[mitch]

every now and then i get light head mostly after i get out of bed, if i elevate my legs it goes away. i think it is because of low blood pressure do any of you great people have a quick fix for this issue. im 21 months post

thanks mitch

[Tetracyclone]

Mitch,
I've had low blood pressure all my life. Never learned any fix. I just get up slowly- pretty easy now that I'm SCI.

[ericr]

I am 6 months post and my blood pressure sits around 90/50 and when first started sitting up it has dropped as low as 55/40. Ihave been in a new rehab thats aggressive and it feels like my bp has stabilized some. i make sure i eat something bfore i get out of bed and dont wake up and get straight out however low bp is due to no circulation of blood from your legs. good stretching and exercise will help.

[mitch]

ericr, on Dec 3 2009, 03:23 AM, said:

I am 6 months post and my blood pressure sits around 90/50 and when first started sitting up it has dropped as low as 55/40. Ihave been in a new rehab thats aggressive and it feels like my bp has stabilized some. i make sure i eat something bfore i get out of bed and dont wake up and get straight out however low bp is due to no circulation of blood from your legs. good stretching and exercise will help.

it doesnt happen immediatly after i get up, its a hour or 2 later

[jimwa]

It might be a blood sugar thing. You eat & blood sugar goes up but then falls real fast a couple hours later. Try protein with less carbs & sugar in morning or when light head starts drink juice or eat granola bar to bump sugar back up. Used to happen to me but not so much anymore, pancakes or bagels were usually, but not always a problem. It still happens to me if I go to long without eating.

Jim

[CrazyLucky]

Not sure what's going on. If it was immediate, I would agree with getting up slowly. I would definitely let your medical team know about this. If it is a blood pressure issue, there may be medication they can give you to raise the BP slightly. I'm thinking it's either a blood sugar issue or it may be related to your injury. You may also want to discuss with your medical team the need to check your cardiac function. I don't mean to cause alarm, but this may be a very, very early sign of decreased heart function. I have not had the chance to see your profile, so I have NO idea if you are at risk for heart issues (age, obesity, family history, smoking, etc.) and this may be a totally unrelated issue. I just like the idea of preventative medicine, and getting on potential issues sooner than later, so it's at least worth asking about if you fit the profile for cardiac issues.

Let me know if you have any questions.

[Bandy]

Hi

I had similar problems. just due to low bp. Over time your body/brain becomes use to the lower pressure. This however took me quite a few years, and even now still occasionly have trouble, 10 years post injury.An increase in my muscle tone has helped my circulation, but its a fine balance between stretching & more spasm. I'm quite tall which dosen't help, and found out that low sodium levels make me worse. I have a sports drink which rehydrates containing salts to help.

I find after food I can be light headed as blood goes to my stomach. It will get better,unfortunately takes time.

paul

[Scribbler]

I've always had low BP, but after my injury and a long struggle, I managed to cope ok.

Years later i began fainting after eating meals; my BP hardly showed on the monitor. It was eventually diagnosed as a type of 'Dumping Syndrome', which has started to show in long term SCI. Bare in mind I'm C4/5 and been injured over 50 years.

I know take one 15mgs tablet of Ephedrine 30 minutes before my breakfast and lunch. I've not had a problem since then.

When anyone, even AB's eat a meal, the blood goes to your stomach to digest it, if you have low BP then there's not enough blood getting to your brain, so you faint.

You've not been injured very long so you may get over it as you start to do more.

Mike

This post has been edited by Scribbler: 04 December 2009 - 03:43 PM