What Causes Lightheadedness, Fainting Episodes And Black Stool?

Posted on Fri, 30 Jun 2017

Question: Last evening, after a family dinner at a restaurant, I became light headed as we walked out. I sat on a bench waiting for the valet parking attendant to bring our car around. THings went dark, and I came to being held up by my daughter and I was sweating. I was probably dehydrated when my husband and I arrived at the restaurant and drank 1 bourbon with lots of ice and water, followed by a glass of wine. I had Bariatric surgery in 2009 and cannot eat much, stopping when I begin to feel full. My son-in-law called 911 who responded first with firefighters followed by an ambulance. The EMTs ran an EKG which was normal, so my husband and I returned home. I drank 3 glasses of water over 2 1/2 hrs before going to bed at 11:30. About 1:30 I awoke needing to urinate and intensely hungry, feeling the pressure in my esophagus in the middle of my chest. As I approached the stairs from out 2nd floor bedroom, I felt dizzy and decided I should not walk down them alone. I didn't want to awaken my husband since he had had a colonoscopy yesterday and an interrupted sleep the night before. So, I stayed in bed, sleeping fitfully until I got up at 5:30 am. I have been sipping coffee with milk and ate 1/2 a banana. I just went to the bathroom and passed a very soft almost black stool. I am supposed to fly to France Friday night to lead a training program for a major corporation next week, and I will be 65 in August. Should I be concerned enough to try to see my GP today?

Answered by Dr. Prof. Kunal Saha (2 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Could be a syncopal attach. Ensure fluid intake.

Detailed Answer:
Thanks for asking on HealthcareMagic.

I have gone carefully through your query and understand your concerns. You possibly suffered from a vasovagal attack or syncope when you left the restaurant. Such an episode is characterized by sudden drop in the blood flow to the brain which leads to the black out sensation. The propensity can increase after food since the blood supply gets shunted to the stomach and gastrointestinal system for the purpose of digestion, thus leaving less blood to flow to the brain. You need to ensure plenty of fluid intake (preferably ORS) for such a thing not to happen again. Since you have already been checked in the ER I do not think that you need to be concerned enough to see your GP today.

Let me know if I could help further.

Regards

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar