How many SCI's experience a drop in blood pressure after eating?

[antiquity]

Dr. Young and I wanted to get an idea of how common postprandial hypotension is in those with spinal cord injuries. Postprandial hypotension is the term used to describe a drop in blood pressure after eating. It is the result of a dysfunctional autonomic nervous system. Most quads and some paras suffer from this to some degree so the symptoms should come as no suprise to most of us. It can occur after every meal, regardless of size and content. In my experience, it starts about 20-30 minutes after beginning a meal. The most common symptoms include shallow breathing, pounding or racing heart, restlessness and fatigue. Others may experience dimmed vision, ringing in the ears, confusion, lightheadedness and syncope (fainting).

Most of the research has focused on postpradial hypotension in the elderly and those with Alzheimers, Parkinsons and Diabetes. Few researchers have documented its presence in SCI. Please respond to the following poll to give us an idea of how prevalent it is in this community.

Thank you.

[This message was edited by seneca on Sep 29, 2002 at 09:50 PM.]

[This message was edited by seneca on Sep 30, 2002 at 09:19 PM.]

[Wise Young]

Please describe your symptoms if they do not quite fit with the choices. If you have found solutions to the symptoms, please also describe. Thanks. Wise.

[Sue Pendleton]

Umm, when I do get lightheaded it always seems to show up with hiccups. And only during/after my evening meal. Doesn't happen very often thankfully. The hiccups stick around awhile.

Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow."

[Clipper]

To combat low BP in general I take Florinef (prescription) and Sudafed (OTC) in the morning. As both are potentially damaging to the heart, they should not be over-used or taken without prior consultation with a doctor.

To combat what I call "post-meal lethargy" I do the following:

* Try not to eat three large meals a day. I eat smaller meals, supplemented with snacks such as fruit.

* Drink a little coffee during or after a large meal such as dinner. But I always increase my water intake after drinking caffeine.

[angel7]

I voted I always get hypotensive. Ny symptoms are a little different. My head starts to hurt, my jaws get tired and I get lightheaded.

Deb

[whiterabbit11]

eating

About 1/2 the time I eat I get dizzy, fatigued, short of breath and ache All over. I self induce AD by leaning sidewards or pouring cold water down my back if possible. I'm on florinef which helps quite a bit.If at work, I usually just have energy drinks or slim-fast to keep from wearing out in the afternoon.WR

[JT]

I have very low blood pressure and shortly after I eat it always goes even lower and I feel very light headed, fatigued, and have shortness of breath for a couple of hours. The more food I eat at once the worse it is and the longer it has been since I ate last the worse it is.

Debbie7- my Jaw used to get tired also, only for about the first year after my injury though. I knew a quad from rehab that exprienced this too, he died about 8 months after his injury for some odd reason so not sure if he would of continued to have the problem over time.

[rtr]

Originally posted by eclipsegt:

Debbie7- my Jaw used to get tired also, only for about the first year after my injury though. I knew a quad from rehab that exprienced this too, he died about 8 months after his injury for some odd reason so not sure if he would of continued to have the problem over time.

Don't worry Debbie7. My jaws get tired too. It's probably a sign of muscle fatigue caused by the lack of oxygen from low blood pressure. I also feel weak, my vision dims, and sounds seem muffled. My injury was more than five years ago.

I'm happy to put a label on this experience. I was worried about diabetic symptoms because I thought it was related to sugar intake rather than digestion. My symptoms usually start after the first few bites. After raising my feet or lowering my head, I recover pretty quickly.

[This message was edited by rtr on Oct 01, 2002 at 12:03 AM.]

[JT]

"LOL Don't worry Debbie7. My jaws get tired too. It's probably a sign of muscle fatigue caused by the lack of oxygen from low blood pressure. I also feel weak, my vision dims, and sounds seem muffled. Since my injury was more than five years ago, I don't think Eclipsegt's friend died because his jaws were tired after eating!"

Dude, I wasn't saying or even implying he might of died from a tired jaw! I was just saying he didn't live long enough to know if his jaw tiring problem would of gone away.

[Wise Young]

seneca, the results of this poll are very interesting. It is beginning to suggest that it is a more common problem than most of us realized. Wise.

[starlightangel]

Originally posted by Debbie7:

I voted I always get hypotensive. Ny symptoms are a little different. My head starts to hurt, my jaws get tired and I get lightheaded.

Deb

My jaw gets tired too, especially if I'm eating something chewy, like a bagel. I wonder if it's because quads are already using their neck and jaw muscles more than average.

I find it helps to tilt my chair back while I'm chewing.

[angel7]

Eclipsegt and rtr,

LOL thanks for your replies, I didn't think my sore jaws were going to kill me. Thanks also starlight for the suggestion.

Deb

[MADPRODUCER]

yes

Im having these problems too. What everyone said dido, im having the
same problems too. What type of meds can we take to solve this problem?
What type of sudafed would you recommend? Also what type of nodose would you reccomend?

thanks

[This message was edited by MAD-PRODUCER on Oct 02, 2002 at 05:18 AM.]

[Lizbv]

first I thought it was because I was a "new injury", but after 6yrs of occurances, nahhhhhhh . [img]/forum/images/smilies/wink.gif[/img]
if i take my meds b4 i eat, sometimes this causes it, but not all the time. about an hour ago, this happened. I had sugar, so does that play a role? I get very lightheaded and almost faint because my bp goes so low.

i am short on sleep now and figure this is factor, but then again, not always.

[alan]

Low blood sugar can also cause lighhtheadness.