lightheadedness anyone?

[joy]

I have a huge question for anyone out there who has gone through this. I have been experiencing lightheadedness a lot lately, and I called my cardiologist(I actually always get a response right away) and he told me to go to the ER to get a EKG. I did this, and they took blood and all that, but the EKG was normal. The only thing that they found was my platlette count is low. THey showed no concern and prescribed valium, and said it's vertigo. Just wondering what I should do. I've gone to the ER already and had several conversations with my cardio, Dr. Doug Stewart.

 

[Nancy]

Hi Joy-

You might want to write down when you are having these symptoms and what you were doing prior to them. Were you rushing around, getting up too fast from sitting, bending over, under a lot of stress, getting a cold or do they happen just all on their own without any triggers. A list like this can help your doctor determine what to be looking for.

Joe has had many spells of lightheadedness throughout the years. There have been many reasons. Some have been mild and some have been very serious.

If on beta blockers, changing positions such as getting up from sitting fast can cause temporary dizziness until the blood pressure regulates.

Blocked eustachian tubes can cause lightheadedness.

Anemia can cause it.

Anxiety can cause it.

Hyperventilation can cause it.

When Joe's mitral valve was going bad, he was very dizzy and would actually almost spin around from vertigo. Mitral valve replacement took care of that.

When his heart rhythm was irregularly low, he was dizzy and fainted several times. The pacemaker stopped that.

I have a friend who had an electrical malfunction in her heart and needed an ablation. She had fainting spells.

I wouldn't let the doctor ignore your symptoms if you feel they need to be pursued further. If the valium he prescribed doesn't work for you, continue to seek the reason.

I hope it's a very small thing, easily corrected. Good luck.

 

[Bob Gleason]

To Joy....Lightheadedness

To Joy....Lightheadedness

I would not write off your symptoms of lightheadedness as vertigo but suggest you discuss with your cardio the possibility of TIAs. Transient Ischemic Attacks are ministrokes and one of the early symptoms is the feeling of lightheade or dizzy. Could be caused by an artery that may be blocked for a short period of time......usually a microemboli that travels through your bloodstream.

Do you also have blurred vision when this occurs? Or balance loss?

TIAs have many of the symptoms of vertigo and also migrane seizures so your dizziness could be one of several.
Nancy's suggestion really makes a lot of sense and I would not rule out anything.

I regularly get these symptoms and the Drs have not found anything, yet I know something "just ain't right"......Keep persuing this issue with your cardio.

 

[Nancy]

Joy-

I have to agree with Bob. TIAs are another item which causes these symptoms. Joe has had 15 or 16 of them that we know of. He's had all kinds of TIA symptoms, including dizziness and lightheadedness, plus the whole gamut of different symptoms from them including temporary blindness, speaking nonsense, stabbing head pain and others.

 

[joy]

I was getting out of bed during the first one, but when I did it even slower, the room kept spinning, and it wouldn't go away. I had to call my husband home from work to drive me to the ER. Yesterday, I was reading a book to the kids and it happened again, only not as severe. I had been getting migraines, like one long migraine for a month or so, and I told my cardio, and he was very concerned, but when I told my primary care physician, she didn't seem too worried about it. I just got a new primary care doctor. I think I need more tests done, and am going to call the clinic today and insist on it. I need to know what is causing this, and I am not waiting until Kevin is in san diego for 6 weeks. I won't have anyone thenI really don't think it is vertigo, though. I had my mitral valve replaced on 8/27/01. The only thing I can think of would be a mini stroke. When I went to the emergency room, I started getting a headache, but it was weird, because this one went up my spine. I've also started getting car sickness, which is weird, because that never happened to me before. I need them to do more tests. Soon.

 

[Bill Hall]

Joy - I have been occasional lightheaded since my surgery. Last itme was yesterday, but it doesn't happen very often. I will see my new cardio on June 11, so will ask and post if he says something meaningful.

 

[joy]

I have an appointment set up for monday, the third with my primary care physician. Wish me luck, and I will tell you all about what happened when I get home.

 

[Zipper]

Joy,

I'm glad to hear you're going to be persistant in checking this out!! Be assertive and demand whatever is needed! In the meantime, please be careful so you don't fall and hurt yourself. Sounds like you would benefit from some TLC..Breakfast in bed and a lazy weekend until you can see the Doc !

Take care,

Zipper

 

[Lisa in Katy]

Carsickness is consistent with vertigo. The question is, what's causing the vertigo. I had an inner ear infection once and had vertigo and nausea with no other symptoms. Any infection could be dangerous to your valve. High blood pressure can also cause those symptoms, but getting up slower should have helped. I get a spinning sensation sometimes when I am just sitting, my eyes will blur and I just feel weird. It could be TIAs, but hard to diagnose because I can't figure a trigger, and it doesn't last that long. Hmmmm......

 

[joy]

I have already had to be insistant, I had a VERY hard time getting this appointment with my doctor, but as soon as I told them I was a heart patient, and was getting lightheaded, they made it. At first they tried to tell me no, and I was like, "look, I have tried to call that stupid appointment line, and I come up with the same answer. There are no appointments available." They don't like me much.
Anyways, my family and I have been traveling everywhere, like yesterday, we went to Oregon which is about 200 miles south of where we live, and he bought a Jeep Wrangler. It's weird, now we have two green SUV's! We had fun though, except for my headache and car sickness on the way down. On the way up, it wasn't too bad. The boys didn't like sitting on each other, but that's what the honda is for, I guess. Well, I better get going. I need to get the house looking nice for guests before I get sick. Take it easy everybody!
Joy