Tiny Veins...

Hello, all...been a while since I posted, but just wanted to see if anyone had any thoughts on what happened to me yesterday. I went to work and had a headache. I asked a nurse at work to check my BP, and it was 138/102. She gave me half an aspirin and rechecked the BP in about an hour. It was 142/106. Checked again later, it was 150/110. Anyhow, my BP is usually low or drops (I have orthostatic hypotension), so a trip to the ER was next. At the ER, my BP jumped to 206/138, and then slowly came back down on it's own over the next two hours...

If that wasn't weird enough, I had labwork done. I have been told before that I have tiny veins, so my first question is, does anyone know if my circulation would be affected by the tiny veins, and if the leads would affect circulation in those veins?

Also, when the phlebotomist finally got a vein to cooperate on the top of my left hand (after blowing the one in my right hand), he said that he has never seen veins like mine and that I am a medical anomoly...my blood would gush then stop, then gush then stop....and on and on...he said most peoples veins either gush or don't give at all...anyone else ever experienced this? I am concerned that something is really wrong with my circulation...

Thanks for your thoughts!

3 Comments

BP Spike

by ElectricFrank - 2010-07-03 01:07:35

One possibility for the spike in BP is an allergic reaction to something such as a food. At one point in my life I had a series of allergy tests where they injected various substances under my skin and watched for a welt to appear. The nurse that ran the tests would only do one substance at a time and then watch my BP. It would rise rather quickly on the positive ones and gave an indication long before the skin reaction showed up. There are so many pollutants in the air and additives in foods that it is easy to be exposed to something without knowing it.

Orthostatic hypotension happens when you stand up quickly which indicates a slow response in your BP control system. The same slow response could be involved in the BP spike.Even being concerned about the increasing BP can cause an additional increase.

As for the small blood vessels there is a wide variation in anatomy between us. Generally we get by quite well with whatever we have, but they can make us more or less susceptible to some things. I doubt that your BP would be related to them though. The leads are routed through veins rather than arteries. A restricted vein would cause swelling in the area of the body that it drains rather than BP.

frank

Tiny

by ccallahan - 2010-07-03 05:07:57

I get the same thing and they told me I have Tachycardia ever so often. I also have reactions to meds and allergies which cause it. You always have circulation problems when your pressure is not steady. From what my physician told me it is hard when it goes up and down like that and they keep a close eye on me. I have POTS and have a lot of stuff going on so I understand bu have no medical response for you. Hope this helped anyway. We are here for you. I will say a prayer for you.

Rev Chuck

Dynamic Blood Pressure

by ElectricFrank - 2010-07-04 03:07:15

I don't agree with them about variable blood pressure being a problem. That's the way our bodies handle varying demands. The docs under the pressure of the drug companies are becoming control freaks. They are masters of the fear marketing approach.

Today my BP was as low as88/45 and as high as 145/96. My cholesterol runs around 265. I am 80 yrs old and in very good health. I don't take any of their meds for either. I suppose if I die of a heart attack at 105 they will say they warned me.

frank

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