# Head Rush: Advice Needed.



## SocioApathetic (May 20, 2012)

For the past two years, I've been having complications when it comes to eating (for reasons I would rather not openly express). It would suffice to say that whenever I eat, I experience tremendous amounts of pain and I am then forced to purge the food. After having lived this way for two years, I thought I would be used to this lifestyle by now. My calorie intake has been reduced to around 400 - 700 calories a day (provided I can swallow anything on such days). Some days, I just don't eat because, due to the all the pain that I experience when I eat, it's as though I have been conditioned to view food as some kind of aversive stimulus. 
Having said all of that, these past few weeks I have been experiencing the worst head rush of my life. It doesn't matter if I stand upright quickly or slowly, I get an overwhelming rush which causes me to fall back down, my hands to grow cold, and my vision -- not to blur -- but rather I lose sight completely for mere seconds. It's been getting worse and I've already set up an appointment with my doctor on the 16th of July.
Is there something I can take/try to eat which can reduce the amount of head rush I've been experiencing? It's a little humiliating to stand up in a public place only to fall back down, unable to move until I regain my composure.


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## dellai (Nov 27, 2011)

Do you also have problems when drinking?


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## SocioApathetic (May 20, 2012)

dellai said:


> Do you also have problems when drinking?


Yes.


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## Staffan (Nov 15, 2011)

I have this problem but in a lesser degree. For me it's about having a really low blood pressure, verging on abnormal. You could try something salty or a cup of coffee or just a caffeine pill.


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## dellai (Nov 27, 2011)

Do you eat solid food or do you prepare food in the blender?

It's difficult without knowing what your condition is to help you out, but it appears to me that you might have the same symptoms people with height-illness (altitude sickness) or extreme weather conditions experienced when they go unprepared to extreme heights (I've been to 5500 meters and that's quite dangerous if you don't take precautions). I don't know what your length is but if you're above average length it could be that the blood is not stimulated to circulate to the outer ends of your hand, feet and head. The body is developed in a way that it will do everything to survive, even under extreme conditions as you're in now and by that it will circulate the blood to the parts around the heart as this is the most important part of your body to survive.

I don't want to scare you but as I don't know your condition of illness I can only give you the advice to see your doctor any sooner. If this is not possible you should read on to survive height-illness or extreme weather conditions on extreme heights and take measures so your body keeps circulating the blood. The problem is that the body needs supplements in your blood to keep the body healthy and if you're not able to provide that the only thing you can do is to make the blood thinner and by doing very moderate (!) walking and try not to loose to much water. The first signs are blurred sight or shut down vision and tingling in finger ends and toes as if they are cold, this will continue to spread to the feet, hands and the head. The brains are protected towards the skull by a very thin layer which is drying out when there is no added humidity by taking water for instance, it's why you have a hangover after a night drinking as alcohol does take the humid from the layer between the brain and the skull (cortex) as your brains start to bump and scratch to the inside of the skull. If you experience headaches and loose of sight and feel feet tingling as if they have cold you might take the following precautions.

Because of extreme conditions on such high altitude some climbers take in blood-thinners to make it more easy for the heart to pump the blood around. On the other hand they take supplements so they don't loose to much humid in their body. A simple blood-thinner is for instance paracetamol and a household supplement for not loosing humid too much is for instance anti diarrhea products. There are products (ORS is typically packaged in per-measured sachets that are ready to be mixed in with water. These are available via commercial manufacturers) in the market which add electrolytes such as sodium and potassium which are very needed as a supplement to your body.

Sitting still is almost the worst you can do and my advice is to take a slow walk around the house every 2 hours if you're able to do so. Stay as much as possible out of the sun in the shadow as transpiration contain a lot of electrolytes.

I hope this helps, if you have additional information, I might have some other tricks up the sleeves.


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## dellai (Nov 27, 2011)

Another question. Do you have dark urine or is your urine smelling really strong or fishy? (Sorry to ask, but it's a sign of dehydration)


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## Powder monkey (Jun 1, 2012)

I have an issue with drinking water. I used to pretty much not drink any at all, and had the same issue. Because I was never well hydrated, I had higher blood pressure than I should have. I also ate far too much salt in my diet. A bad combo. 

I will literally shoot water down my throat with a bottle, and luckily I have gotten much better about drinking water, but I still can't drink from a cup unless I have a straw. I still lapse every now and then, and now that I live at a high altitude, I get pretty sick if I don't drink water. Most recently, it was because I'd lost my remaining water bottle temporarily. A bit weird and awkward, but staying active also helps me motivate to keep myself hydrated.


If you can't bump your doctors appointment up, can you go to a pharmacy and have your blood pressure checked? That could give a clue, at least.


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## firedell (Aug 5, 2009)

I have low blood pressure, which causes me to have head rushes.The medical term is hypotension. I'm not sure if it was self inflicted from my past eating disorder, or it's just an age/height thing.

Drinking water helps.


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## Kormoran (Mar 15, 2012)

Doctor. See a doctor. "Purging everything I eat" is probably not a medical term, but it does sound suspiciously like a somewhat serious ailment. Especially since it affects your ability to take in fluids.


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## Sina (Oct 27, 2010)

Glad you're seeing a doctor. Some of it sounds like postural hypotension.


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