The Wall

F is for "Feeling Faint." ------------------------------- Are you finding yourself a little "Light-Headed" when Standing? This is a fairly common complaint among folks Who are experiencing rapid weight-loss Not just from WLS. It is all bound up in that "resting heart rate" Before Weight-loss And it’s "adjustment" during and immediately after rapid weight loss. Dizziness when standing up quickly or changing position Is called - Orthostatic Hypotension - Orthostatic (positional) hypotension (low blood pressure)

Or in "Doc Slang," Postural Hypotension. It’s the result of a decrease in blood flow to the brain, Due to a drop in blood pressure when standing up. This may be what your problem is..... Here’s My best explanation- When sitting or lying down, The body’s fluid pressure is equally distributed from head to toe. When you stand up, the fluid pressure increases In your lower extremities, and falls dramatically at the top. This pressure drop is usually corrected quickly, To keep the blood pressure and flow to the brain constant when we stand up. Sensor nerves in blood vessels act, By way of the involuntary nervous system, That trigger responses to maintain normal blood pressure and flow to the brain: The heart rate increases, as does the volume and force of the blood In the circulatory system. At the same time, The muscular walls of arteries constrict, And veins of the lower body contract increasing blood pressure, In effect, pushing blood upward toward the heart and brain. If the circulatory reflexes are working properly, The move from lying to standing Usually goes without symptoms. Dizziness when standing, from postural hypotension, Usually means that either something has gone "oops" With the circulatory reflexes, . .(Problem in Circulation, Heart, . .Or medications which inhibit the circulatory reflexes . .By blocking transmission involuntary nervous system signals . .To the heart and blood vessels. . .i.e. beta blockers, alpha blockers or other BP Meds.) OR- As is the case for folks who are in rapid weight "Change," The body’s fluid volume is depleted or recently changed. For women in Pregnancy, Postural hypotension is generally the result Of the body having to handle much More fluid Than it is accustomed to handling. In the case of someone who is dropping In over all volume quickly, (Us) It’s inadequate blood volume. Or less fluid than the circulatory system is Accustomed to. If there isn't enough fluid volume in the blood vessels, Then the circulatory reflexes can't restore normal blood pressure Quick enough to compensate for the pressure changes. This can also happen as a result of even mild dehydration. For most folk, as the weight-loss speed slows The body adapts to match it’s new standard. There is a "lag time" for many people. It’s not just "Us" getting used to new bodies, But our body’s Systems have to make adjustments as well. If it keeps up much after your body stops changing quickly, Then it may be from other causes such as- Involuntary nervous system dysfunction, brought on by- Diabetes, alcoholism, nutritional deficiencies, or other nervous system disorders. Ask your Doc about it. Mine diagnosed mine by having the Nurse check my blood pressure and pulse In the lying down position, then into a standing position. The pressure dropped when I stood up, by "some magic number" That let him know that it was -postural hypotension. He said not to worry, That it would stop when I stopped losing, and it did. In the meanwhile, just get up slower and make sure to get adequate water intake. For some it is a result of coming off of, Or decreasing the need for BP Medication. If the cause turns out to be a medication, Then your doc may decrease the dose, Or switch over to another drug that doesn’t have that side effect. I’ve heard of folks out here over the years Being given lower extremity support or compression hose, And in some cases, blood vessel constricting medications. As with everything that occurs to you- ASK Your Doctor. ------------------------------------------------------------- All that I can remember.... It does tend to level out and fade away once you reach a stable weight. Till then? Just don't "pop-up" too quick! Best Wishes- Dx