Why does my head swim and blackout every single time I stand up?

Answer 1

The reason that someone's head swims when they stand up is simple: There is not enough blood getting to the brain. The testing to confirm a diagnosis of orthostatic hypotension (a fancy way of saying inadequate blood to the brain with position changes) is to see your health care provider to get your blood pressure checked while lying down, sitting, and standing. The health care provider may also do some simple urine testing to make sure that you are adequately hydrated.

While you are waiting for this workup, there are two things for you to do. These steps are essential parts of the treatment of this condition, and there is no harm in beginning now:

1. Get enough fluid so that your urine is almost clear when you empty your bladder. Drinking six to eight ounces of water every hour while awake should be plenty.

2. When changing positions, contract the muscles in your legs before making the change. In other words, when you're about to get up from a reclining/lying down position, rotate your ankles and tighten your calves for a second. Do the same when getting up from a chair.

This is a condition that is normally managed by the patient with lifestyle changes. It is extremely common, affecting most people at one point or another in their lives, but some people have more trouble with it than others. The additional information you provided in this space (which I moved to the discussion section) shows that you are interested in your health, and so there is no reason why you should not be able to make these lifestyle changes.

One last thing: you indicated in your explanation that you have Parkinson's disease at 13 years old, as evidenced by the fact that you have hand tremors and muscle spasms. This self-diagnosis is not correct. You must involve your parent or guardian in seeing your health care provider and discussing any symptoms or self-diagnosis that you have come to as a result of reading the internet. You indicated a number of symptoms, such as difficulty concentrating while reading, tremors, self-diagnosis of Parkinson's, and great concern about the dizziness with position changes. It is important for your to talk about these concerns not only with your parent and health care provider, but also with a trusted advisor or counselor. Getting on that you can meet and talk with in person -- not on the Internet -- will be important for your future health and achievement.