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1615302 tn?1311810295

Why did I pass out at the carnival?

I went on this spinning one...it wasn't obnoxious or high and did not fling me around. I am hesitant to call it spinning, because it was more going in a circle but not at a high speed. Not sure if you know what I'm talking about, but its the one where you lay on your stomach like a hanglider. It was at night, not hot, and I had drank plenty of water that day and had food to eat. I had gone on a couple of similar rides right before and did perfectly fine. I was not nauseous in the slightest. Anyway, so I went on this ride and first it was okay. Then I started to feel dizzy and lightheaded and extremely weak. Soon I felt my body collapse sort of, I lost all control and my head slammed onto the front because I couldn't hold it up anymore and everything went black for a few seconds. I got off the ride and I was shaking, clammy and had the sweats. Why would this happen? I walked around and drank some more water and felt alright but called it quits for the night. I was not scared of this ride at all and I had proper food and water, so I'm confused.
oh I suppose I should let you know that the doctor's suspect I might have extra fluid in my brain. I'm not kidding when I say this, they REFUSE to give me a spinal tap. I have a deathly phobia of needles and will seriously injure myself. Nothing helps, they have brought special psychologists in to try and aid me but I go psycho. They need me to be awake for the needle to get a proper reading. Do you think this could be caused by extra fluid swooshing around in there?
I can't just "get over this fear" and have it checked. I will injure myself.
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Avatar universal
Did he order any scans of your brain for this "extra fluid?"  Spinal tap?  What?  That doesn't sound correct.  

First, you should have imaging of your brain/head done.  
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1615302 tn?1311810295
I pass out during daily activities, like walking or laying down. I get dizzy constantly and I don't think it was the ride's fault, I went on two previous to that.
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Avatar universal
Extra fluid in the brain, IF that's what the docs think is going on, can also be discovered by having a scan done of your head, no needles, with a CT scan very easy to do, like a regular X-ray but you're laying down..  But I tell you what, I think you did ENOUGH dizzy-type rides, they can cause people to pass out, you are not the first one.  If you were to go out in your front yard and hold your arms out (don't do this) and spin around and around and around, faster and faster, and then suddenly stop and try to walk forward, you would likely fall down and might even pass out cold.  It's just the way the balance mechanism in the brain and inner ear work.  It works to keep a human being in an upright, comfortable position, and when you go and get on a bunch of carnival rides that turn you all around and around, the balance gets messed up, and automatically the body reacts and puts you down flat on the floor, it's the only way to make "it stop," the dizziness.  I hope I've explained this.  This is not a particularly hard concept to grasp.  If you go in circles long enough, you'll get dizzy.  At least you didn't throw up!  Ye gads, that would be pretty bad if someone next to you did that!  

And as long as nothing else like that happens when you're in your normal environment, I wouldn't worry too much about a CT scan, altho it won't hurt to have it done, just to be sure your head isn't going to fall off.  Just don't ride in those carnival things anymore.  I got to where I couldn't ride in them because I found them to be scary as heck when I matured.  But if you insist on doing those rides, just make up your mind to only do TWO and no more.  That's it.  If you pass out from just those two, I'd quit doing it altogether.  Actually, if anything, you might want to visit an ear nose throat ENT specialist, he can tell you why you passed out, too, from a balance perspective, and he can make sure your inner ear fluid, etc., are normal, which is where the balance mechanism is.  But people faint, pass out, fall down for all sorts of reasons, like the sight of blood makes people faint, medicines, heat, and most definitely riding on carnival rides that go round and round will do it.  
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