light headed/blacking out?

just wondering how "common" is it ive noticed the past few days i "black out" at least once upon standing up i dont have any current "problems" besides this i am no longer trying to take pain meds (im in no real pain) but will take maybe 1 a day at MOST sometimes none

if youre blacking out, you should go to the emergency room or call your dr and let him know. blacking out is not part of a normal recovery.

((toyoung4this))

I had blacking out following my hysterectomy. In fact, it started while I was still in the hospital.

In the end, it was decided the blacking out was from a few things. One, I had internal bleeding that had dropped my hemoglobin to 7.5 and requiring a blood transfusion. Two, I had undiagnosed hypoglycemia. Since I was not eating, my sugar was staying too low most of the time. Three, my blood pressure was dropping drastically when I was standing up.

I know my GYN jumped right on it when I was blacking out and I was watched like a hawk! A cardiologist was brought in to check me out. When I was finally released from the hospital (on day 10!), it was only on the condition that I have an adult with me at all times! No kidding! I was 25 with two kids and ordered to have a babysitter!

I was also sent to a neurologist.

You mentioned in another thread that you have been having some internal pain. Have you had that checked out yet? Maybe there is a relation between the pain and the blacking out. Not to frighten you, but if some stitches tore, there could be infection and or internal bleeding issues that could be at least contributing to the blacking out.

Are you eating well right now? If you are having appetite issues, you might want to try adding Ensure or Boost type products to your diet. I was brought a High Protein Boost on ice twice a day at the hospital and was sent home with more Boost to keep drinking for weeks! I was also brought a chocolate shake every day around 3:00 PM!

How about drinking? I was a bit dehydrated during my hospital stay and that could have contributed to my symptoms so they started monitoring my water intake more closely. Sometimes if we don't concentrate on how much we are drinking we don't realize we aren't drinking the general 8 glasses of water a day! I thought I was doing fine but I was actually drinking very, very little water each day.

When you start to black out (or when you do black out), are you getting tunnel vision or are you seeing spots? My doctors wanted specifics about this as it helped them determine what was causing the blacking out. The tunnel vision was my sugar, the spots indicated blood pressure (if I remember correctly since it was almost 9 years ago!).

Until you can find out what is causing the blacking out and dizziness, be careful about standing up suddenly. Try to stand up slowly. If you are laying down, sit up for a few minutes before standing. If at all possible, try not to be alone in case it happens unexpectedly. I would advise that you avoid driving. I was definitely not allowed to drive until the entire issue was resolved! You might also want to avoid very hot showers and that can increase symptoms as well. Exercise for me was a complete but as early as you are in your recovery you likely aren't up to exercise anyway!

It is a scary thing to black out! I hated it! Be very careful and find out as quickly as possible what is going on!

Sending gentle s your way! Let us know what you find out!

i actually suspect me possibly having hypoglycemia i was supposed to get tested but i ended with a hysterectomy (well i was getting checked to figure out my cysts pain)

i went last night to the er they pretty much said i was fine i had blood urine and a cat scan and nothing was wrong no infections or anything
as far as eating im doing fine if i wake up at my earliest (6:50) i wont truely eat till 11am im just not hungry till then but i never was a big breakfast eater it was mostly coffee and sometimes something small after 11am im eating pretty good mostly smaller meals
drinking is another story i have a dr pepper or 2 a day and maybe 20 oz of water (this depends sometimes more)

its possibly tunnel vision i really havent paid too much attention to that all i know it goes black quick and lasts for no more than a few secs

i meant to mention this last night in the er but it competly passed my mind and when i did "feel" something i was in the cat scan

Were you holding your breath during your CAT scan when you felt the symptoms? That could help a doctor determine what is going on as it could be related to your oxygen levels and thus blood pressure.

If you were already suppose to have testing for hypoglycemia I would suggest making an appointment to do this ASAP. If you find out you are hypoglycemic, I would highly recommend working with a nutritionist or Dietitian to help you learn as much as possible about sugar and how to eat to minimize symptoms.

Please be careful!

the symptoms showed up shortly after i laid down but it was more of dizzy kind of feeling not like my other "usual" sypmtoms i think ill try for mon to go in and get checked

In another post you said your dh might not be home this weekend as he's a truck driver. Is there someone with you in case you black out again? I'm concerned because you have young children.

You should call your doctor and let him know what's going on. I realize it's the weekend, but doctors usually have an answering service to handle calls when they aren't around. Blacking out can be very dangerous, especially if you strike your head on a hard surface. Please either call your doctor or call the ER and ask to speak to the doctor on call.

I hope you find out what is causing you to black out.

hes home now but hes leaving tommarrow afternoon no one is really around to be with me but i normally can stand up and stay still and not fall down/out ill try calling in a min to see what they say

	Quote:
Originally Posted by Weiser Were you holding your breath during your CAT scan when you felt the symptoms? That could help a doctor determine what is going on as it could be related to your oxygen levels and thus blood pressure. If you were already suppose to have testing for hypoglycemia I would suggest making an appointment to do this ASAP. If you find out you are hypoglycemic, I would highly recommend working with a nutritionist or Dietitian to help you learn as much as possible about sugar and how to eat to minimize symptoms. Please be careful!

Blacking out is not good. I would call your Dr right away to let him/her know.

On the hypoglycemia note.....do not be surprised if your Dr does not diagnose you with hypoglycemia. Many still do not believe that this exists. I have lived with it for 20 years, yet have never been "diagnosed."

Here is how I handle my life:

Breakfast:

Oatmeal or shredded wheat (they both have a lot of protein)

11AM - a handful of almonds

noon or 1PM - Lunch, normally half a tuna or meat sandwich

3 to 4PM - another handful of almonds

8PM - dinner of some type of meat and vegetables, perhaps a starch.

I do drink wine and I do have desserts at times. It works, as long as I keep my proteins up. Also, for me, NO fruit by itself. Fruit, for me, must be with protein. So, I do not eat an apple as a snack....no smoothies, etc. Fruit, in my world, is part of a meal.

Best to you!

i called they said follow up with neurologist i notice the hypoglycemic "symptoms" only in the morning usually before lunch when i get this way if im "bad" i can eat sugary foods and feel better quicker but if i catch it in time a normal lunch helps