Opinions on my BP readings

[Sailorsong]

My BP and pulse seem very irratic during a typical day. In fact on one site where I keep track of my BP it says I should see my doctor because of the significant changes in my BP over a short period of time. Here is a sample of my pulse & BP readings for just 1 day.

23:30 68 146/80  before bed
21:30 71 150/77  After dinner
17:00 67 124/72  after eating ice cream
13:30 59 145/80  Vertigo
12:00 65 116/82 After breakfast
10:30 62 168/81 just after waking up

The columns are time, pulse, BP and conditions at time of reading.

The things that stick out to me is that when I was having a vertigo attack my BP was actually high though my pulse did go down during that period. But I have also seen my pulse a lot lower than that without vertigo so who knows.

I also noticed that it seem my BP drops when I eat something cold ( breakfast, ice cream). Not sure what that means.
Any opinions are welcome and appreciated.

Dennis

[Sailorsong]

Mary,

   I do intend on seeing a doctor about my BP on Tuesday. I already have 2 appts at the VA that morning. One with my shrink followed by an eye test. I also plan on going to the same day clinic while I am their about my BP and continuing breathing problems as the LPN said I shlould do that if still having problems.

   My BP meds aren't twice daily meds but regular 1 a day type. And I take the night one at bedtime. Some mornings my BP is only in the range of 134/77 while other mornings it will be like this mornings of 176/84. My doctor switch me to taking some of my BP meds at night and the others in the morning because my pulse would get way too low ( have seen 42) if I took them all in the morning.

  I have never heard of someone getting fatigue from BP meds.. Some times I wish they would do that to me. :) Especailly like the other night when I was up until 3Am because I just could not get my mind to turn off. I take so many meds right now my docotrs don't want to even try others because of all the diffferent drug interactions there could be. I am currently on 17 meds and several of them I take multiple times a day.

Dennis

[twopack]

Oh Dennis, I hope you didn't think I was being critical of your schedule.  I didn't even know if all those reading were from one day.  Really, I was just trying to be a little humorous.    Usually I fall on my face from MS.  Now I'm doing it by trying my hand as a comedian too :(

About the meds?  Daily meds are running low by the next morning.  Twice daily meds are also losing their punch by twelve hours later when the next dose is due.

I take my daily BP medication at bedtime so it's still going strong in the morning.  Besides, it tended to add to my fatigue when I took it in the morning.  Hopefully it's helping me sleep at night.

The suggestion stands.  Let your doc evaluate these readings.  Don't wait for ER numbers to emerge if you can be proactive now.

Mary

[Sailorsong]

Mary,

   It just happened to be that the day I reported the BP reading on were a particularlly bad for my sleep pattern as I had not been able to get to sleep the night before. The last 2 mornings I have been up at 7:30 with breaskfast and dinner being at more normal times. I have been taking all of my BP readings sitting in a chair after sitting there for 5 minutes with arm at proper position, etc. Also this mornings reading was 176/84. Anything over 180 or 90 is supposed to be head for the ER time. So far today there has been a 51% varience between my lowest and highest BP readings. I also take my BP medications both in the morning and at night, So ideally they should be still working in the mornings.

Dennis

[Lulu54]

Thanks, Mary, for that more precise explanation.  And for the record, for me it  was lemon custard tonight!  - L

[twopack]

When you eat, the organs involved with digestion require considerably more blood than normal. This of course diverts blood away from other major organs.  As the body works harder to meet the demand for oxygen, BP and heart rate increase.

BP is often higher in the morning after arising and assuming a vertical position.  It may also rise as the mind becomes more active in planning the day.  Any BP medication you take is likely at it's lowest concentration level in the blood in the morning hours.  I have heard that more heart attacks occur in the morning than any other time.

AD could alter the expected norms but it could go any direction depending on if the sympathetic or parasympathic systems are being stimulated or depressed.

I don't think your readings are all that erratic (20% fluctuations are common) but as Lulu noted the systolic does seem to lean toward being a little elevated in general.  Doctors vary in how tight of a control they like their patients to maintain.  It might be wise to take a recorded log to your next appointment.

I find it interesting that you are up at 1030, breaking fast at noon, having ice cream at 1730, dinning at 2130 and in bed two hours later at 2330.  No wonder your head was spinning!  JUST KIDDING!!  I keep a different-than-most-folks schedule myself.  That's why I noticed yours.  LOL

Mary

P.S.  What flavor was the ice cream?

[Sailorsong]

I've always gotten in to the ER real quick when I had my 2 heart attacks and I had driven myself each time as I didn't have any of the usualy heart attack symptoms at all.

The first time I had though I had pulled a muscle in my left forearm. That was the only thing I had in the way of symptoms of something being wrong. They did an aggiop;asty on me that time.

The second time I was headed for Columbia to do some shopping and was just about 1 mile from the hospital when I again felt that same pain in my left arm so I detoured to the hospital. This second time they ended up doing a triple bypass on me.

I did make one trip to the ER by ambulance about 2 years ago. At that time my BP was 192/123. When I got to the hospital they checked evrything out and no heart attack or store or for that matter anything at all other then the very high BP. They gave me something to get my BP down and after about 4 hours in the ER they sent me home.

Dennis

[Audrey_M]

Dennis:

Curious to see if others pitch in with similar results. I keep saying that I should buy a home BP reader, as my BP goes all over the map.

Up until all of this weird stuff starting happening to me, I could bet a gazillion bucks that my Bp reading would be 110/60, that's how stable it was.

That's all out the window now. I might hit that reading on occasion, but more likely I'm in the pre-hypertensive range or hypertensive. And my heart rate is now always in the 90s.

Definitely not white coat syndrome.

I had to call 911 in Sept. 2006 because I was feeling so lightheaded with a slight pain in my left arm. Pain went away but came back an hour later, so I made the call (tip- they say if you arrive by ambulance, you will get more immediate care).When the EMTs arrived, my BP was 162/129. I was admitted to the hospital, yet tests showed no abnormalities or evidence of a heart attack or stroke.

I'm in my mid 50's, underweight, eat a low fat diet and my cholesterol levels are fine. Only real contributing factor is that I am a cigarette smoker.

Will watch this one with interest.

Audrey

[Lulu54]

I'll stick with the statement that  BP almost always going up after eating - that happens from our digestive system having to work to process our meal.  And how hard that works depends on the types of food we have eaten.

What is being described here  is not the dramatic drop in pressure as would be seen in Hypotension, which is what I understand would happen in AD but I'm not expert in that area at all.  Actually I am no expert in anything.  Only one of these readings is in the acceptable range- all the rest are high and that is why you should be seeing a cardio to get it under control.

be well,
Lu

[Sailorsong]

Thanks for the explaination about BP going lower.

I have been trying to go through the health pages on AD forum but they use 30 million words I don't understand in them. You know words like ( it, the, will,) LOL. I can be silly too at times. :)

Maybe those links you posted will make more sense to me.

The only song I know of with the "other Side" is by areosmith, which I happen to love. Wish the allowed the posting of MIDI file on here. I would love to share some of the music I have wrtten with the people on here.

Dennis

[tonyad]

   Hey there :)

    I actually know where your heading w/ this per our conversation.  I will have to disagree with Lulu (sorry Lu) about B/P and all going up after a meal.

    When one has an AD it is likely that the B/P actually does the OPPOSITE!  
This is because....The autonomic nervous system regulates certain body processes, such as blood pressure and the rate of breathing. This system works automatically (autonomously), without a person's conscious effort. But when one has a Dysfunction....It kinda just takes in a life of it's own...Lol    Hope that makes sense.

    Also, flop back over to the AD Forum, and there will be some more specific info on there that will show as to why this happens.  

Here are a couple good webs site for you to check over:

http://www.answers.com/topic/autonomic-dysfunction  

http://merck.com/mmhe/sec06/ch098666/ch098666a.html

See you on the Other side (Forum)
Hey isn't that a song?? By, Ozzy??  Yep!   I love that song!!!
Just being silly :0
~Tonya

[Sailorsong]

LOL back at you. When I first read you post I thought you had written that I am "Weird in reverse" instead of "wired in reverse". Both of which are probably true in my case.

My thinking about the cold food is that is is lowering my core temp so that the BP meds can work. ???

I don't think the VA beleives in cardioloigts. Or at least in having the patients see one. The only interaction I have had with Cardiology at the VA was when I was going to have my knee surgery. And then it was only just before they did the heart catherization ( maybe 15 minute before so that he could tell me what they were going to do) and during the test that is when he told me the results. This despite that other doctors have found my heart murmur and 3 abnomal ecg.

Dennis

[Lulu54]

Dennis, you are wired in reverse! LOL  BP, pulse and respiration almost always goes up immediately after a meal, regardless of what it is your stomach is trying to digest.

I know you are under the care of so many doctors - a good cardiologist must be in the mix somewhere.

take care, L