questions about blood pressure

[madokie]

is it normal for a persons bp to vary this much. 164 over 98 to 92 over 58. my bp is all over the place during the course of the day and evening. the highest it has been is 221 over 183 and the lowest I have seen it is 64 over 40. when it is low I have hardly any energy.

[grasswire]

1. what does your doctor think?

[Warpy]

2. Talk to your doctor

and discuss strategies for managing labile blood pressure, which is what that is.

[emcguffie]

3. I think they call that labile hypertension.

It is not normal. There are different things that could cause it. Go to the doctor. Preferably a cardiologist.

[uppityperson]

4. That much variation seems abnormal, talk with health care provider ASAP

doctor, nurse practitioner, etc. Those numbers are odd, and I am a health care person. Make an appointment soon please. Like soon, like monday. Soon. Call them and tell them this and they should get you in soon.

[Maraya1969]

5. I don't know about the high but I used to have low blood pressure

and I would feel like I could hardly keep my eyes open. I was a substitute teacher at that point and I fell asleep standing in front of the class!

I went to a good holistic doctor and he helped me with a number of different problems. My blood pressure just kind of normalized itself. I can tell you that I had a lot of food allergies that I did not know about.

Hope someone else can help you.

[Dogmudgeon]

6. That's odd

You definitely want to consult a physician on that one.

Blood pressure swings can be benign, or can be signs of Big Trouble (less often, fortunately). But you can't just guess with something like your circulatory system. Get it checked out.

Do it Right Now, if you can. Monday if you can't.

--p!

[madokie]

9. my doctor has me on pb meds but I was having problems with

not having any energy in the afternoons so I started taking my bp several times a day and it swings so wildly. I will make an appointment with my doctor this week and give him my last couple weeks recordings and see what he thinks. I had a dvt in my left leg 4 years ago and spent a week in the VA hospital, in january a year ago I was diagnoised with PAD and am disabled now because of it. I have blockage in the same leg but in an artery now and a stint is not in the question, they were going to do a bypass last july but the doctor told me that it probably wouldn't take so I would loose my left foot and since it isn't bleeding and I can still walk on it I decided to not do the bypass. the doc also told me that more than likely I would be loosing my left foot in the future if I live long enough. What gets me is my cholestrol is in the good range both hi and low. :shrug:

[sarge43]

7. madokie, get thy to a physician right away.

221/183 is not good for any reason.

[Golden Raisin]

8. Absolutely go to the doctor

as soon as you can and, if you are self-testing, bring all the recent results with you including the times of day you took your pressure. Also bring your machine with you so it can be tested/compared with the one in your doctor's office.

[madokie]

10. I have been recording my bp for the last two weeks and it is all over

the place. I have pretty much quit taking my meds because of the low readings, I was taking 10 mg of lisinopril and 10mg of felodipine but when I started to feel so bad in the afternoons and took my bp and it was so low I quit taking them. most of the time it is in the 100 to 120 range over 65 to upper nineties.
6 foot 1 tall weighing in at 165 lbs. 58 yo

[Golden Raisin]

14. Sometimes

blood pressure medication loses entirely, or has diminishing efficacy. You may need to have your medication(s) changed or adjusted. Sometimes it takes awhile and some experimentation, especially if you are on multiple meds, to make sure they are controlling your pressure but not making you feel like hell! I would really go to the doctor. You don't want to mess around with uncontrolled blood pressure (either high or low). I'm the same vintage as you and, yeah, growing old ain't pretty and is not for wusses.

[madokie]

15. Thank you I will be making an appointment this week

[HysteryDiagnosis]

11. Link Madokie....

http://mens-health.health-cares.net/labile-hypertension.php

What is labile hypertension?
Although this term is quite commonly used, it doesn't have much meaning. 'Labile' means variable, and just about everyone with hypertension has 'lablie hypertension.' It has also been used to refer to people whose blood pressure is sometimes normal and sometimes high, also called borderline hypertension. Labile hypertension is blood pressure that fluctuates abruptly and repeatedly, often causing symptoms such as headache or ringing in the ears. People with labile hypertension often react to emotional stress with an increase in blood pressure. Frequently, traditional blood-pressure medicines have little effect. Some people with labile hypertension require anti-anxiety medications in order to gain control of their blood pressure.

[madokie]

12. Thank you, I have suffered from anxiety all my life and only

in the last few years have I found out that not everyone has it. all my life I thought it was normal but now I am finding it isn't. I have taken a xanax from time to time but am not prescribed it and I don't really like to because it makes me so sleepy. I will be going back to the doc, armed with the reading of my bp several times a day for the last two weeks, to see what he says. like my sister says getting old isn't for pusses, I believe her now.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

13. Consider reading up on various approaches to anxiety, medical,

cognitive therapy, and natural.

http://www.lef.org/protocols/emotional_health/anxiety_01.htm
Anxiety
Updated: 07/31/2006

Anxiety disorders are illnesses that cause people to experience exaggerated fright and apprehension in response to external or internal stimuli. These conditions are often related to the biological and psychological makeup of the individual and may be familial in nature. If untreated, these illnesses can significantly reduce productivity and impair a person’s ability to function in daily life. Anxiety disorders affect approximately 24 million American adults (Narrow WE et al 2002). Nearly 15 percent of adults will experience an anxiety disorder in their lifetime (Bourden KH et al 1992; Schatzberg AF 1991).

Anxiety can occur independently or in conjunction with other psychiatric or medical conditions, such as depression, phobias, chronic fatigue, cardiac disease, or respiratory compromise. Moreover, chronic anxiety is associated with a higher risk of morbidity and mortality from cerebrovascular and cardiovascular diseases, such as hypertension, cardiac ischemia, and arrhythmias, and it predisposes people to a range of other disorders (Muller JE et al 2005; Weissman MM et al 1990; Coryell W 1986, 1988). People with severe anxiety disorders who experience adverse life events such as divorce or financial disaster may be at increased risk of suicidal behavior (Allgulander C et al 1991).

Typically, anxiety disorders are treated with an array of psychoactive medications that alter or increase levels of neurotransmitters. Unfortunately, these medications also carry sometimes significant side effects, including the risk of dependency. A number of nutrients have been identified that act along pathways similar to those of prescription medications or have a general antianxiety effect. In addition, Life Extension has uncovered exciting new research that may alter the way medical science one day looks at anxiety disorders. Elevated homocysteine, which has been implicated in heart disease and depression, may also play a role in anxiety disorders. Also, abnormal hormone levels may exacerbate anxiety disorders. On the basis of the newest research, Life Extension believes that people suffering from anxiety disorders should test for elevated homocysteine and abnormal hormone levels and correct these if necessary.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=15587240&query_hl=21&itool=pubmed_docsum
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1: Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2005 Jun;2(2):179-184. Epub 2005 Apr 27.Click here to read Click here to read Links
Immunological and Psychological Benefits of Aromatherapy Massage.

* Kuriyama H,
* Watanabe S,
* Nakaya T,
* Shigemori I,
* Kita M,
* Yoshida N,
* Masaki D,
* Tadai T,
* Ozasa K,
* Fukui K,
* Imanishi J.

This preliminary investigation compares peripheral blood cell counts including red blood cells (RBCs), white blood cells (WBCs), neutrophils, peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs), CD4(+), CD8(+) and CD16(+) lymphocytes, CD4(+)/CD8(+) ratio, hematocrit, humoral parameters including serum interferon-gamma and interleukin-6, salivary secretory immunoglobulin A (IgA). Psychological measures including the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) questionnaire and the Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) between recipients (n = 11) of carrier oil massage and aromatherapy massage, which includes sweet almond oil, lavender oil, cypress oil and sweet marjoram oil. Though both STAI and SDS showed a significant reduction (P < 0.01) after treatment with aromatherapy and carrier massage, no difference between the aromatherapy and control massage was observed for STAI and SDS. Aromatherapy, in contrast to control massage, did not significantly reduce RBC count or hematocrit. However, aromatherapy massage showed a significant (P > 0.05) increase in PBLs, possibly due to an increase in CD8(+) and CD16(+) lymphocytes, which had significantly increased post-treatment (P < 0.01). Consequently, the CD4(+)/CD8(+) ratio decreased significantly (P < 0.01). The paucity of such differences after carrier oil massage suggests that aromatherapy massage could be beneficial in disease states that require augmentation of CD8(+) lymphocytes. While this study identifies the immunological benefits of aromatherapy massage, there is a need to validate the findings prospectively in a larger cohort of patients.

PMID: 15937558

[wakemeupwhenitsover]

16. I'm going to lock this.

Unfortunately DUers really aren't qualified to give medical advice.

The mods would really like you to see a doctor ASAP.

Best,
wakemeupwhenitsover
DU Moderator