Is there something wrong?

I was diagnosed with tachycardia last year, whilst undergoing treatment for anorexia. For a few months I was on a beta-blocker which was great, whilst waiting to see a Cardiologist. My doctor referred me for a Holter Monitor - which turned up no results. So she took me off the beta blocker and I cancelled my appointment.

Recently, my Dad was diagnosed with high blood pressure and was given a bp monitor. When I used it [as you do..], I noticed that my blood pressure was 92 over 60 and my pulse was 120... realising that wasn't ideal, I have taken my bp a couple of times every day for the past week with pretty much the same results.

I often feel faint, have troubles with low energy levels and am generally down all the time. - I usually attribute this to aspects of my eating issues, but now I'm not so sure.

So.. is this a problem, or am I being neurotic?

Thanks in advance for replies. x

[Mythrus]

I should also add... after being hospitalised last year, my doctors noticed an abnormality in my ECG that was never explained fully [the next day I went to the crazy people's ward] and I am 17.

[Artaud]

Hi,

By your spelling of Hospitalized and Realized, I trust that you are in England or in a Country with an affiliation for the British form of the language?

I see that you cancelled the appointment with the Cardiologist since your Doctor discontinued the Beta Blocker. Did your Doctor recommend not seeing the Cardiologist, or was that a decision made simply due the discontinuation of the Beta Blocker?

Blood Pressure Cuffs need to be appropriate to the size of the arm (if that is the type that you are using). For instance, if I have a BP Measurement at the Doctor's Office and it is high, I usually make sure that the Medical Assistant is using the Adult Cuff. If not, I'll ask then to take the measurement again using the adult cuff. The Cuff Size can (and often will) make a significant difference. In my case, with the adult cuff, the pressure is lower. Conversely, if a large cuff is used on a small arm, I would believe that the noted pressure would be lower than actual. My wife added that their office also needs to use the Child’s Cuff at times since they see many older, petite patients, and since they may have very small arms, the Adult Cuff is not appropriate.

From an online article:  "The importance of correct cuff size has been well documented by Woodbury, Robinow and Hamilton (1938). Later Long, et al. again showed that too narrow a cuff and too short a cuff bladder will cause artificially high blood pressure readings while too large a cuff can cause falsely low blood pressure readings."

Concerning Wrist Blood Pressure Monitors, the Cardiologist that my wife works for recommends that his patients (that do their own blood pressure monitoring while at home) do not use a Wrist Model monitor, as he believes that they are not accurate.

Also, you mention your pulse, is this a reading taken by measuring the pulse at your wrist, or is this a reading given by the BP Monitor? I would be in the habit of taking your pulse at your wrist, usually taken for 20 seconds and the results multiplied by 3 to give the Beats Per Minute. (or for 15 seconds and multiplied by 4). To see what your resting pulse is, take it after you have been sitting for several minutes, and not having exerted or excited yourself just prior to taking it. Try to take it at the same time each day.

My wife says that she believes that your blood pressure, for a non-obese teen, is not that unusual. She feels that the pulse is high, but says that other information would need to be known about the conditions prior to pulse being taken.

Heart rhythm disturbances are part of anorexia nervosa. Since you are referring to eating issues, I would consult with a Cardiologist and be sure that any issues that remain with the anorexia are addressed as determined by your Family Doctor and/or Medical Care Providers.

Be well.

[CollegeGirl143]

The pulse is a bit high for a resting/non anxious pulse.. Is this normal for you? Some people have a higher resting pulse than others.. Have you ever had an echo?  Its a good thing to have, if not just for the sake of having one done.. As far as the BP goes, generally a lowish BP is not of concern unless you are symptomatic, however this could be a factor in the decision to take you off the beta blocker.. Personally my average BP is in the 90/50 range.. Sometimes i get down to 80/40 range, ide hate to see what it is while im sleeping :P.   But im non symptomatic.. If you are concerned about your symptoms, definately make an appointment with your GP or preferrably, a cardiologist.. If you are very concerned about the previous abnormal EKG, ask for an explanation.. however EKG's are very touchy machines and often turn up false positives or borderline readings. Whats most important is how your doctor interprets the information.