The first one was the scariest for me. I blacked out coming down our steep hardwood floors and rolled to the bottom. Just last week.
My luck was that it was only a four or five stair roll. No major damage to my 60-year-old body except for a n inch- long gash on my knee. I was lucky.
Since then — about a week ago — I have blacked out three times with people catching me in their arms. So, one tip: Stay around people.
Seriously, nearly everybody has this dizziness due to low blood pressure. It happens sometimes when sitting a long time and standing up quickly. You get lightheaded. Dehydration can play a role. But Lewy body dementia which has been linked to fainting condition called orthostatic hypotension.
I touched on this in an earlier column last week but I wanted to give it a little more attention.
I’ve had Lewy body dementia now for about five years and previously have had that happen to me. But that was once in a blue moon. I’ve had it a few times in my life — orthostatic hypotension — but it happens, you’re dizzy and it goes away. But in some LBD cases it can be a thing to warrant extra attention. These falls are dangerous.
I’m going to do more research, and talk to my doctor about it. But until then I’ve developed some strategy to save myself from flopping on my face. Before I get up from a long sitting or from bed in the morning I start breathing deliberately and deeply. I’m not hyperventilating. I am just aware of taking my breaths.
Sit there poised to get up but don’t — just breathe for another few minutes. Stand up using your arms on you knees or railing. I stop and keep my hands on knees continuing the deliberate breathing.
Here’s the thing. If this is going to happen to you it might happen as long as 10 minutes after the standing up. My faints were all several minutes after I thought any potential episode had been averted.
So the key part of this is time. Keep breathing and now standing lift one leg up (holding onto something) and then another like you are slow marching in place. I also put my hands on my head to open up my rib cage. Don’t get in a hurry. Stay there as long as you feel any cobwebs in your brain. Remember to drink plenty of liquids. I drink water, vegetable drink and sports drinks, usually sipping on one or the other all day long. (Coffee, too, but shhhhh, I don’t belive that’s going to help you on this one. Coffee is helpful to me with Parkinsonian symptoms like body unease, tremor and clearing my mind.
Another key to this thing is bringing more attention to it. Additional news on top of this information includes OH — the dizzy knockout symptom — might also shorten the lifespan of a Lewy body sufferer. After dealing with LBD all week, it was the last thing I wanted to hear. Maybe it is that the OH is killing people with falls at a rate to affect the numbers. More investigation needed and I’m on it.
So, if you see a guy ambling down the street one day, wearing a helmet — that’s me.
For more information go to LBDA.com the website of the Lewy Body Dementia Association. Please talk to your doctor if these spells are frequent. Remember I am not an expert and can’t say that anything I said above will work for you. I’m just operating on my experience as someone who has been living with LBD for 5 years.