feeling faint. Low blood pressure?

[Sambucca]

Ive seen a few threads about this in the past, and I have for about 4 months now had episodes of feeling faint when I stand up. I've just assumed its low blood pressure, and usually a few seconds after standing Im Ok again.

In the last few days, literally every time I stand up I feel really faint and have been seeing black spots in front of my eyes, and it has taken longer than usual to recover (maybe 10 seconds instead of the usual 2 or 3)

This morning, I had a couple of horrid episodes and then the worst one where I actually blacked out momentarily. It was literally a second or two (I think), but it really wiped me out. I went back to bed and slept for 3 hours, after a full nights sleep and have been feeling sort of "not with it" all day.

I know you are all going to say go to the doctors, and I will, obviously, but just wondered whether anyone else is experiencing similar things, and whether there could be any other explanation other than low blood pressure, as I dont think they treat low blood pressure. I dont want to be like this forever.

 

[CCPM]

Not sure Sam, it sounds like hypotension but as you say get it checked out.

Just wanted to offer a big hug

M

 

[Sambucca]

Thanks M. The hug is much appreciated x

 

[Bev]

Oh dear Sam... have you got a home monitoring machine you can start to take a blood pressure record while you are at home?

I have this regularly, but have been told it's connected to my type 1 diabetes... not a nice feeling and strange....

Hope you can get to the bottom of it... just popping on here and noticed your thread...have you checked your blood sugars?

Hormones are funny things too... get well soon love,
xxx

 

[Sambucca]

Not tested my sugars Bev, but never been a diabetic so not sure if it could be a blood sugar problem.

My mom has a BP machine so I might borrow it actually and see what readings I get.

 

[Bev]

Do hope you will soon feel better and maybe the rest will help... it's very headache like weather over here today in Wales... overcast and thundery... which doesn't help... or maybe it's a viral type thing... hoping whatever that it won't last and sending a load of love your way! xxx

 

[gaelic girl]

Sam i suffer from dizzy spells too but not to the extent of the ones you are now experiencing. I would def get your blood pressure checked and possibly your blood sugar levels. I know Salski is having this prob and her blood sugars keep dropping but she isn't diabetic. She has to take sugar on board immediatly and monitor her levels regularily. Hope you get it sorted out soon. Big hugs x

 

[StephieAck]

I have never blacked out but I do get the dizziness almost every time I stand up, I darent get up in a big hurry or I have to hold on to something, hubby laughs and says "stood up too quick?" because I make a joke of it and say "whoooooooooo" lol
It can be really annoying though, I hesitate to do things that mean I have to bend over and then stand up again, such as bowling etc just in case I got a bit too dizzy.
I actually forgot to mention it to my team at the hospital, Ill mention it in September when I see them again. I just take it as a part of my new life but if I were you I would look for answers asap because there is a difference in feeling dizzy and blacking out.
I hope you are ok xx
Steph xx

 

[didi]

Hi everyone

I'm 9 months PO and as well as postural dizziness, I've been suffering for about a month with really weird dizzy spells when in bed, transferring from lying to sitting up or vice versa and just rolling over, the world goes round, like I've been on the booze all night, which we all know we can't do any more!!

Got really worried enough to see GP. BP is fine and I'm definitely not diabetic, he diagnosed labrynthitis, a viral inner ear infection, cause unknown and hopefully it will just improve with time. It's very frustrating, messes with my sleep no end. During the day I just have to remember not to get up and charge off anywhere in a rush or I have to grab on something until the world rights itself again. Sometimes the world just goes round when I'm sitting still, really weird feeling.

Just in case it's something else I'll mention it to the team when I have a review at the end of August.

Hope we can all feed back anything new on this topic as there does seem to be quite a few of us with various types of this problem.

Take care all

 

[Bev]

That is an excellent point Lynda.

I meant to say to Sam to try and reduce any salt intake because that can affect dizziness... as is the guidance for Meniere's Disease and balance related problems... salt causes the water to retain in the auditory canal and can cause pressure to build up... or something like that anyways... hope this helps and much love xxx

 

[Sambucca]

thanks all for your input so far.

Lynda, did they do any tests to establish that you had labyrinthitis, and is it something they can treat?

 

[shelbell]

I had labyrinthitis about a year ago, horrid, but very different feeling to the postural hypotension episodes. It was just diagnosed from a chat about the symptoms, and not treated. It can last a long time as well.

Sam, as you know I've had PH for years, and it got worse post op. I have periods where it flares up and I black out, and periods were it's not too bad. Someone else said on another thread that there is a treatment for it, but I've never been offered one! Its easily diagnosed though with doing a few different BP measurements.

There are other causes, reactive hypoglycaemia (don't need to have been diabetic) but for me this again feels very different to PH episodes, dehydration, and anaemia being a few.

Interestingly, if it is PH, increasing your salt intake is recommended as it helps raise your BP.

 

[Grace]

I've had labrynthitis, last year. Very unpleasant it was too. I think they gave me some antibiotics just in case it was bacterial. It took several months to completely clear up.

 

[seawaves]

oh please no dizzy things post op i suffer with menieres disease which is the most evil thing i've ever experienced, its like sea sickness that knocks u out for 2 days (thats the best way 2 explain it!) Hope you get this sorted asap x

 

[didi]

No tests for labrynthitis, just discussed symptoms and decided that was the most logical answer as not diabetic and BP OK for me, if anything a bit on the high side not low. Gave me some tablets but once I'd read all the side effects I wasn't too sure taking them was a good idea. Increased dizziness and not being able to drive were a couple that come to mind. Have to drive to get to work so haven't taken them yet. Got a week off at the end of the month so if still have symptoms might give the tablets a go then.

Take care

 

[Stellap]

I have started getting this recently (about 6 months post op) and because I was diabetic I got out my blood sugar monitor whenever I experienced it and my blood sugar was always low. This is quite common in bypass surgery as the part of the intestine bypassed is the jejunum which deals with sugar (which is probably why we dump with too much sugar as it's not dealt with by the jejunum now)

 

[emergingbutterfly]

Hi Sam

I have felt dizzy from time to time as well (but more so in the early post op days) and I put it down to not eating enough. Hope you get some answers soon