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Preparing for your appointment
By Mayo Clinic staffIt's a good idea to prepare for your appointment to make the most of your time with your doctor.
What you can do
- Write down a detailed description of your symptoms, including any triggers that may have precipitated your faint.
- Make a list of all your medications, including vitamins and supplements.
- Write down questions to ask your doctor, including what types of tests you might need and what treatments might be helpful.
What to expect from your doctor
Questions your doctor might ask you include:
- What were you doing just before you fainted?
- What signs and symptoms, if any, did you experience before you fainted?
- Have you ever fainted before?
- Have you recently started taking a new medication?
- Have you ever had a head injury?
- Has anyone in your family died suddenly from heart problems?
During the physical exam, your doctor will listen to your heart and take your blood pressure. He or she may also massage the main arteries in your neck to see if that causes you to feel faint.
- Olshansky B. Neurocardiogenic (vasovagal) syncope. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed May 28, 2010.
- Strickberger SA, et al. AHA/ACCF Scientific statement on the evaluation of syncope. Circulation. 2006;113:316.
- Tan MP, et al. Vasovagal syncope in the older patient. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 2008;51:599.
- Parry SW, et al. The management of vasovagal syncope. Quarterly Journal of Medicine. 1999;92:697.
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