Even when I was at my heaviest weight I had no problems with my blood pressure, or general health for that matter.
Since losing over 120lbs though and turning into a gym fanatic that's changed.
Back in May I gave blood for the first time and after that began having episodes where I'd suddenly feel dizzy when I stood up. For quite a while I figured it was just a result of giving blood, but as it didn't get any better I then began to think maybe I was anaemic.
I went to give blood again a month ago and thought that the test they do beforehand would check if I was anaemic or not and the nurse said that I was fine and could go ahead and donate. Then maybe two or three weeks ago I started getting dizzy at other times, not just when standing up. I can be sat minding my own business and I'll suddenly feel dizzy, or doing chores around the house, but it started to worry me when it began happening while I was walking my daughter to school or back, and I felt like I was going to fall over.
So today I went to the pharmacy where they will check your blood pressure for you and I had it tested. They first tested it whilst I was sat down, 105/60, then again whilst they asked me to stand up, 95/60. They also checked my heart rate which I already knew would be low as I wear a HRM for the gym and I know as I've got fitter it has got lower and lower. It was 44BPM when I had been sat for a few minutes. So I was told that I have low blood pressure and a very low resting heart rate. They asked me a brief history and I told them about the weight loss and exercise, and was told that it is probably due to the fact that I am now so fit and healthy, with is a great thing, but that I should arrange to visit my doctor to have a thorough physical and get further advice if necessary. I was told not to worry lol.
So although I am going to make an appointment this next week hopefully, I wondered if anyone here has dealt with low blood pressure, or I suppose more with the dizziness that I'm encountering? Does anyone have any advice on how I can deal with it, if there's anything I can do to help with the dizziness.
I did wonder at one point if it was also linked with low blood sugar, but I'm having the dizzy spells when walking my daughter to school on a morning, which is after breakfast, so that wouldn't explain it I don't think. I've also started taking a multi vitamin in case I was missing anything in my diet.
If low blood pressure is something I'm going to have to learn to live with, as long as there's nothing for me to worry about then fine, but these dizzy spells really are the pits and anything I can do to ease them would be great.