falling down!

I had surgery 5/04 and lost 154 lbs. Maintaining OK. I have started falling down! Sometimes I do feel dizzy, but other times I just seem to trip over my own feet. My labs are fine, blood pressure is fine. Could be low blood sugar I guess. Some fatigue. My knees are sore! Usually I catch myself before I fall flat, or someone I am with catches me, but I have hit hard on my knees a few times lately. Any ideas, suggestions, etc? Thanks, Terri

Could be low blood sugar couls also be an irregular heart rythm, you need an EKG and wahtever test they do to rule out hypoglycemia. Your carotid arteries could also be occleded ( the big neck veins). You need a full work up ASAP. Good Luck and call now.

What is your B1 and B12 readings? You could have some neuropathy in your feet which would lead to the stumbles - sort of like a dragging foot type thing. A "normal" range of B12 if down towards the low end of normal still can lead room for neurological issues. Kathy

You need to get your blood work done and make sure everything is ok. Kathy has good info on that. If bloodwork is ok, you might want to go to a chiropractor and have them check your spine. A friend of mine fell and was experiencing tingling feet. She had her bloodwork done and everything came out ok. However, she did get her back adjusted and, after 3 or 4 sessions, her symptoms went away. She wasn't experiencing back pain just the tingling feet and she blacked out. The blacking out may have been due to getting up too fast and experiencing low blood pressure combined with the numb foot is probably why she fell. I would definitely rule out any malnutrition issues first though. Linda

These symptoms could be indicators of impending stroke, a need for knee joint evaluation, and many other things. Please see your health care provider asap. This should not be taken lightly.

Terri, How are you doing on your fluid intake? If I'm not drinking enough I tend to get a bit dizzy when I move or stand suddenly. The advice others have given also sounds good. It sounds like a trip to the doctor is in order, just to rule out a problem if nothing else. Good luck! Vickie J.

I experiences something similar about 4 months ago. I would stand up and start to walk and my one leg would go numb and I would fall down or I would be walking and start to fee that leg go floppy and I'd fall down. I would get numb from the knee down. I went to the doctor who sent me to the neurologist. After doing blood work to determine that I wasn't deficient in anything they did a electrode type test. They zap you up and down the side of the leg to register the reaction. What they determined happend to me was -- after loosing the weight, I started to sit (all the time) with my left leg crossed over my right. I am now able to cross them far enough that the right leg at the left side of my knee was pressing against the right side of my right knee (mostly bone) and brusing and inflaming the nerve in my left leg. I was told to stop crossing my legs, stop wearing heels above 1 inch, and take omega 3s for inflammation. I haven't had it since. Hope this helps. CathyA