I've neglected you

It's been a long few months and once again, I'm apologizing for my absence. I only have one more week of "everything to do and not enough time to do it" and then I should be able to get back to a relative state of normalcy.

In August, we decided to sell our house, so we've been working hard on getting it ready for a good, fair sale. On top of that, there's work and life - and the occasional blip - along the way. Unfortunately, then you have to prioritize and some of the things you'd rather not drop end up getting dropped.

So, as I say, one more week of this upside-down-ness and then I plan to be back on an even keel. Sorry for the absence - I know that many of you enjoy the posts of different health issues, and I do appreciate your visits!

Know what to do if someone faints

Have you ever fainted? When I was a child, I fainted quite a few times and I also did as a young adult a couple of times. It's a horrible feeling. In my case, I start feeling very odd and then voices and sounds seem like they're coming from quite far away. Then I feel as if I'm in a tunnel before I pass out.

Luckily, although it took a while, I learned that I can't beat the faint by willing it not to happen. I had to sit down and "assume the position," put my head down between my knees to encourage the blood flow. I also learned that a big part of my problem was my low blood pressure when it was combined with standing for long periods, especially if it was warm. I still can get that feeling starting to come on, but then I get myself out of the situation before I can actually faint.

While fainting itself isn't usually dangerous, how you faint and where you faint is the problem. One time, I woke up right at the top of a set of stairs. I remember feeling like I was going to faint, but I kept on walking. Waking up right at the top of the stairs was a real wake up call (no pun intended). If I had taken another step or two, I could have been seriously injured.

Do you know what to do if someone else feels faint? Here's a quick video that shows you what to do and when you should be worried enough to call 9-1-1. Just click on the TV screen below: