Blacking out when you get up?

[DisneyMom81]

A friend of mine says this happens to her a lot, almost every time she stands up. She says that she almost completely blacks out when she gets up from her chair. The "black" comes from the outsides of her eyes, and works itsway "in." Shes pretty used to it, so she just (as she says) walks it off, meaning she just keeps going, because she knows it will go away in about 10 seconds.

Anyone ever had this happen to them? Any ideas (othern than saying to go to the Dr of course!)?


A little background. Shes just lost a good amount of weight, but is still over weight by about.... 10-20 lbs. No family history of this or any real major illness as far as I know either.

 

[mickeyboat]

Low blood sugar. Low iron.

She needs to have some bloodwork done.

 

[luvmy3]

That happens to me occasionally. I just assume its a quick (temporary) drop in blood pressure when I get up. I don't have a problem with my blood presure so I don't see it as an issue. If it happens to your friend frequently maybe she should see a doc?

 

[BCV513]

That happens to me sometimes. It usually means I've been sitting for awhile and have gotten up too fast and/or I haven't eaten enough today. Like a PP said, my blood sugar tends to be low and drop at times. She should get it checked out.

 

[MIGrandma]

My Mom had black-out episodes. She went to her doctor, it turned out she needed a pacemaker.

 

[NotUrsula]

The most common reason is Positional Hypotension, a momentary drop in blood pressure that comes when you change the position of the body relative to the floor.

 

[suejai]

This happens to my son quite frequently. The doctor says that in his case it is most likely that he has been sitting all scrunched up for a while and he just jumps up, so all the blood has pooled in his legs and he doesn't give his system a chance to equalize. So he is to put his legs down and sit up straight for a couple of seconds before he actually gets up. He also said it is quite common in teenaged boys (which obviously doesn't help your friend). He doesn't have the bouts as frequently anymore. We also went to the Naturopath and he was treated for Candida and some other stuff.

Another issue may be that if she has been overweight for a while and just lost a lot of it, as you say, her spine may need to be realigned. I had a friend that lost a good deal of weight and had issues with her back after. Maybe a visit to a good chiropractor would benefit. Especially if her job requires her to sit all day.

 

[damo]

We've been told that it is a drop in blood pressure too.

 

[AmericangirlinFrance]

It happens to me pretty frequently - worse if I have been laying down/sitting for a long time, or if it's very hot (if I'm outside in the summer), and VERY bad if I'm sick with a fever or dehydrated.

I have only actually passed out a very few times - I know the "symptoms" very well, and I just get up a little slower - I don't bolt up from laying down.

I don't think it's life-threatening or anything.

 

[Imzadi]

Low blood sugar. Low iron.

She needs to have some bloodwork done.

 

[diznygirl]

The former yellow wiggle, Greg Page, had problems like this. He was diagnosed with orthostatic intolerance. I'm not saying this is what your friend has, she should definitely see a doctor to see what's up. I've read that with Greg it started small and got worse over time.

 

[DisneyMom81]

Thanks guys for your replys! I think getting blood work would be a really good idea. I don't really know how long this has been going on for - if it started before she lost the weight, or just now. Also, shes not sitting all scrunched up, or for long periods of time as some people said.
Anyway, thanks for the replys, and I'll let her know what people think!

 

[DawnCt1]

Postural hypotension can also acompany hypothyroidism. Not uncommon in women. Not very common in men. Unusual in teens. DS#1 developed hypothyroidism after a bad case of the flu. He had Hashimoto's thyroiditis and was placed on synthroid. After about 9 months, DH weaned him off. He wanted to see if, at his young age his thyroid function would kick in. It did. That was unusual too. He still has it checked regularly.

 

[daughtersrus]

She may also want to ask about having a tilt table test done.

 

[DisneyMom81]

She may also want to ask about having a tilt table test done.

whats that for?

 

[Belle0101]

I had a number of medical issues this past year - been taking care of them one at a time, most serious to least serious - and I totally agree with blood tests!

My last things to take care of are anemia and that sudden dizzy feeling. For that dizzy feeling they took a small blood sample and then my BP laying down, had me sit up real fast and took my BP, had me stand up real fast and took my BP. My BP went all crazy when they had me getting up fast. Easy enough is that I have to drink more water. My blood is oxygen deprived.

So ... could be as simple as that or more serious but worth checking out!