Slow heart rate, low BP okay?

[Trish77]

I would normally think that having a slow heart rate and low blood pressure would be a good thing .. however, this is two weeks in a row that the nurse has said to me .. "Is your heart rate always that low?" - two different nurses.  My blood pressure today is 90/65.  I didn't ask last week but I will ongoing because they keep bringing it up.  Now.. I don't see this as tx related because last Friday was my first day and today is the beginning of my second week and I don't do my INF until this evening.  Just the way they ask.. and I confess, haven't had time to look it up at all .. just thought I'd ask here and read up when I get a chance....is there any issue ongoing with low BP and heart rate??

Thanks.

Trish

[medicmommy]

That just means you have a few "reserves"..LOL...Congrads on 1 week down!

[Trish77]

I'm getting a clearer picture of that, yes, physiology wise. I guess one of the many reasons on the Pro side for me to choose tx is that I feel very healthy.  Figured I could tolerate it better.

Re the BP and HR specifically though...as I said, I thought it simply mean that I was relaxed, as I asked her the first day.."if you're feeling very calm, would your heart rate be low?" and she said "yes" so I assumed that was it .. until it got brought up again today.  Really, I should have known.  Two different nurses, same question.  Doh.  I've really never known what my heart rate and BP was.  Never monitored them.  Very low tech runner here.  Sort of like Forrest Gump.  I just....run. :)  


As for the rest of my shape ... too much "subcutaneous tissue" to be in "great" shape....lol  :)

[sldb]

Of course you know that B/P and HR mean you are in great shape since you have no other issues.

[Trish77]

Definitely, on the "no dress" thing.  Although, to each his own.  

I'll have to tell the story about running into my son in a pub wearing a dress.  Priceless.  

[jmjm530]

Sounds like a normal pulse for a runner, and similar to mine when in condition.

Look around the waiting room next time. You'll probably see a whole lot of people not very fit. That's no doubt from where your nurse is drawing the comparision.

You think about the dress?

[Trish77]

Whew, whew, whew and whew.

sldb - no thyroid issues and I'm only a week into tx and I'm not cirrhotic and not experiencing any other symptoms such as you describe.  I actually thought it meant I was relaxed until I got asked yet again this week about it.  So got to wondering.

Deb - not a long distance runner, but a runner, yes.  It's all starting to add up now.  I'll keep an eye but I'm feeling relieved after reading the comments.

MM - my heart rate was 55 during screening in the afternoon.  It's been below 50 the last two times - both in the morning and first day of tx before any meds and today before INF -  and it appears this is my normal.  I'm going to try not to lose muscle mass.  I'm not going to be running as much but I'll still be trying to work what muscles I have.  I'm certainly not solid muscle mass or anything close to it.  We shall see.  Thanks for the warning.

Jim - as I said to MM, my afternoon rate was 55, my morning rate is around 47. And yes, low pre-treatment and first week in. They just threw me off asking me about that two weeks in a row with question mark eyebrows and I wondered, that's all.  Wondered what happens if it goes lower..does that make me walking dead ? :)  Anyway...thanks for the explanation, makes alot of sense considering.

Oh...and Jim?  I'd forgo the dress anyway.  You're much more authoritative in feathers.

[medicmommy]

The first marathon runner I'd ever taken care of had a normal BP of 92/48 and a resting heart rate of 44! and he was FINE! (I mean in the okay medically sense, not the good looking sense...I mean, he WAS good looking, but...Oh, never mind...)LOL.
I do believe this is your norm...But also know, if you start losing weight because of tx, it will probably be muscle loss and give your kidneys a hard time because of the proteins in your urine...Be on the alert for trouble in that area...

[Deb_c430]

Your a long distance runner if I remember right and I  agree with Jim here , if your heart rate, bp has always been on the lower side no worries,  

I have  always been very athletic and genetically also have low BP. I go see GI every two weeks and it pretty much always the same, the a couple of weeks ago it went up They were like WOW! it is up lol.


Would keep an eye on it though,

Deb

[jmjm530]

I've heard this many times as related by athletes, when having their pulse taken by a doctor on in the hospital.

Athletes, runners, for example, often have low resting pulse rates. When I'm condition, my morning pulse is in the 50's, sometimes even the 40's -- compared to a morning pulse in the 60's or 70's (even higher) when I'm not in condition. More trained athletes even have lower pulses. Don't have a chart in front of me, but your bp doesn't seem all that low either. Personally, I see both your bp and pulse as positives, esp if they were both low pre-treatment as well. If there's a discrpency between pre-tx and during tx bp, that's something to note. Just because she wears a white dress doesn't mean she knows what she's talking about. BTW as I write, I'm not wearing a white dress but that doesn't mean I know what I'm talking about either.

-- Jim

[sldb]

Forgot to add if you are not symptomatic with thes vital signs (dizzy, weak, lightheaded.syncope) then they are fine for you, iam sure your hep would have said something if he felt there was   problem.  Good Luck with SVR. You certainly deserve it.

[sldb]

Has your hep checked your thyroid levels? If this is not a normal b/p & hr  for you then it could be related to your thyroid.  You are not cirrhotic (they tend to run low b/p), how low is your hr?  If you are very atheletic a hr in the 50-60 range is normal. If you are on a beta blocker this will also decrease your hr.  Now if your hr goes >100 sure sign of low hct and hbg. good luck with your tx.