I've been diagnosed with a condition called orthostatic hypotension (OH). When you stand up, it is normal for your blood pressure to drop a bit as your blood tends to pool in the lower half of your body. You might even experience a bit of light-headedness. Your heart will compensate quickly. When you have OH, however, your heart doesn't compensate quickly. You can get very dizzy, perhaps even pass out. In my case, I also have an unusual symptom, in that I'm also experiencing some numbness on the right side of my body, from my face down to my foot. This scared me enough to go to the hospital. They thought I'd had a stroke, but could find no trace of it.
They finally subjected me to the OH test. This is where they strap you to a table, stand the table upright and wait for you to pass out. If you do, you have OH. It took me about 5 very unpleasant minutes to pass out. My blood pressure dropped below measurement levels and my heart rate slowed to about 20 beats/minute.
I'm on medication now which is controlling it pretty well. The first few weeks, I felt lousy all the time, now I feel pretty much normal. I'm still getting episodes but they are minor. I see the doctor in a few weeks and I'm hopeful he will clear me to go back to work.
In the meanwhile, I'm stuck at home with orders to take it easy. So I'll probably be posting more frequently for awhile.
Thanks for your support.
