I've fainted twice. Once when I was very, very ill and probably should have been in hospital, and once when I suddenly coughed - apparently it did something to the vagus nerve. I dropped like a stone.


The daughter of a good friend was prone for years to fainting spells that became more frequent as she got older. Doctors said she was fine until at some point in her very late teens or early twenties, her heart started doing weird things when it happened that lasted long enough for the EMS squad to notice when they arrived. She was eventually diagnosed with some kind of heart irregularity that was corrected with not-too-intrusive surgery.