Dizziness

[howard]

About 10 days after surgery I experienced a sudden attack of vertigo / dizziness. Went to the ER and CAT scan was negative. I am still dizzy after 6 weeks and have met with all my doctors. Actually began having dizzy spells every other day or so for a few seconds each episode begining a few days after surgery leading up to the major attack.

I was on Amiodarone during most of that time and came off it a week ago, but no relief from dizziness (yet).

Anybody else experience this ?

 

[normofthenorth]

Not me, but I've got a university buddy (from a LONG time ago! ) who had a congenital BAV and got a Bentall procedure in the Boston area about 18 months ago, and he's been having very similar symptoms, dizzy spells every other day or so for a few seconds each episode. He's on no medications, at least for his AVR, AFAIK. He's never posted here, and I don't think he's about to start. . .

 

[Mentu]

Howard, after my experience of the the past few months, I would suggest that you and your doctor might consider the possibility that the dizziness is unrelated to your surgery. After surgery, we are so focused on aftermath of that experience that even one's doctors can develop tunnel vision and fail to recognize that a problem is unrelated to the heart. I see that dizziness is a side effect of Amiodarone but I don't have any idea how long it would persist after you stop taking it. There are other possibilities, however, including such things as Benign Positional Vertigo which is caused by displacement of the microliths in the inner ear. Having lived with it for awhile, I can assure you it makes you feel as though the world is spinning out from under you. Fortunately, it is actually easy to resolve and requires no drugs to do so. I hope you get an answer soon and relief from the problem, Howard.

Larry

 

[Bina]

Amiodarone will stay in your system for several weeks.
Are you taking your BP and checking your HR daily ?
I had dizzy spells off and on for a very long time, but I was having low BP due to taking Metoprolol to try and ward off
my crazy heart arrhythmias.