Question:
I always feel like I am going to FAINT when I am outside...someone help
I am 24 days out. This has been going on for almost two weeks. Thought I was dehydrated went to hospital and everything is fine including blood test. ER Dr did not have an answer. I am not on any medications. I am not diabetic. — gigi_c (posted on July 26, 2008)
July 26, 2008
Gigi, I read somewhere that this could be a sign of protein deficiency or
low blood pressure. If you went to the ER, I'm assuming they ruled out low
blood pressure ... Try to get in a little more protein for the next few
days and see if it's better ... And DRINK YOUR WATER! The summer heat could
have something to do with it, even if it's not actual dehydration. Hope you
feel better soon!
— lauren_marie
July 26, 2008
Because you're not on any medications, this may not be the reason. I'm
thinking low blood pressure. But if you were checked out, they should have
seen that. I too had the same problem, and still get it when my blood
pressure meds need to be lowered. But talk with your general practitioner.
If you can, some pharmacies have a blood pressure monitor you can use to
test yourself on when you get this way. Because I have high blood pressure
problems, my doctor actually advised me a couple years ago to get one.
— jct001
July 26, 2008
I had the same issue some months after RNY. My pulse has always been around
55, but after RNY, my pulse was documented at 38 and 45 at my doctors
office. Due to the low bp, I ended up with a pacemaker at age 60, close to
2 years post op. DAVE
— Dave Chambers
July 26, 2008
Being a nurse and former ER nurse, several things come to mind. And just
to clarify, you only feel this way when you go outside right? Do you live
in a hot part of the country? (oops, I didn't check your profile to learn
that before I started typing).
I'm sure they checked your blood pressure, but did they check your
orthostatic blood pressure? This is where they check your b/p and pulse
lying down, sitting and then standing. If your bp goes down and pulse goes
up, you have orthostatic hypotension which is a big way of saying you get
dizzy when you stand up. Being out in the heat makes this worse.
They probably just checked a basic panel of labs, I would suggest you call
your surgeon asap and ask for some very detailed/additional labs to check
deficiencies a WLS is more likely to deal with than the ER doc.
Did they do an EKG- a tracing of your heart rate and rhythm?
Are you prone to depression and/or anxiety? I'm not suggesting anything
mental, however, when mine is not properly managed, I don't want to leave
the house and have kinda a panicky feeling which makes me feel light headed
and strange when I go outside. This can come out of nowhere and feels
awfull. Think I'm gonna die. As soon as I get back home and inside the
safety of my own home, I am fine.
Next time this happens to you, check your pulse or have someone else do it.
Does it seem normal to you or is it racing?
I must say, I'm pretty impressed that you are 3 weeks post RNY with none of
the usual suspect co-morbids.
Good luck to you, as I said before, call your surgeon asap.
Even though you're not on meds, keep an eye on your bp and blood sugars as
your intake is not what it used to be.
Dawn Vickers, RN, BLC, CLC
— DawnVic
July 26, 2008
Are you taking a good powerful liquid vitamin/mineral supplement ? Try
VEMMA. Mineral supplements could be key. Go to TrySomeVemma.com
— [Deactivated Member]
July 26, 2008
How hot has it been? The reason I'm saying this is because I live in
Georgia and for a few months after my surgery I could not handle the heat
outside. I could not even handle washing dishes in hot water or taking a
really hot steamy shower without feeling like I was going to faint. My
blood work was great and my pulse and BP normal and I was drinking enough
water to float a boat, I just simply could not handle the heat. I am now
almost 5 months out and the problem seems to have corrected itself, but for
those first few months staying outside for more than a few minutes in the
heat was too much. Good Luck.
— irish4girl
July 27, 2008
I think you should talk to your dr about it....but would also like to ask
if you're getting enough protein. Does it happen immediately after you go
outside or just if you're out for a bit? I ask because two weeks after my
surgery, my husband and I took a day-trip to Germany (I lived in Belgium at
the time) and I left my protein drinks in the car while we walked around.
Well...after about 4 hours walking around, it was like someone turned a
switch off and my energy was GONE. I was only about 2 blocks from the car
and I had to stop and rest every 15 feet or so...and was seriously
considering calling a taxi for those last few blocks. So if it's after
you've walked around a bit, even if it's not for a few hours like I did, if
you haven't had enough protein, it could be because your body has said
ENOUGH and needs to eat. Yes, this surgery does put your body into a
starvation mode...but you still have to have something to eat - protein -
while it's losing weight. Talk to your surgeon to make sure there's
nothing serious going on, and ask try to up your protein (I assume you're
still on liquids?) and see if that helps.
I hope you're feeling better soon.
— Hollywog
July 27, 2008
The hospital or the soc should have noticed the signs in test. First is
low protein, next is low salt or potasium, next is low blood pressure, next
is slow heart rate, below 55 BMP, and there is other issues they check for.
I have low salt, because for year I was told don't salt anything and watch
sodium in foods, so I continued to do that after my surgery. Also, check
other drugs you took before and make sure they know why you took them. I
came off of 18 drugs, all had side effects as I lost weight and I did not
need them any longer. The sun and standing up give you something that
sounds like Orthotension. I am not sure what it means, but I hear it a lot
when they test me. My heart rate is about 50 standing, and when I started
with my WLS I had a heart rate of 90. If I could get to 60 I will be
happy. Best of success to you.
— William (Bill) wmil
July 27, 2008
Hi Gigi, That was one of the first symptoms I had when my vitamin
deficiency's started. After starting Passion4Life Liquid Vitamins I am
thankfully able to go outside again without feeling like someone was
cutting off my air supply. If you are interested in hearing more about this
great new product you can go to:
www.passion4lifevitamins.com/charlenelewis. Ironically I am very close to
you, I am in Corona, CA. Keep us posted and welcome a board.
— Charlene Lewis
July 28, 2008
I get this from vitamin deficiencies such as iron (anemia) and magnesium
deficiency makes me anxious, dizzy and I nearly faint quite often...Lack of
oxygen in the blood from anemia also makes me feel this way...Someone else
mentioned that they probably only ran basic tests and not a full range for
vitamins! That is probably where you will find your answers! I drink a
propel for the electroytes and the water...I get hydrated and my magnesium
to rule out both of those...
Might be time to get a fullset of vit labs...I ask for some 22 tests to be
run yearly...and lately bi-annually until my vits are back in
order...That's a lot of tubes...but I take my health seriously after I
became too sure that I didn't need all my vits after 3 years...I didn't
realise I needed them forever...So now, I make NO mistakes...and I give my
PCP the lab list I want her to run for me. She does with no problems,
because she knows that I know more about my WLS than she does...
— .Anita R.
Click Here to Return