A friend of mine has a problem where he gets dizzy when he stands up. It is called "orthostatiki ipotasi" in Greek. I have NO idea how it is called in english, but you might have that. It is a general problem of the circulatory system and can be changed with medication and care.
In the end you have to see a doctor, because getting dizzy can be life-threatening in some situations... you don't want to get dizzy near stairs for instance, or a busy road.
even if u are getting 100% or more of your iron it could still be anemia, other deficencies can cause your body to not process the iron you are getting. If im low on vitamin c or one of the b's (6 i think) i can get 500% iron or more and still have my blood panel come back anemic even though normally im not.
Coldness is a symptom of anemia as is dizziness. I dont know about the racing heart, but tiredness is also often associated with anemia.
I second the vote for a multivitamin, they arent too costly and can only help even if they dont help this specifically
My Dad and I have this issue; for us, we need sodium a little more than the next person. We cut it down sometimes too much. Both of us have low normal range blood pressure, even when I was heavy. I was starting to notice this and I just integrated a little more sodium into my diet and it has made a big difference.
I have atrial tachycardia and was put on medication for it when i was a teenager and they finally figured out was was wrong with me. With mine i would have a high resting heartrate as well, about 105-110 but i would also get what i call "episodes" every once in awhile where i would get dizzy and suddenly feel like i was going to black out then my heart rate would really speed up to over 200 and that would last anywhere from a minute to 20 min.
Totally in a different direction - balance (dizziness) is usually controlled by the inner ear fluids. It can also be affected by swollen sinus cavities which are close by. Could you have an issue with allergies or a low grade infection? Have you changed altitudes recently? Been underwater with a little ear water stuffiness? Sometimes popping our ears (blowing our nose) can move an infection into the inner ear.
As for the family members, ask them if they would like to donate money to your 'see the doctor' fund to check on your healthy weight loss to alleviate their fears. See if they will put their money where their mouth is. You know, put up (the money) or shut up (about the weight loss).
They are just comparing their memory of you with you now and do not have the vision to see you at your goal weight. Sometimes they hear the number of pounds and imagine it represents unhealthy loss. If they have never struggled with weight they have no idea what 20-50-80 pounds looks like.
@pnkrckpixikat you have a point suprisingly it would explain almost all of the symptoms. will definitely pick up some vitamins the next time i go to the store.
Search for a FQHC (federally qualified health center) in your area. Typically your visit cost is on a sliding scale based on income, and they may offer discounted labwork.
Try taking a spoon of liquid Benadryl and see if that works. Follow the directions on the bottle. It could be an inner ear problem.
There is a doctor that wrote a book on the subject...Dr Harold Levinson.
If the dizziness goes away within a half hour, that is what you have.
I get that at times, and a spoon of Benadryl makes it go away.
And I had to stop drinking all coffee, even decaf. My heart was skipping beats and beating erratically. Whenever I drink coffee now, my heart will not beat right for a couple of days.
If you are worried about heart attacks or strokes, what thins the blood is garlic, onions, berry juice. They bring down high blood pressure too. I grow my own berries and make the juice.
As a person that was complaining of dizzy spells which ended in heart bypass surgery I strongly recommend getting evaluated. Low Income and being stymied by the buracrecy??
Well if it were me I would show up at the hospital ER with complaints of dizzy spells and chest pains. They have to treat you regardless of your ability to pay.
If you complain of dizzy spells and chest pain you will get tested, a lot of testing. The law does not allow the hospital to simply put you out the door with out a proper diagnostic and treatment.
I hope you have a very simple problem. As I found out it may not be a simple problem. Keep us updated because we do care
youve gotten lots of great advice so far, so i will add my very small 2 cents:
i used to get the same thing while i was pregnant and it was always blood sugar or blood pressure related.
for blood sugar, drink some juice and wait a few minutes, if you feel better, theres your answer
for blood pressure, go to your local pharmacy and check your bp for free (i know walgreens and cvs has the free bp check in their pharmacy)
also, home bp monitors are cheap at the drug stores
if its blood sugar, try carrying around a chocolate bar (or equivalent) and nibble it every few hours. it helped me 'shake the shakes' while i was prego. as for the heart rate, see a doctor asap. go to the er and get a referral, take the bills to social services and they will give you state medical insurance
all you have to prove is that you cant pay for over the counter care
@berryblondeboys it happens a 1-3 times a week usually if I space out my meals too far but i eat a heavy breakfast and I'm usually not hungry at all when it happens. i also feel kinda week and i don't feel like moving around much because it makes the dizziness worse. brings down my mood and occasionally i'll sweat a bit but not like dripping sweat or anything just a light sweat. i also tend to pee a lot on the days it happens but i'm not really sure if there is a connection there.
Could be a lot of things, but if you're spacing out meals/snacks to far some days, it could be a blood sugar issue. I have that problem. I have to eat every couple of hours. For a few weeks make an effort to eat frequently and see if it helps.
When my blood sugar gets to low, I get shaky, dizzy, nauseous, etc. I slam some orange juice and eat a couple of cheese sticks. The OJ brings my blood sugar back up and the protein in the cheese sticks, helps it stick.
As far as the no insurance, there used to be a program called "every woman matters" Google it and see if it's still around. It might be of some help.
Keep a food diary and a symptom diary. That can help you a lot in deciphering what this is.
My 'guess' is that your blood sugars are crashing down. Two ways to resolve it - a. eat more often or b. (preferred) eat less carbs for breakfast and boost the fat and protein. I used to get bad problems with going hypoglycemic if I ate things like cereal, bread, pancakes (especially). I don't get that way with a high protein and fat breakfast.
Last edited by berryblondeboys; 04-19-2011 at 11:26 PM.
I am wondering if you can get a lab to do blood work for you, without a doctor. Just paying for the labs. I have many clients who are not insured, (new immigrants, and Mennonite and Amish who choose not to use universal health insurance) and they just pay directly for what I order for them.
Are there public health walk in clinics available for you? So many causes, many benign, many treatable with simple things, but that you want to get checked out.
I like the idea of the worried family members kicking in money to check it out!
Okay, I am going to give you a piece of good advice. There could be a million and one things causing your problems. You never know what it is until you get it checked out. All of us on here could tell you what "OUR" experiences are which does provided you with some insight however, that doesn't get you any closer to finding out what is specifically wrong with you.
I am an RN at a very prestigious hospital in Ohio. Our specialty is Cardiology. Trust me...we see EVERYTHING!!! Sometimes the symptoms that we pass off as insignificant end up being the worst problems.... and sometimes the worst symptoms end up being the simplest problems to fix. I do alot of patient education. We don't candy coat anything. It doesn't help the patient. Long story short.... A sustained resting heart rate of greater than 100 means that there is something abnormal causing it. Dizziness when you immediately stand up is called Orthostatic Hypotension. It means that when you stand up, there is something in your body that causes your blood pressure to drop suddenly causing you dizziness, however when you sit back down your blood pressure will return to normal. I understand about the no insurance thing. I had no insurance for almost 10 years. It was horrible. However, you NEED to be seen and evaluated. It is a MUST. There is really no good reason to not be seen. Having no insurance is not a good reason. I am not trying to be mean but this is fact. There is always a way to be seen and start treatment however it just depends upon what you are willing to deal with afterwards. I had to go to the ER when I had no insurance and I had a LARGE bill afterwards. I called the billing department of the hospital and they worked with me for payments. Not all hospitals will do that but more and more are making an effort to make bill collection easier. There are more options for financial assistance than what we can find on our own. Once you actually go to the Hospital.... there are case managers and social workers that can assist you and help find programs to work for you. With your monthly income they should definitely be able to do something.
I know how frustrated and upset that you must be. I have been there believe me. The next time that you have one of these episodes or you don't feel right...go to the ER. Please put your health first. It may be something not important at all. But you never know until you try.
We can give you all the advice in the world but its your decision. Sorry if I sound harsh but I take my career very serious.
Thank you all for your advice and input will definitely start keeping a symptom diary and will start taking a multi-vitamin or perhaps an iron supplement.
For those concerned about my heart rate at the moment I assure you its a family trait and 105 is not something I feel I should be concerned with I only mentioned it because I wanted to show my heart rate is not out of control atm sorry if it gave any of you got the impression I was concerned about it I'm not that's within my normal range and always has been. I do not experience chest pains and I do not feel like my heart is going to burst or anything. That was one of the things I was crossing out as not being a symptom. XD
