Question:
I have a question about fainting

I had surgery almost 6 months ago (gastric bypass...lap) and was considered a light weight...had about 125 pounds to lose. I have already lost 110 in this short time and am concerned because starting a month ago every time I stand up I get dizzy and everything goes black. I passed out last week onto my coffee table. The problem seems to be getting worse daily. I have called my surgeons office several times and finally was able to speak to a nurse. She was concerned about losing so much so fast and said I need to see my doctor in my town for a full set of labs asap and have them faxed to surgeons office. I did that 2 days ago...all labs came out normal...now the surgeons office is saying I am losing weight on target...big contradiction...and this has nothing to do with my fast weightloss...My doctor here in town is furious with them and so am I. I am at a loss on what could be causing this problem. Has anyone else suffered from dizzyness? I get all my protein in, take all my vitamins, drink more than I need for water, exercise daily etc. Any help/ideas on what I can do would be appreciated. Thank you all.    — Lori M. (posted on May 31, 2002)

May 31, 2002
Lori, I am 14 months post op started at 298 now 165. I have had dizziness and fainting since about 4 months post op. I have seen countless doctors and no one knows whats wrong with me. The surgeons deny that this has any association with the surgery. I personally think that's a bunch of BS.... I'm living with it though. What else can we do.. Make sure to stay well hydrated and take your vits. (especially in this heat) If you have any questions or would like to chat you can email me at [email protected]... Good Luck to you!
   — Kristina P.

May 31, 2002
Has anyone checked your blood sugar levels? I know when my blood sugar get to low and I also feel faint. I believe that a 24 hour glucose tolerance test could check for this.
   — Lisa B.

May 31, 2002
I have it too. Yet my tests don't reveal why. I can only assume that it's a drop in blood pressure.
   — Danmark

May 31, 2002
Have you checked your blood pressure, laying down then standing up? I think my dizziness is tied to my blood pressure changing when I standup too fast. My pressure has dropped considerably as I have lost weight. Seems kind of suspicious though that so many of us get this side effect yet they don't relate it to the surgery.
   — Angela B.

May 31, 2002
How's your iron level? I had a couple days of dizziness and generally not feeling good this week and it seems to have been tied to low iron. I took my super-duper iron pills for a couple days and felt better.
   — ctyst

May 31, 2002
I agree to check your iron levels. I am pre-op & have a iron-deficient anemia. Iron , I think are supposed to be around 12? mine are usually running at like 6. Because I don't eat alot of red meat which is why mine are so low. I too have spells of dizziness when I stand, they can just suddenly happen. I also get migraines and just all over crappiness. I still haven't learned to take my iron pills daily, put for the past month I have taken them and for the past month I have been fine. Good luck to you!
   — Sunny4x4chick

May 31, 2002
My doctor told me he thought it was due to low blood pressure. He told me not to get up too fast and if I felt like I was going to faint to stick my head between my legs or lay on the floor on my side until it passed. He said by getting close to the group it would bring the blood pressure back up plus if you did faint you wouldn't crack your head open.
   — Patty H.

May 31, 2002
Lori, I too suffer from dizzy/fainting spells. I went to the ER the last time I got really bad. I was dizzy constantly. I do drink 64oz of water dailey. However, when I saw the doc in ER he said I was severely dehydrated. This caused by blood pressure to drop dramatically when moving from a lying or sitting to standing position. Which I assume is what made me feel faint and dizzy. PS I am 9 months post op down 136 pounds. I started noticing this about 5 months post op.
   — Terri N.

May 31, 2002
I'm 4 weeks post-op. Starting about 2 weeks ago I also began experiencing dizziness/light headedness when standing. I never had this as a symptom pre-op. When I called my doctor's office the nurse just said to be sure to drink at least 64 oz of fluid a day and "eat" when I'm suppose to, to avoid dehydration & low blood sugar. I'm doing what is recommended but it still happens from time to time.
   — Kelly S.

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