Ways to cope with your own low blood pressure/fainting as doctor

[Lawtomedicine]

This will probably sound ridiculous but...I have extremely low blood pressure (it has always been like this). Usually this doesn't cause any problems but for a couple of days or so every month, I have days where I feel really weak and dizzy and I cannot function very well (I can barely stay conscious). On those days I need to lie down for an hour or so because I can't stay conscious. On those days my productivity at work (currently non-med) is affected.

For others out there currently working in the medical field who have issues with low blood pressure to the extent that on occasion you feel faint and dizzy how do you stop it from interfering with your work?
Have you let your co-workers know in advance so that they know what it (probably) is if you faint at work? If you start to feel dizzy and faint while in the middle of patient care, what is the best way to handle this?
How do you make sure that this doesn't affect your ability to do the best for your patients?

The same applies to bad PMT (again this sounds ridiculous but some women really do feel awful during a couple of days of the period/at ovulation and are exhausted/can barely function) - how do you avoid this from impacting your work?

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[Raryn]

This will probably sound ridiculous but...I have extremely low blood pressure (it has always been like this). Usually this doesn't cause any problems but for a couple of days or so every month, I have days where I feel really weak and dizzy and I cannot function very well (I can barely stay conscious). On those days I need to lie down for an hour or so because I can't stay conscious. On those days my productivity at work (currently non-med) is affected.

For others out there currently working in the medical field who have issues with low blood pressure to the extent that on occasion you feel faint and dizzy how do you stop it from interfering with your work?
Have you let your co-workers know in advance so that they know what it (probably) is if you faint at work? If you start to feel dizzy and faint while in the middle of patient care, what is the best way to handle this?
How do you make sure that this doesn't affect your ability to do the best for your patients?

The same applies to bad PMT (again this sounds ridiculous but some women really do feel awful during a couple of days of the period/at ovulation and are exhausted/can barely function) - how do you avoid this from impacting your work?

This is not a forum for medical advice. That said, in the context of just speaking as to how friends I know managed similar situations

A) If you feel like you are about to pass out, especially in a situation like the OR, let the people around you know and excuse yourself to sit down. They will understand, it won't be the first time ever. Don't pass out and land on a patient.
B) A few people I know had issues with getting dizzy if they were required to stand for hours and hours at a time. They reported some success with TED hose to improve venous return.

That said, if you do have multiple days a month that you have frank hypotension to the point of practically going unconscious, you should speak to your own doctor, not a bunch of random people on the interwebs.

I won't comment on the PMS/PMT except to state that this is also a known medical condition whose sx are frequently manageable with lifestyle modifications and some other known treatments.

 

[gutonc]

SDN is not for medical advice. Speak to your doctor. Closing.