Question:
Dizzyness & Lite Headed

I am 3 1/2 yrs Post Op, and have experienced spells of Dizzyness & Light Headedness. I keep myself hydrated. This has nothing to do with getting up too quickly, I can be riding in a car or at the store and all of a sudden I become ill, with dizzyness and very lite headed. It's like dumping with out the vomiting. You just want to lay down till you get better. I have asked my doctor about this several time, but he has no idea. My blood test levels are good. I have gone long periods with out getting in any protein . And I think that this is the problem, when your not hungery it's hard to eat something. So can not getting in enough protein have the same effect as low blood sugar ??    — Boopster (posted on January 28, 2007)


January 28, 2007
it sounds to me like it could be related to your blood sugar. even if your blood sugar is normal when you have a spell, it can happen when your sugar drops fast even within normal ranges.( i have that problem). it sounds like it could be your blood pressure too, have it checked regularly. buy you a bp cuff and check it at home different times of the day and when you have a spell, keep records and see if you see a pattern. anemia can also cause those spells, when you say your blood tests are good are you including H&H , platelets, RBC's, etc. ? heart problems can also cause dizziness and light headedness. have you ever noticed an irregular heart beat, any shortness of breath, or swelling in you legs and feet? whatever the problem is it needs to be investigated, because it could be something serious, although i certainly hope it's not. keep close track of when it happens, exactly how you feel when it does happen and see if you notice any patterns. most importantly be persistent with the doctors and insist that they look more into things. hope this helps.. holly
   — RNlvnCARSON

January 28, 2007
have your blood sugar checked as well as get your ears checked for vertigo problems. It is possible to have issues with your inner ear that will cause the symptoms you describe. My husband had problems for years until we went to an ear specialist who diagnosed Meniere's Disease. He went to gastro's, endocrinologists, and had all kinds of testing with no solutions until the ear doctor. I am not a doctor but this is just a suggestion based on our experience.
   — oceanrayne

January 28, 2007
Thank You, holly and Alisa for your response... I will check those things out. Thanks Again, Betty
   — Boopster

January 28, 2007
Thank You, Holly and Alisa for your response... I will check those things out. Thanks Again, Betty
   — Boopster

January 28, 2007
Betty, don't mess around with protein loss, find ways to get it in, at least some or most of it in. The thing about not paying attention to protein, vitamins and minerals, is that once they cause damage, it is much harder, or impossible to reverse the consequences. Don't take this lightly. Now, regarding your condition, perhaps you need to see if it is something not related at all to wls. Doctors tend to look for what they know might be wrong, not for what is out of their "comfort zones". A wls doctor is gonna check all the wls things that might go wrong, a pcm will check primary things. What you need is a doctor that will think with out and outside the box of what it might be. In the meantime, fight to get your protein and water in, and take care of the body that God gave you. When we did wls, it comes with a big responsibility. Hang in there and have a long talk with your pcm. Best to you. Patricia P
   — Patricia P

January 28, 2007
Please have your ferritin (iron stores) tested. I had the exact same symptoms when my ferritin was low. My hemoglobin looks normal on labs, that is because it was taking from the iron storage, which was quickly becoming depleted. I needed in IV Iron infusion. It took so long to get a diagnosis. This can happen to long term post-ops. Oral irons aren't enough for some of us.
   — Allison4wls

January 29, 2007
When I eat a cereal with too many simple carbohydrates, I have the same problem. Or something with sugar. I bought some Boost and didn't check the sugar in it and had the same problem. Pay attention to what you are eating before it hits you. I think you will find a common thread.
   — geneswife

January 29, 2007
This is exactly what my sister was feeling and she has never had wls or has ever been a bigger size person unless she was pregnant, the drs did lots of test and have found out she has P.O.T.S it is a heart issue and is genetic, it has nothing to do with weight or wls at all as far as i know from all of her drs, she finally got into a Dr in Toledo, Ohio that specializes in this if you would want more information she went to Google and typed in "Cardiac P.O.T.S" and it came up with lots of information, i hope this helps. Please see your family dr my sister was almost in a car wreck with her toddler when one of these episodes happened, its more of a stress induced thing to. Please take care and can you post to let us know how your doing.. God be with you Paula
   — japaad

January 29, 2007
hey girl i have been thinking about your situation and wanted to add 2 other things i thought about this morning on my way to work. have you had your eyes checked? eye problems can cause dizziness. also inner ear problems can cause the same symptoms. have all these things checked out and take care of yourself. hope this helps holly P.S. i'm a nurse and i guess that's why your question stuck in my head. nurses are always trying to solve probelms and find the answers.
   — RNlvnCARSON

January 30, 2007
I am going through this as well and found that my blood presure was runing low as in 88 over 54 way to low which causes dizzyness, have yours checked, they have put me on a pill to bring up my bloodpressure... just a thought for you to check out..
   — Flo

January 30, 2007
I'm wondering about Reactive Hypoglycemia. It is (sadly) prety common among us after 2 yrs or so. Reactive to WHAT, I have no idea. I know I just had an episode, and as usual, cannot connect it to anything I ate or didn't before it. There is a growing collection in the Grad files on this subject as we learn more about it. Look for it as stated or RHG. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Graduate-OSSG
   — vitalady

January 30, 2007
Your story sounds oh so familiar. I had RNY bypass in November 2003. I lost all of my weight and at times have gone "underweight" despite my doing exactly what I was told. Since this past October (2006) I have been having trouble with extreme hypoglycemia and it has not been related to my diet or medications. I have been diagnosed (incorrectly) as diabetic; but overall have had a trend of very low blood sugar. I have been seen by at least four endocrinologists and a fifth major teaching hospital in my area all of which had different opinions as to what the possible cause could be; ultimately they all pointed the finger at me that I could not possibly be doing the right things or this wouldn't happen. As the repeated instances of hypoglycemia have occurred, the warning signs or "symptoms" that would clue me to take action have virtually disappeared. New Years' Eve my husband and I were traveling home from the holidays when I slumped over in the passenger seat. (I haven't driven because of this in months). I was awake and talking one minute, gone the next. My blood sugar was 31. Thinking this to be an error, my husband recalibrated the meter and took it again and it had gone DOWN to 28. We checked it with a "back-up" meter I carry, and got the same results. I was still able to open my eyes and talk to him but my vision was blurred and I felt "drunk." My Primary Care Physician took matters into his own hands when he saw how badly things were going and had me seen by an endocrinologist familliar with post-op bypass patients with these symptoms. Correct diagnosis: Hyperinsulinemic Hypoglycemia with Nesidioblastosis after Gastric-Bypass Surgery. Further information on this can be obtained from an article in the New England Journal of Medicine, Dated July 21, 2005, Volume 353:249-254. Prior to this Nesidioblastosis was known to occur in infants and young children (to my understanding). I am currently being treated with an oral/liquid medication named Diazoxide which in (way) larger doses is used to treat extremely high blood pressure therefore it does not adversely affect my (already too low) blood pressure. This surgery creates perpetual "dumping" which we try to control by not eating things that have sugar, carbs., etc., but in bypassing part of the small intestine, the foods we eat, even though they are correct and healthy ones still enter the system much quicker than normal. In response the pancreas has this "anticipation" of "more food is coming" so your body produces more insulin in response to this. For me, my body is producing so much insulin that I am virtually being "flooded" every time I eat and I will have a short appropriate spike in blood sugar, followed by a severe DIVE. There are specific tests a skilled and knowledgeable (regarding gastric bypass patients) endocrinologist can order if this is suspected. They are: 1) Morning cortisone levels; 2) Check TSH; 3) CT scan of pancreas with IV contrast to exclude a pancreatic mass; 4) if any question arises following tests #3, an MRI. I most certainly hope you are not in this category and that your problem can be treated easily...but if you do not have a blood sugar meter I suggest you buy one and check your sugar levels one hour before and 2 hours after a meal and at bedtime. Pay particular attention to nightime -- be certain to have a healthy snack that combines perhaps a protein, a healthy fat, and some type of complex carb. I have eaten a small (and I do mean small) portion of plain oatmeal with a little of the Peter Pan (low sugar/low carb) Peanut Butter (melted into it). I think that's my complex carb/healthy fat/protein? It seems to help and my blood sugar does not take a plunge during what I call "The Bewitching Hour" -- for me it's between 4 and 5 a.m. Good luck and I hope this helps. Yours, Jo Ann
   — PedalSteelGirl

January 31, 2007
Hi, at one of my WLS Post-op Group meetings, the Counselor who leads our group brought up the information that it is common for those who have had WLS to have slow heart beat rates and need pace makers. There are two members of our small group who have them (both male), and I (female) am awaiting to have one put in. So, you might get your heart beat monitored. Best of luck. Barbara
   — StarWish624




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