Embarrassing Day: A Teacher's Tale

[junglebeast]

Today was rather embarrassing for me. It was my last day teaching a class, and it was supposed to be a fun day; I had made up a jeopardy style game based on content I had taught them, and even had candy as prizes. At the end of class when they were claiming their prizes, I suddenly felt very ill and had to run out of the classroom...I looked for a bathroom but couldn't find it. I vaguely recall my vision going black and running face first into a wall and then collapsing. I finally made it to the bathroom and was sweating profusely. After about 5 minutes I felt better and was able to come out again to teach my next class. I had no more ill effects during the day. I'm not sure what caused it...I did eat this morning, although it was only cereal.

 

[Math Is Hard]

Holy cow! You OK now?

 

[Soca fo so]

What is Hypoglycemia?

Sorry couldn't resist, hope you're okay now.

 

[Werg22]

What part exactly is 'embarrassing'?

 

[junglebeast]

Yeah, I'm ok...but I wish I knew what was wrong with myself! I've had similar issues in the past (years ago) under different circumstances, sometimes a lot worse. I've talked to a couple doctors but they never told my anything useful. Thanks for the concern. Oh, and it is embarrassing to lose control of oneself in public...makes me feel weak.

 

[rootX]

Yeah, I'm ok...but I wish I knew what was wrong with myself! I've had similar issues in the past (years ago) under different circumstances, sometimes a lot worse. I've talked to a couple doctors but they never told my anything useful. .

My sister faints out once a year (each year around same date/month) .. doctors said it happens when her body pressure changes fast or weather changes. I don't know if they ever cured it or they see it as a problem.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Sorry to hear about your morning, junglebeast. Also, thanks for all of your great contributions in S&D.

Some people are prone to syncope
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/162110-overview

You could have suffered a TIA
http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/tia/tia.htm

And speaking as one who has passed out a number of times due to blood sugar problems, it certainly could have been that. Obviously you should see a doctor right away and have a check under the hood. It could be an indication of an underlying problem.

 

[zoobyshoe]

I suddenly felt very ill and had to run out of the classroom...I looked for a bathroom but couldn't find it. I vaguely recall my vision going black and running face first into a wall and then collapsing. I finally made it to the bathroom and was sweating profusely. After about 5 minutes I felt better and was able to come out again to teach my next class. I had no more ill effects during the day.

"Very ill" meaning: you thought you might throw up? or?

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

What is Hypoglycemia?

Sorry couldn't resist, hope you're okay now.

Yeah, same thing happened to me when I was in high school once. My mother took me to the hospital and they said it was low blood sugar that did it. I had not eatten much at all that day and had been drinking large quantities of caffeine.
I suddenly got light headed, broke into a cold sweat, and my vision flashed (sort of like a reverse image or a photoshop solarization) then I fell face down. I found out later I had apparently hit my head on a wall first and then fallen face down.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Yeah, same thing happened to me when I was in high school once. My mother took me to the hospital and they said it was low blood sugar that did it. I had not eatten much at all that day and had been drinking large quantities of caffeine.
I suddenly got light headed, broke into a cold sweat, and my vision flashed (sort of like a reverse image or a photoshop solarization) then I fell face down. I found out later I had apparently hit my head on a wall first and then fallen face down.

What were you doing at the time?

 

[junglebeast]

I can see you guys enjoy playing detective :D I wasn't doing much. I had been standing relatively in one spot. The ill-feeling I had was a combination of stomach upset and light-headedness (and I was hungry). I didn't eat much the night before, but like I said I did have a bowl of cereal in the morning which does contain sugars. Perhaps my body could not break down the complex carbohydrates in the cereal fast enough leaving me with low blood sugar. I would describe my symptoms exactly as TheStatutoryApe did and that seems like the most likely cause to me...I really don't think it was any kind of stroke as I did not have any of those more serious side effects. I think I might also have some kind of genetic predisposition to it...

 

[zoobyshoe]

I can see you guys enjoy playing detective...

Yes. I am pretty sure you're pregnant.

 

[Evo]

Yes. I am pretty sure you're pregnant.

That was my first thought. :tongue:

 

[zoobyshoe]

That was my first thought. :tongue:

Yeah, low blood sugar doesn't just kind of clear up by itself in a few minutes. Junglebeast is with child.

 

[Evo]

Yeah, low blood sugar doesn't just kind of clear up by itself in a few minutes. Junglebeast is with child.

Another mystery solved *high fives zoobyshoe*

NEXT!

 

[zoobyshoe]

This happened to me when I was a kid:

Syncope associated with hair-grooming.
Igarashi M, Boehm RM Jr, May WN, Bornhofen JH.

Department of Neurology, University of Tennessee College of Medicine, Memphis.

We report 20 girls who experienced episodes of unconsciousness while standing for hair grooming. The episodes were syncopal in character, electroencephalograms were normal in most cases, and at least 11 of the 20 had definite episodes of syncope in other circumstances. A number of these girls underwent extensive diagnostic testing. We consider this a form of situational or reflex syncope, perhaps related to orthostatic hypotension, the recognition of which may spare unnecessary diagnostic and therapeutic interventions.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3218704

About age 7. I wasn't a girl, but my mother decided to try and cut my hair herself. She had me stand in front of her, instead of sitting me down. After a few minutes I collapsed in a full faint. She slapped me around and threw water on my face until I came to, then she took me to the doctor. He said "It's normal for kids his age to faint now and then."

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

What were you doing at the time?

Standing there being chastized by my parents. Quick way to take care of that uncomfortable situation. ;-)

 

[zoobyshoe]

Standing there being chastized by my parents. Quick way to take care of that uncomfortable situation. ;-)

I'm going to bet it was the kind of syncope described in my previous post. Caffeine actually raises your blood sugar:

http://www.drmirkin.com/diabetes/9897.html

 

[TheStatutoryApe]

I'm going to bet it was the kind of syncope described in my previous post. Caffeine actually raises your blood sugar:

http://www.drmirkin.com/diabetes/9897.html

Missed that. And I actually had similar problems (just lightheadedness) when I would get my hair cut. I would sit but generally back straight and somewhat tensed for long periods of time since my mom would chat with the person cutting my hair. I get similar symptoms when I have claustrophobic attacks, or what I believed to be claustrophobic attacks.


edit: I hadn't drank the coffee for several hours actually. I had just drank large quantities earlier that day. I assumed that would have helped burn off the sugars in my system.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Missed that. And I actually had similar problems (just lightheadedness) when I would get my hair cut. I would sit but generally back straight and somewhat tensed for long periods of time since my mom would chat with the person cutting my hair. I get similar symptoms when I have claustrophobic attacks, or what I believed to be claustrophobic attacks.

Yes, it seems to be caused by having to maintain a specific, unnaturally rigid posture.

edit: I hadn't drank the coffee for several hours actually. I had just drank large quantities earlier that day. I assumed that would have helped burn off the sugars in my system.

This makes sense, too.

I don't think Junglebeast had an attack of low blood sugar, though, since there's no mention of having consumed anything to reverse the process. "Upset stomach" with a dash for the bathroom might mean either an impending attack of vomiting, or of diarreha. If the toilet was used, shall we say, for either, and the symptoms then began to clear up after that, I have an idea of what this might have been and why it had happened before.

 

[GCT]

Perhaps he got too excited over Jepoardy , he evidently got disoriented in some sense which involves confusion of the senses e.g. hearing etc ...

To the OP - How was the climate in the classroom ?

 

[Dadface]

Several years ago I started to get similar symptoms but on a Saturday morning a couple of hours after breakfast.This was the only day that I had a breakfast and it was cereal.I think that the condition was worsened because I was a heavy drinker at that time.Anyway I tried different cereals and found that I got no reaction to porridge and all is is now fine.It may be possible that you also had some sort of reaction to cereal and it sounds like your blood sugar level was low at the time.Perhaps you should have a blood test.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

I once had an attack like this while I was helping Tsu with a patient. I hadn't eaten and it was hot in the CT room. I was trying to hold something... I think the IV bottle, when something went wrong with the IV and blood started spurting all over the place. The next thing I knew, everything looked brown and I was going down. Luckily I managed to hand off the bottle and head for a chair before I hit the floor. But the walk to the chair was something worthy of a good comedian. Have you ever tried to walk on rubber legs?

 

[Huckleberry]

Some years ago I had an experience similar to this. I was just talking with someone and started to feel light-headed. I excused myself and walked into the bathroom. I started sweating and getting extremely hot. My vision went gray and fuzzy and eventually I could barely see anything more than outlines. Sweat was dripping off my face and my shirt was sticking to my chest under my jacket. I could barely take my jacket off. I could perform the act of breathing, but it felt like I was suffocating.

Then it just went away. The whole experience lasted maybe 2 minutes. I felt exhausted. I toweled myself off and went to bed. It was pretty frightening.

 

[Danger]

I didn't eat much the night before, but like I said I did have a bowl of cereal in the morning which does contain sugars. Perhaps my body could not break down the complex carbohydrates in the cereal fast enough leaving me with low blood sugar.

When I was diabetic, things like that would happen. The cereal would be the culprit. The way my body worked was that I didn't produce insulin when I was supposed to, which resulted in high blood sugar. An hour or so after a meal, though, my pancreas went into overdrive and blew out way too much insulin, resulting in a hypoglycemic reaction which was much like what you experienced. Ask for a six-hour glucose tolerance test, because the standard five-hour one won't always catch it.
The more quickly the sugar in something is metabolized, the worse it affects you. That's why a meal should be balanced out by content of sugar, fruit, starch, meat. When one is wearing off, the next is kicking in.

edit: This is not to say that this is what's wrong with you. I'm just pointing out what to do if it is. Talk to another doctor... maybe an endocrinologist.

 

[zoobyshoe]

When I was diabetic...

What cured you?

 

[Danger]

What cured you?

Beer.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Beer.

It's good on grilled chicken, too.

 

[Danger]

It's good on grilled chicken, too.

Haven't tried that, but I'll look into it. Believe it or not, W's family has a recipe that they call something like 'beer chicken'. I don't know the exact details, but apparently they impale the chicken vertically on an open can of beer and put it in the oven. I should find out how it's done before she moves away. (As if I'd ever cook anything.)
I was actually serious about the beer answer. It sure as hell isn't anything that I'd recommend for anyone else, but it worked for me. I was on a very strictly weighed and timed diet. If I was 15 minutes late for a meal, I'd start going into hypoglycemic shock. When I was working at the cowboy bar, my shift ended at 6:00 pm. My supper was scheduled for 5:30. I could get my food for half-price as an employee, but it was still cheaper to eat at home. One beer, or a 6-oz. glass of wine, or an ounce of hard liquor counted as one 'bread' exchange on the diabetic diet. So at 5:30 I'd drop a beer to ward off shock until I could get home. That's when I found out that I was an alcoholic. I got up to sometimes 2 or 3 loaves a day, and found that I could go a couple of days without eating at all. After that, even if not drinking, I can just eat when I'm hungry and still go for a day or so without food. Again, though, I don't suggest that anyone else try it.

 

[zoobyshoe]

... and found that I could go a couple of days without eating at all. After that, even if not drinking, I can just eat when I'm hungry and still go for a day or so without food. Again, though, I don't suggest that anyone else try it.

Danger, Danger: That's how people end up with Korsakov's Syndrome. You had better take some vitamins.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korsakoff's_syndrome

 

[Danger]

Zoobie, I just might owe you my life. I can't go through the whole article right now... I've been drinking and haven't eaten all day, but the symptoms in the overview seem very similar to what I'm experiencing. THANK YOU! I'll investigate further, and have a doctor's appointment coming up soon. I'll discuss it with him.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

When I was diabetic, things like that would happen. The cereal would be the culprit. The way my body worked was that I didn't produce insulin when I was supposed to, which resulted in high blood sugar. An hour or so after a meal, though, my pancreas went into overdrive and blew out way too much insulin, resulting in a hypoglycemic reaction which was much like what you experienced. Ask for a six-hour glucose tolerance test, because the standard five-hour one won't always catch it..

I have exactly the same problem. When they tested me, I seemed fine, but a couple of hours later, after I had returned to work, I passed out cold while sitting in my chair. Luckily it didn't happen while I was driving!

Through a well-connected friend I finally got in with one of the best internists/endocrinologists - a diabetes and thyroid specialist - in the country. This guy was called into consult for Barbara Bush! When he found out that I had already seen a doctor who simply told me to eat less in my meals [I wasn't overweight...well, not too bad anyway ], he became angry and wanted the other doctor's name. He was really ticked that I had been blown off as my condition was pretty severe by that time. I could barely eat at all without having problems.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Zoobie, I just might owe you my life. I can't go through the whole article right now... I've been drinking and haven't eaten all day, but the symptoms in the overview seem very similar to what I'm experiencing. THANK YOU! I'll investigate further, and have a doctor's appointment coming up soon. I'll discuss it with him.

Not sure what you're experiencing, but anything like an "alcohol diet" puts a person at risk, (and I was wrong about taking vitamins as an avoidance measure):

Thiamine was introduced to alcoholic beverages in the U.S. for a time, but this does not appear to have an effect on Korsakoff's syndrome, as the cause of Korsakoff's syndrome in chronic alcoholics is not a deficiency of thiamine in the diet, but rather a reduction in the body's ability to absorb thiamine in the intestine.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korsakoff's_syndrome