For a long, long time, I have had a major problem. I feel dizzy after my breakfast. This lasts about an hour to two hours and I need to lie down to feel better. I always put this down to pulling off too much fluid during my nocturnal dialysis sessions.
This did not seem logical however. If it really was due to pulling off too much fluid, I should feel bad towards the end of the session or immediately after the session. But I feel totally fine immediately after the session. I actually have a 45-minute swim soon after. I feel totally ok during the swim. Only after I my breakfast do the symptoms start.
Many times, on work, I have to take an early morning flight. This is really horrible. I need to have my breakfast before I head to the airport. By the time I reach the airport, I am totally like a zombie. To make things worse, early mornings are the worst time to fly from Hyderabad. The Hyderabad airport check-in and security lines are really, really long and to wait in those lines with a dizzy head is just too much to take for me.
For the last few trips, I took the wheel-chair option! I was embarrassed and was worried someone would see me! "This is the guy who claims he leads a normal life despite being on dialysis and here he is - on a wheel chair!!!"
My brother Prasan, with a casual comment one morning on the way back from Govind's bandi caused an epiphany. I was feeling really dizzy after the sumptuous breakfast and he said that the body needs to do something to process all that food and that was the reason I was feeling dizzy. That may not have been an accurate description but it was the first time I realised that it was only after my breakfast that I felt dizzy.
I typed the phrase "feeling dizzy after a meal" on Google and I found what I was looking for! The condition even had a name - post-prandial hypotension and had some suggested solutions - eating light meals that are low on carbohydrates, having a glass of some fluid about 15 minutes before the meal etc. And what's more, it was a condition that was common in dialysis patients!
I tried the solutions. Some did not work. But the one that worked for me like a charm was eating a very small breakfast. These days, I have a very light breakfast and carry some breakfast to office where I have it after an hour or so of reaching. I also took the last couple of flights without any problem. I am really so happy and relieved. Thanks so much to my brother for that comment!
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