that if the problem gets worse, see an MD immediately.
yup, i’d guess postural hypotension.
you’re 14, right? have you been growing much recently? a growth spurt can affect you bloood pressure, and that could be the cause.
the remedy is to get up SLOWLY.
used to happen to me all the time when i was about your age, doesn’t happen any more.
IANAMD. Are you a medical doctor, Nightingale? The reason I ask is that I often experience orthostatic hypotension (or positional hypotension), but never had any visual problems connected with it. Further, the OP did not say that he temporarily had tunnel vision, but that he temporarily became blind. The first things I notice when I stand up too quickly is a sensation of dizziness, and that’s about all I experience. I’ve never fallen down and never lost any vision.
So, perhaps it can manifest itself as it does to Mister V. If you’re a MD, Nightingale, then that’s the case. However, if you’re not, with all due respect, it sounds like Mister V may have something else, something more serious. Something is affecting his optical nerve center in the brain as well as his cerebellum. Perhaps he needs a good neurological work-up.
yep, definately looks like hypotension, or you just may have a normally low blood pressure all the time. if the latter is the case, you may want to slightly up your salt intake, as this will help you retain more water and keep your blood pressure at a more normal level.
but another thing to consider is an inner-ear infection. i know that may sound weird, but my brother-in-law has been passing out intermittently for a few days now, and he has an inner-ear infection. regardless of what it is, you should definately see a doctor.
yep, definately looks like hypotension, or you just may have a normally low blood pressure all the time. if the latter is the case, you may want to slightly up your salt intake, as this will help you retain more water and keep your blood pressure at a more normal level.
but another thing to consider is an inner-ear infection. i know that may sound weird, but my brother-in-law has been passing out intermittently and has been very dizzy for a few days now, and he has an inner-ear infection. regardless of what it is, you should definately see a doctor.
oops…sorry 
I can remember when I was about your age a very similar thing would happen to me. It would usually happen in the morning when I was very sleepy (I am not a morning person). I remember being in the shower on several occasions starting to blackout just as you described it and I would have to sit down for a minute or two before my head would clear.
Eventually it went away so I wouldn’t worry to much although I’m not an MD.
Actually, barbitu8, I’m an RN. The reason I tend to think Mister V’s problem is potural hypotension is because, a) he says it happens when he stands up; b) he says it goes away after just a few seconds; c) I’ve seen this problem among many of my patients, and experienced the same thing myself. Stood up quickly, and vision faded to black (for me it started at the edges, kind of like when someone turns off a tv).
There’s certainly the possiblity that I could be wrong, and that’s why I recommend that Mister V discuss the problem with his MD at the first available opportunity. However, all the syptoms he describes in his post still suggest hypotension to me.
Nightingale
Who is not a doctor and hopes that no one will take her hypothesis for a definitive diagnosis!
Well, this isn’t exactly a common occurence - maybe once every two weeks or so I’ll stand up quickly and experience the tunnel vision (Nightingale’s description of a TV turning off is right on the money), but it never lasted for very long (5 seconds at the most). Also, I never feel dizzy. The reason it unnerved me last night was because it didn’t just affect my vision - it caused me to fall. But it didn’t take a minute for it to clear up - the whole event lasted for maybe 10 seconds, and once I hit the floor I was fine. I thought it may have been a combination of the tunnel vision I usually get and the fact that I was very, very tired.
Is postural hypotension anything to be worried about, assuming that’s what I have? It happens so infrequently that I never tried to do anything to prevent it from happening.
Well, you probably don’t need to run to the phone and dial 911, but it would be a good idea to schedule a routine physical with your doctor. Explain what’s been happening, and let the MD check you out to be sure there’s no underlying physical problem that needs to be treated. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.
Yes, get it checked out. BTW, postural hypotension is benign and nothing to worry about, so long as there is no underlying disorder causing it. I get it because I’m a runner and my HR/& or BP often gets quite low (WAG). Since my HR gets below 40 at rest, I attribute it to that. There’s always a cause for it, but it’s usually benign.
I had a very similar occurrence when I was about your age. I had to get up early for a paper route, and I found myself lying on the floor. I’m sure I was out for just a few seconds. I did occasionally have the partial blackouts you describe, but that was the only time I passed out. I never mentioned it to a doctor, and now I am much older and have hypertension, so I don’t have those episodes any more.