Problems with dizziness

Has anyone here had issues with dizziness? Just out of nowhere I will be simply walking or turn a certain away and I get to feeing so dizzy. Could it be WLS related?

I'd a) let my PCP know and b) log when you get it and what you were doing earlier that day. I had that issue for awhile during year 2 or 3 post-surgery. I had a complete medical workup, and they couldn't find a thing wrong. Then I got it really bad one afternoon - and it occurred to me I'd eaten a whole piece of cake at a retirement party at work an hour or two before (as opposed to my usual 2 or 3 bites of cake). I let my PCP know and she immediately suspected reactive hypoglycemia (RH). It could just be that my glucose level happened to be normal at the time of my workup, so it wasn't suspected at that time. She said I could get a glucose monitor if I wanted to know for sure - or else I could just eat something every 3-4 hours, and if I had a carb, to always pair it with a protein. She said that's what they'd have me do ANYWAY if a glucose monitor or test indicated that I had RH. Anyway, I rarely have issues with it anymore, so that must have been what was going on.

RH is related to WLS. I don't know if you have the same issue, but if you do, yes - it's not that uncommon among among WLS patients and usually starts up 1-3 years after surgery. If your dizziness is due to something else, though, then whether or not it's related to WLS depends on what it is.

I will definitely be consulting with my doctor. Thanks for the idea to keep track on what I have been doing or eating when this happens. Should have been a no brainer but I haven't done so. I don't know if I have RH or not. I haven't been very good about going to doctor appointments but I am going to make an appointment on Monday.

Orthostatic hypotension does happen to a lot of us when we lose weight. The body is used to pumping blood at a higher pressure when we are at a higher weight. After weight loss, it often drops to a lower blood pressure.

If you lie or sit for a while the blood can get pooled in the lower legs and not have enough pressure to get to your head when you stand up. So you get light headed. If you are taking blood pressure medicine, it might need to be adjusted to a lower dose.

I had that problem for a while. I learned to pump my legs a few times before standing to get the blood moving again. It was temporary and adjusted on its own after a few months. It happens quickly and usually goes away quickly. So a blood pressure monitor might not catch it.

This could also be the reactive hypoglycemia that Trish talked about. It is also very common after weight loss surgery. It is especially scary if it happens when driving a vehicle. i had that start happening about three years after surgery.

Oh that is interesting to learn! It is very scary and has happened to me while driving too. I was 30 minutes from home and had to pull over for awhile and just sit there. Orthostatic hypotension is something I was not aware of.

dehydration can cause dizziness. Are you drinking 64+ oz a day?

I didn't think of that. I know that I am not drinking enough water daily.

Definitely talk to your medical team; I've had orthostatic hypotension for years (even when I had high blood pressure, go figure). After WLS, I would still have it when just getting up but also started to get it randomly when I'd been up, moving, and then it would hit randomly -- my doctor said to drink 100 oz of fluid a day and that would fix it. It's true, as long as I'm consistently at 100, no dizzy spells -- a few days below, then dizzy spells. But check with your medical team first.

Thanks for your insights. I will be making an appointment with the doctor on Monday.

I would mention it to your provider like the others have posted but my thoughts also went to either blood sugar or blood pressure, hydration, etc. Hopefully an easy fix but scary when it happens