Light Headed! Faint? When standing quickly?

 

Light Headed! Faint?? Saw the topic in Cal's Thread below... There was mention of feeling faint when standing.... One of the Guys at Lexington similar issues as well, So I perceive this to be more common than not…. "I’m light headed when I stand up!" It happens a good bit around 6 to 20 months post-op. Are you finding yourself a little "Light-Headed" when Standing? I happened to have some info, And I thought I’d pass it on……. --------------------------------------------------------------- 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 - 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. Such as- 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 over all volume quickly, (like WLS many Folk) 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, 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

Many thanks for this post! I have this exact question on my list to ask about when I go for my 9 month checkup next month. Glad to know that it's a somewhat normal experience for us losers.

jeez joe, there's a picture of you on your profile sitting on the stairs. that could have been me a few years ago with more hair! i saw your avitar and said, hey, he kind of looks like me. the shots of you with the weight loss are great, we could have been seperated at birth! i look older than you in my profile but i have some pics a few years back where we would have looked like twins! anyway, keep up the good work....carbonblob

 hey Carbon .. do you have a real first name you can share (or at least PM)?   &:-D)   Only reason I ask is I have clients (a husband and wife) that travel around the U.S. also doing set-ups for Lowe's stores (they "install", the shelving and displays and such) .. I was going to see if  they might know ya, either as someone they work with or w. the co. they work for ..     Very nice job on the weight loss and buff up, btw .. 

I can say that I experienced that light headed feeling daily for the first year.   Now it happens maybe once or twice a month and usually there are contributing factors such as me not taking my vitamins in the morning or missing breakfast.

Excellent info for all, as always!

Another thing you can do to prevent this - or at least make it less severe - is to get up like a cat!

Whenever cats get up from laying down what do they do?  They stretch.  If we will make a point to stretch and do a REALLY GOOD isotonic contraction of our muscles from TOE to HEAD -in that order - then take a nice deep breath before getting up it gives our body a "warning" that we are about to engage in physical activity.  This allows for all the physiolgic processes to get going and have less of a shock.

Hope you have a great Thanksgiving!

  If anyone has sudden lightheadedness (or faints) upon standing, time to see a doc, a.s.a.p.!   At least have an EKG done, b/c that can show a heart block (disruption in the heart's electrical system pathways) which can be a serious medical condition or sign of a past heart attack ...   Nothing to mess around with, folks ..  !