Hey guys a quick question. And I already asked my doctor. His answer is usually "Its probably because of your medicine", since the medicine that is keeping my leukemia in remission has TONS of side effects.

Anyway, I've been feeling REALLY dizzy lately. At first it was just when standing up and sitting down, but now it will come when I am just sitting in a chair and have been for a while. My BP is normal. Can any of you think of any other reason this might be happening? I'm thinking maybe it has something to do with my diet?

I follow Weight Watchers, get in all my water, veggies, dairy, and get enough protein and fiber, try to keep my carbs low, but they aren't cut out completely. I just eat whole wheat, etc.

Your diet sounds pretty healthy. I think I'd go back to the doctor and make him take my concerns a lot more seriously. If you've been on this medication for awhile and the dizziness is new, then the doctor needs to look more closely at it.

I most certainly agree with Robin41. I would not let that doctor of yours brush aside your dizziness. He most definitely must take a closer look.

I hope you feel better. Being dizzy is no fun. And please,speak with your doctor again. I would DEMAND him to do his best to find a cause for it.

Thats exactly the situation, which is why I'm a little worried. I've talked to him twice about it this month, and he still thinks its the medication. Maybe it just is

I'd like to add that I LOVE my doctor, he's great, always listens and tries to help me out. I've also heard of other people on this medication have side effects come and go. I just wanted to rule out any other reasons for this.

Edit - Just posted a question about this on my cancer support forum, so hopefully someone will write back

Hey mod,

It could also be unrelated to the meds--for instance, there is this inner ear virus that people get once in their life--dizzy for two weeks, and I mean, seriously dizzy!

If it feels like you might fall down or get sick, then push harder with the dr. You don't want to endanger yourself. Do you drive?

Jay

I carpool with my husband, so when I'm not feeling up to it, he drives. Lucky that I have that!

Is your doctor your normal physician or your dr treating your leukemia...the reason i'm asking is a general practician may have less knowledge of your disease vs the dr specialized for leukemia. Trust me..i'm a veterinarian who is a general practicianer...and many times i have to converse with veterinarian specialist (ie neuro, medicine etc) because i don't know all of it out there..i know a lot of general info. So if its you gp..i recommend maybe talking to the dr whos involved with your leukemia. It may very well be medications...but i wouldn't over look the issue. In addtion, maybe ask your gp to run some blood work or referr you to a specialist...if you are concerned...it should be a concern for your dr too. good luck!!!!

Yes, it is my specialist that I have mentioned it to. That's why maybe I'm thinking I should just take him at his word and let it go. If it gets worse, then I will call him and let him know.

Sorry to hear you're experiencing dizziness. Like someone above said it could be an inner ear infection or even vertigo. I've had ear infections all of my life and I can tell you that those can make you very dizzy and sick. I'd also get your blood taken and also your blood sugar done. Last summer I was dizzy a lot and it turned out that I was borderline diabetic. I'm on medication now and the dizziness is gone. I'd go to your general doctor as well. But if your general doctor can't find a cause then push the issue with your specialist. My mom is a breast cancer survivor and she's had to learn not to ignore her symptoms often at my urging. I'm her doctors' spy to say the least. :-) But whatever you do, try to drive as little as possible.

A couple of years ago I had vertigo so bad I couldn't stand up nor could I see. My kids had to call an ambulance and I was hospitalized for 3 days. The culprit? Low potassium. I had lost 30 pounds pretty quickly on LA Weight Loss and they weren't sure if that was the cause or not. After bags of potassium in my IV line, I was fine in a few days. That vertigo is definitely horrible. Hope you find out what is wrong.
Lori

From my experience, it was always either low blood pressure (I have RIDICULOUSLY low blood pressure, especially for someone my weight) or low blood sugar. I also have a lot of boughts of dizziness due to (random) panic attacks. I'd suggest starting with those three before looking for something more insidious.