Severe Dizzy spells - even passing out! Very LOW BP!

I was at dinner last night sitting there with some friends, I just ate salty fries and chicken with bacon - should cover my low blood pressure problems. I also drank a few glasses of water with lemon and had cheesecake for dessert, that should cover low blood sugar. Well, we were just sitting and talking and the room started getting dark and spinning and I felt like I was having a fainting episode. Usually that only happens to me (I'm a fainter even when I'm not PG) when I'm standing and haven't eaten for a while or havent had enough sodium. I laid down on a bench and put my feet up and it passed, but today I feel like crap. I've been very dizzy lately.

This happen to anyone else? I'm in the 14th week... I'm also under a lot of stress lately so I'm not sure if that may have something to do with it. I hate that stress affects the baby, but no one cares other than me it seems. Especially not my job! Is there a chance I may not make it though the end of the PG as far as work if this keeps up? I'm very concerned that I'll have to go out early - we need the cash with the baby and all.

Message edited 11/11/2007 4:15:53 PM.

Re: Severe Dizzy spells - even passing out!

Did you faint alot before pregnancy? If so have you ever been checked for Vego vegas nerve? ( not sure of spelling).. A girl in my senior class of xray school, had this condition and would have episodes of fainting.

Re: Severe Dizzy spells - even passing out!

It could of been all the salty food, it can make your BP rise a lot very quickly. I would really watch your salt intake, I had high BP at 38 weeks with my DD and ended up getting a emergency c-section, so now I have to be really careful of the salts in my food.

If you still don't feel well tomorrow I would call your Dr.

Re: Severe Dizzy spells - even passing out!

I had a random episode of dizziness...but only once. My sugar wasn't low or anything...it was just totally out of the blue. I think I was around the 14th week...Dr. said its common and don't worry about it!!

Re: Severe Dizzy spells - even passing out! LOW BP!!

Actually, I have the opposite problem from the rest of the world... I have low Blood pressure and yes, I was tested on a tilt test and I do have Vaso Vagal Syncope, even when not pregnant. If I limit my salt intake my BP will fall too low and I'll be passing out all day. I wouldn't be able to get out of bed. I may just call my OB and see if a call to my Cardiologist needs to take place. My BP has been hanging around 90/60 and has never ever been higher than 117/70 - and that was b/c I was stressed to the max before a surgical procedure. I've even tried taking my BP after eating high sodium foods and following them with V8, I tell you, it hardly affects me - my average non-pregnant coffee drinking BP was about 110/70. Since I stopped caffeine, I can't get passed this 90/60 thing.

Re: Severe Dizzy spells - even passing out! Very LOW BP!

I have no advice, just . I hope this gets resolved to whatever extent it can be & you feel better soon.

Re: Severe Dizzy spells - even passing out! Very LOW BP!

I'm not pregnant, just lurking and had to reply because I went through the same thing while pregnant. I also have v.v. syncope and VERY low blood pressure, it's usually 90/60 or lower when I get checked. The doctors always ask if I'm even alive. The good news is that the fainting and dizzy spells got better by the middle of my pregnancy. The first 20 weeks or so were the worst.

One more thing, last year I fainted at a wedding (super embarrassing) so my doc ran all sorts of tests on me. It turns out that I have asthma. His theory is that sometimes my body isn't getting enough oxygen and that could be why I pass out. HTH.

Re: Severe Dizzy spells - even passing out! Very LOW BP!

Some people experience drops in blood pressure in early pregnancy. If your normal BP is low, you can experience dizziness and fainting when this happens. I had low blood pressure and I had dizzy spells and felt faint but I never actually fainted. I was not very good about adding salt to my diet so my cardiologist gave me salt pills. Only take the salt pills if a doctor knows about it. I had to have some blood tests to make sure that the salt pills were not messing up my electrolytes (or for some similar reason that I cannot totally remember).