DIZZYNESS and Light Headedness

[LisaD]

I was dizzy constantly for 10 months following my surgery, to the point that I would fall down stairs, it would get worse at times and I would have to sit down. Now at 18 months out I have occasional bouts when I stand up, but the issue seems mostly resolved.

 

[drivetopless]

I've been lightheaded for years. I would describe my lightedheadness as a feeling of low blood sugar/hypoglycemic feeling. However, I had my blood sugar tested during a "spell" and it was 94 so that's when I finally owned up to it being my heart and not something else.
With the lightheadness, the vision is usually "wavy." Sometimes my legs feel very heavy (especially at the top of stairs or walking an incline).
I have these spells when I walk briskly or when I stand in the check out line holding purchases that are heavy.
Interestingly, I don't have them when I work in the yard or do more heavy lifting/digging/weed pulling (strength) type exercise. Maybe it's 'cause I like yardening a lot more than I like walking.

 

[Mileena46]

This was a big symptom for me as well. Of course, I was being treated for inner ear problems and taking Anti-Vert which lessened the horrible dizziness. I couldn't walk and look around I had to stare at my feet, I had rotational vertigo on 4 occasions! (you won't forget this if it ever happens to you). The first was several years before surgery, and I was in Florida. I had driven for over 8 hours that day, and had my first vertigo that night. The second was 4 or 5 yeas ago, I was sitting in my bosses office reading the newspaper when the floor felt like it fell out from under me. I held onto the chair arms while I went on a roller coaster ride from hell that lasted about 5 or 6 minutes. The third and fourth times were within a few weeks of each other and just a month or so before surgery. Both times I woke up in the night in total rotational vertigo and horrible buzzing in my ear! (only one). I started being treated for my ears, and really thought that was the problem until I had surgery and now I have NONE.

I can't say I won't have the vertigo episodes again, but even my slight dizziness has left, I can walk and look around me. I no longer have times where I am sitting still and the room shifts just a bit. I do believe all of these things were from my heart and not my ears. I will be one yr out in July with no more dizziness!! YAY!

Mileena

 

[ARGreenMN]

Lol, good point Danlo! Ok, I'll relinquish the title of bion-x man, lol. And I'm not sure how old you are, but at my quickly advancing age, I should probably just be happy with better and healthier too. Like my doc told me yesterday when we were talking about me going back to playing basketball. He said, well, you may be able to run better than ever, but you do realize it's not going to help you jump higher or shoot better, right? I was way disappointed

 

[Rick]

I was diagnosed with 2-3+ aortic regurgitation; BAV and a mildly dilated ascending aorta two years ago. Readings are similar on the echo: nos substantial change even as of an echo two and a half months ago. I have been walking briskly since I was diagnosed and keep the same routine. Used to walk 5-6x per week and now 2-3x but am now feeling lightheaded sometimes. Wondering if echo can stay the same but now lightheaded due to heart condition? Alternative is low BP since lost weight...hard to say.

 

[JeffM]

Several of our New Members have reported Dizzyness and/or Light Headedness as one of their symptoms.

I'd like to know more about those symptoms.

Is this Dizzyness / Light Headedness continuous, or does it come and go?

If it comes and goes, has anyone been able to identify possible triggers?

Thanks in advance for any information / inputs.

'AL C'

Hey Al,

Not sure if you meant before or after surgery or either. In my case, I had no lightheadedness pre-op but have had it post-op. Closing in on 2 years now and I don't get dizzy, but get lightheaded several times a day upon standing. Several times I had to quickly bend over and grab something as I was close to blacking out. I've learned to live with it but I really don't like it. And neither my cardio nor my GP truly know what causes it. I do take Flomax which lists lightheadedness upong standing as a side effect; however, I've been on it 4 years and it wasn't happening pre-op. The only thing I can attribute it to is perhaps that my BP has been about 10 - 15 points lower on average since my surgery. My cardio thinks the 120 - 130 Systolic reading I was getting may have been related to my body reacting to the worsening regurgitation into my Left Ventricle and compensation for the 40 something Systolic readings. Now I'm pretty consistently 105 - 115/65-75. Add that to the Flowmax effect and maybe that's the reason for the lightheadedness. Probably doesn't give you a good datapoint for whatever puzzle you're trying to solve but thought it was worth mentioning.

 

[Lily]

Several of our New Members have reported Dizzyness and/or Light Headedness as one of their symptoms.

I'd like to know more about those symptoms.

Is this Dizzyness / Light Headedness continuous, or does it come and go?

If it comes and goes, has anyone been able to identify possible triggers?

Thanks in advance for any information / inputs.

'AL C'

So, are you okay AL? Have any of our experiences been helpful to you?

 

[Eva]

Al,

Just before my surgery by three months, I started feeling dizzy and light-headed which disappeared after surgery to return after four months. Reason then was too much Coreg for me.

Now, I do feel these symptoms sometimes only after I have over-worked myself on those days or did not get enough sleep!

 

[Michelle D]

The week before surgery, in which I went early as an emergency, I fell down the stairs twice and slipped in the bath tub. I had to convince the staff that I was not being abused. I would get severe dizziness often while driving before surgery as well. It's possible it happened once and then the others were psychosomatic. After surgery I've been kind of off balance/light-headed since. At first I was on metaprolol which made my vision blurry, then I was switched to sotalol and was dizzy until they lowered my dose, a few times I've had vertigo type spinning from too many PVCs. I finally got over the dizziness and then I was started on atenolol again and the dizziness again.

So I've stopped driving unless it's somewhere close and I can take back roads. I'm also don't take showers when I'm home alone