I get lightheaded sometimes. When I realized that I was avoiding strenuous exercise as a result, I decided to check it out. My cardiologist (Doesn't that sound impressive? I thought I'd have to wait another four decades to have my own cardiologist.) did a bunch of tests. This eventually led to the past July, when I was strapped to a table while standing up. (It looked like this.) We waited twenty minutes, and BOOM, I passed out, which I most definitely did not expect. This means that my blood pressure is poorly regulated, and explains why I feel dizzy when I get up from my office chair sometimes, and why I can't climb more than two flight of stairs without taking a break. Actually, it doesn't explain it at all to me, because I don't understand why my brain can't regulate my blood pressure.
The good news is that the danger comes primarily from fainting, because people tend to injure themselves when they faint. The other good news is that I'm very good at not fainting. Whenever I feel dizzy, I lean against a wall, or sit down, or lay down. (Happily I've never needed to lay down at work.) The best news is that it has never happened when I'm driving, so I'm not in any danger there.
I don't need medicine now, but I'm glad to know it's an option if it gets worse. In the meantime, the doctor is trying to raise my blood pressure the old-fashioned way, with salt. I am the only person I know who got an official directive to eat more salt. Pretzels and potato chips (and salt tablets), here I come.
5 comments:
Wow...being told you can eat MORE salt...not too bad.
I still have the hardest time (even though I know my image is way out of date) of you doing exercise.
Hey! you're the first person I meet who is like me! How exciting! Did they give you a fancy name like "vaso-depressor syncope" along with the diagnosis after the tilt table? It means nothing more than what you wrote, but is a fancy shmancy way to impress people, I guess. Smirk.
I found that salt wasn't as much an issue for me as perpetual dehydration. When I have more liquid in my system, I do better. Crazy, eh? And by liquid, they mean water, not coffee and/or beer, ha ha ha.
As for your "not fainting" tricks, do you also memorize the room as you stand up, so that you can walk a few steps with eyes mostly greyed out, and act like you know what you're doing? I spent a decade or two doing that until I decided that it was silly, and maybe I should stand up more slowly. Go figure, it worked.
When I was young my blood pressure was very low. I only fainted a couple of times - so probably not the same issue. Now I have the opposite problem - and long for the old days!
I think I must eat so much salt I counteract any poor circulation. But I think it runs in the family because I had super low blood pressure when I was younger. What seems to have changed things is producing two children. It's so amazing to have warm hands in winter.
It's good to know that you are taking care of yourself, and taking note of when things aren't as they should be, and seeking professional advice.
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