I learned an interesting physiology lesson today

RatLabGuy

RatLabGuy

You look like a monkey and smell like one too
Joined
May 18, 2005
Location
Churchville, MD
So, apparently there is this thing called "micturition syncope".
Syncope is a term for fainting related to poor oxygenation of the brain. Could be a lot of bad reasons this can happen, including arrhythmias, valve blockage, etc.
But there is also this funny thing that happens when you pee. Urination occurs because of a loosening of the vessels around your bladder. You vagal nerve controls this thing, but in the process it also dilates the vasculature into your head, so if you're standing up at the time, you can have poor blood flow to your noggin. Enough to get dizzy or even faint if conditions are right - just b/c you decided to pee.

I of course learned this by deciding that when my wife's morning alarm clock went off, and I knew she had to pee, it would be funny to JUMP out of bed and race into the bathroom and beat her.
Result - I wake up minutes later, sprawled on the bathroom floor to her on the phone with EMS crying hysterically.

This little lesson cost me a $100 copay, morning lost at the hospital and a really freaked out wife and kids.
She calls it karma.

Morale to the story - it's ok to be sluggish getting out of bed, and don't be an asshole to your wife because if you pee standing up it could come back to bite you.
 
When I was in ICU a couple of years ago, after just about bleeding out, they kept me plugged into a heart monitor. Partly because I have an LBB rhythm irregularity. Funny thing was, every time I peed, it would set off the cardiac alarm. First couple of times, half the hospital came running with the crash cart, only to find me filling a pee bottle.


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Glad your ok. So does this have anything to do with folks who litterally die on the pot?
 
Blaze said:
I read that as "your vaginal nerve" and laughed at you having a vagina.
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I snickered at the same, and realized (once again) I'm an 8yr old trapped in a 46yr old body
 
I’ve had a few syncope experiences....usually happens when I’m sick. Last time I went down was when my family was in town for my little girls birthday and I got the flu. Woke up and thought I had a sinus infection so I went to take a shower to clear my head. Wound up in the bathroom floor in a puddle of sweat with my wife, my parents and my niece and nephew standing over me. Usually I can feel it coming on and can get myself down to the floor but this one snuck up on me pretty quick. I’m just glad I still had my underwear on when they found me :eek:
 
Nothing useful, but falls under the heading.....

Three old men were sitting around and talking. The 80 year-old said,
"The best thing that could happen to me would just to be able to
have a good pee. I stand there for twenty minutes, and it dribbles
and hurts. I have to go over and over again."
The 85 year-old said, "The best thing that could happen to me is if
I could have one good bowel movement. I take every kind of laxative
I can get my hands on and it's still a problem."
Then the 90 year-old said, "That's not my problem. Every morning at
6:00 am sharp, I have a good long pee. At 6:30 am sharp I have a
great bowel movement. The best thing that could happen to me would
be if I could wake up before 7:00 am."
 
kaiser715 said:
So, did you come to in a puddle of your own piss?

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Thankfully, no, I was done w/ that deed.
Also thankfully I convinced my wife to let me put my pants on before the EMTs got there
 
WARRIORWELDING said:
Glad your ok. So does this have anything to do with folks who litterally die on the pot?
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Yes, same mechanism. The vagus nerve controls the slowing down of the heart. When you bare down to poop it squeezes that nerve. Slows your heart rate, and with some older folks the heart rate never comes back up and that's all she wrote
 
Futbalfantic said:
Yes, same mechanism. The vagus nerve controls the slowing down of the heart. When you bare down to poop it squeezes that nerve. Slows your heart rate, and with some older folks the heart rate never comes back up and that's all she wrote
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Note to self......stop going at it like child birth. Go it!
 
Futbalfantic said:
Yes, same mechanism. The vagus nerve controls the slowing down of the heart. When you bare down to poop it squeezes that nerve. Slows your heart rate, and with some older folks the heart rate never comes back up and that's all she wrote
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I must have control of that nerve. I can almost always slow my heartbeat If I relax and breathe gently.
 
This happened to my wife a couple years ago. In the middle of the night she woke up thinking she was late for work and jumped out of bed, made it to the other side of the room, and just fell over like a log. Somehow landed right on the dog bed in between both of our tiny dogs and the corner of her bureau. I freaked out, but she came back to in about 30 seconds with no idea she had even woke up at all.
 
Last year my woman’s 12yr old decided while I was giving him a hair cut, that we needed to learn about vasovagal syncope! He was standing he had his head bent over so I could shave the back bc I’m tallish and when he lifted his head up he started seeing spots and thought it was hair in his eyes he panicked and I managed to catch him he went out and started convulsing basically! Called ems an as soon as I leaned his head back to start cpr he came to and was like what the hell are y’all doing standing over me and got sick immediately after...
Dr was suspicious to if he was a fainter bc his lovely father passes out easily also, and he proved us right while watching a ultra sound of his heart he passed out again somehow and dr thought he was joking I caught him again and dr said for sure was triggered by panic...? Ok let’s not do that again!
 
I'm 54. Been peeing sitting down (at home) for years. No need to turn lights on at night and no need to lift the seat or put it back down and if you take your phone with you you can go through a couple pages of instagram.
 
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