Should I be worried?

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deogloria11

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Joined
Mar 13, 2010
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23
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Hi guys, I haven't been around for a while, a lot going on this past year. My 1 year surgical anniversary is coming up on the 25th of this month. I'm starting to get a little worried about some symptoms I'm having.

I've been having some dizzy spells lately. I never know when they're going to happen. They usually last only a minute. There have been a few times they lasted longer than that. I have noticed these spells before over the last year, and they seemed like they happened most often when I had forgotten to take my aspirin for two days (I'm supposed to take 1 baby aspirin a day, equivalent to 1/4 of an adult aspirin). I have a bovine valve, so I don't need coumadin. The aspirin is supposed to be just in case, thinning my blood a tiny bit to avoid clots.

After finding out how dangerous aspirin can actually be (had a relative almost die from hemorrhage from it), I decided to find a natural alternative, and came up with nattokinase, which actually dissolves blood clots instead of just thinning the blood. I weaned myself off the aspirin, with no problems, which was surprising to me, since I usually got dizzy spells when I went two days or more without it. Then I started taking the natto, but I often forget to take it.

Anyway, it seems like the dizzy spells have increased over the last month or so. I'm not sure if they started increasing before or after I stopped the aspirin. But I've noticed a major increase in the last week. I had an episode last week where I suddenly got dizzy, and really bad vertigo. I got sick to my stomach, and ended up throwing up. After I threw up, I was completely fine, so at the time, I thought it was food poisoning (I had eaten out at a restaurant). But now that I've had more dizzy spells this week, I'm starting to wonder.

One theory I have is that it's my blood pressure. Pre-surgery, I always had excellent blood pressure. However, on a few occasions during my pregnancy (just prior to surgery) I did have a few episodes of elevated blood pressure, and my doc put me on blood pressure medication. After surgery, my blood pressure was on the mid to low side of normal (with blood pressure meds). My doc said I could go off the blood pressure meds after 3 months, so I weaned off them at that time. Then he found out I went off them, and said I needed to be on them for at least 6 months, maybe permanently (what the heck?). I told his nurse that my blood pressure was now on the low side WITHOUT the meds, and didn't feel comfortable taking the meds anymore. She asked me to take my pressure for a whole day, and I averages mid90's over high 50's. That seems to be average for me, around 95-105 over 56-62 is my normal range. However, I've managed to catch myself twice during a dizzy spell, with readings of 92/63 and 94/49.

Sorry this is so long, but I figured you'd need background. So here I am, getting a little worried. Seems like dizzy spells and low blood pressure probably aren't a good thing. The bad news is, I no longer have health insurance, and I don't qualify for any kind of medicaid coverage. We just don't have any money at all. I could maybe swing a regular doctor's visit, but all they're going to do is refer me to a cardiologist for an MRI or an echo, or tell me to go to the ER, neither of which I can do. I've also moved, so I don't even think calling my old cardiologist would do any good, as he'll just tell me to go to an ER too. (I had probably a dozen "go to the ER" instructions during my pregnancy. It's the cover-your-butt answer they give every time. I swear I felt like I lived there!:rolleyes:)

Anyway, what do you all think? Is this just a normal post-op thing or should I be worried? Not that I can do anything about it,:p. But I'm wondering.

Thanks!
 
I don't think it has any relation to your replacement. Is it possible you're dehydrated? I don't know anything about the nattokinase, but I wonder if that has side effects that might cause some symptoms?
If you can't got to a medical doctor, how about getting an eye exam? Many problems with vertigo are related to eyesight, so you might start there.
 
Okay, I just noticed something else weird. I was just taking a few deep breaths to see if I felt like I was having any diminished breathing ability (that snuck up on my slowly pre-surgery, so I was testing myself), and after I took a few deep breaths, I got dizzy. These were normal deep breaths, and shouldn't have caused dizziness. I waited a few minutes, then tried again, and it happened again. Now this was about 15 minutes after my most recent dizzy spell, so I don't know if I'm just more prone right now to things making me dizzy, or what. It's kind of starting to freak me out, though.
 
I suppose dehydration is possible. I don't feel particularly dehydrated, but I could be. I don't feel like there's anything wrong with my vision, but I guess that could be another possibility.
 
The low dose aspirin comes in an enteric coated version which will minimize stomach irritation, maybe that is worth a try.
I took it for 2 years (with dinner) and my super sensitive stomach was fine.
Regarding your dizzy spells, I get them too and usually it accompanies a BP drop.
 
I am sorry to read you've had this problem, seems kind of scary reading about it and am sure it is to you too, experiencing them. When you said 'However, I've managed to catch myself twice during a dizzy spell, with readings of 92/63 and 94/49.' that was really alarming to me, because that second one seems dangerously low. Are you still taking BP meds, or any other medications? That is a bummer about the no insurance, but in some states hospitals are required to admit and treat someone who is critically ill, who presents at the ER. So, you may have to go that route, if that is an option in your area?
I agree with the suggestion on deydration also, as inadequate blood volume can cause drop in BP. Good luck, and keep us posted, we care!
 
Disregard, this was more confusing then informational.

What I can tell you is that if you did take Coumadin and added this also, your INR would go skyhigh in no time. Natto is the nastiest of the nasties if you are on Coumadin.
 
Ross--I've never been on coumadin, and I made sure the aspirin was out of my system before starting the natto.

Jeanie--I'm not on any other meds, except that I'm taking hcg, because I'm doing the hcg diet. But the amount of hcg is teeny tiny, way less than would be in my system if I were pregnant (which I'm not). HCG is the pregnancy hormone. So besides the hcg, it's just the natto, and the amount of natto I'm taking is pretty small. However, I did just read, as you said, that natto can lower blood pressure, so I'm going to keep an eye on that. The thing is, as far as I can remember, there was only one day that I took some natto and had a dizzy spell the same day, and that was the day I got really dizzy and threw up, but even on that day, I took it in the morning, and that episode happened in the evening, so I'm not sure if that is the cause. Plus, the dizzy spells started a long time ago. But I'm going to try to keep track of it and see if there is a correlation.

Also, I'm sure that I could be seen in an ER if I was sick enough, and if that were the case, that's what I'd do. But they'll still bill me, so unless it's an absolute emergency, I won't be going to the hospital.

I wish I knew why my blood pressure is so low. It's been low since a couple months after the surgery, it just gets slightly lower during these dizzy spells. Is it common for people to have much lower blood pressure after surgery? I haven't had any blood pressure meds since 3 months post op. Before surgery, during all my previous pregnancies, I had excellent blood pressure, usually 100-110 over 70. I wonder if the surgery is causing this lower average blood pressure, or what.

Thanks!
 
Aspirin is not a 'blood thinner'. It makes the blood less sticky to help prevent platelets from clotting.
I hope you get some help and answers from medical professionals soon.
All best wishes.
 
Your dizziness is very much more likely to come from your low blood pressure, rather than having a link to the aspirin or other nattokinase (or the lack of either).

I take Nattozome on an irregular basis, which is a nattokinase product. It's action is very different from aspirin, and I would not feel that they would be appropriate replacements for each other.

Fibrin strands are a base component for any blood coagulation. Platelets and other blood products stick to it to form a clot. As I understandi it, nattokinase chemically breaks the fibrin strands (fibrinolysis), releasing the other components and helping to break up clots. It may also affect some of the "free" fibrin in the bloodstream, allowing it to be eliminated through the liver and kidneys. The idea is to take enough to remove the excess fibrin, or at least only a portion of the fibrin, and thus reduce the likelihood, speed, and maybe even size of a clot. It's not good with Coumadin because it is usually associated with high amounts of vitamin K (which interferes with warfarin's action), yet it also has anticoagulant properties of its own, which may not be apparent in the INR readings. It's also not good to have too much, as you do want to clot if you get a cut.

The amounts used in the "studies" (which probably wouldn't hold up to scientific process) were probably much higher than anything you'll get from an over-the-counter capsule. They were looking for efficacy, and were not so highly scientific, so they would employ a higher end dose, hoping to get a positive result. There are some more standard studies on animals that do show the ACT effect, but nothing reliable on humans so far.

The aspirin is a precautionary medication, and is apt to be given to someone above a certain age or with risk factors for strokes or heart attack. All things being otherwise healthy, there is generally no requirement for it beyond three months (six, if you've had part of your aorta replaced). Aspirin makes the platelets themselves less sticky (it's often called an anti-platelet agent). This makes them less likely to stick to each other or the fibrin in a questionable clotting situation.

The 81mg aspirins you are (were) taking are enterically coated, meaning that they can't be digested in your stomach, so they shouldn't be able to give you stomach problems. Unless you have a bleeding problem or are allergic to aspirin, it's not considered a harmful chemical. That's why it's allowed over the counter for general use, rather than behind the counter or by prescription. It's salycilic acid or acetosalycilic acid, and it occurs naturally in feverfew and a number of other plants. There's nothing more natural about natto than there is about aspirin.

More importantly, you know what the aspirin is doing. The effectiveness, quality, and even the usable quantity of active nattokinase in the natural capsules is questionable and may be quite variable from bottle to bottle. I would discuss it with your doctor, if you plan to continue to use it to replace the 81mg aspirins.

Best wishes,
 
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Dizzy?

Dizzy?

Why you're suffering from bouts with dizziness is really guesswork at this point. Sure, it could be related to blood pressure, but it could be related to any number of issues (i.e. dehydration, inner ear problems, low blood sugar, etc...). The best way to get a handle on it is to see a doctor about the problem.

Others are certainly welcome to disagree, but I find all of the recent hype about asprin rather silly. Yes, I'm sure there are some people who've had issues with bleeding because they have stomach problems, but there have always been people who've encountered those kinds of difficulties. It must have been a slow news week for the media to jump on that story. For me the reality is that there are always people who have problems with all kinds of different medications. I guess common sense should prevail...if one has a bleeding ulcer maybe taking asprin is not a really great idea.

Would taking an 81 mg asprin with a nice sized glass of water really place you in a high risk catagory? I don't know much about the alternative you've been using, but it doesn't sound like a really great choice either.

-Philip
 
Check the phone book or online to find a community clinic in your city or county. If you're in a large metropolitan area, this should be easy. They have low fees for services, usually on a sliding scale, possibly even at no charge. You may need nothing more than to get some routine blood tests done.

You cannot be refused treatment at any ER in any state because you don't have ins or are unable to pay. I know money is a big concern; I don't know if you should be worried, but I do think you should be seen.

I know what it's like not to have ins when you have some major stuff going on.
Luana
 
I agree with Philip & Luana.
All of this is speculation as to what's going on with you. Without a visit to a medical professional, you won't know. Your 1-year anniversary is coming up; nearly all of us have had cardio visits and no doubt an echo on our 1st anniversary or thereabouts.
Your profile states you are a wife and mother. You owe it to your family to make sure you are in good health and in no danger of your husband having to raise your children alone.

Your profile doesn't say what country or state you reside in, but you should contact your local public health department, explain the situation and get an appointment. Most public health departments have sliding fees; I have friends who have had to go that route.
 
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