Blood pressure

I need some info.

I got my PM in Dec. Since then, they have put me on 1 Ace inhibitor, which they had to pull me off of because my bottom number kept going do in the 40's and I was feeling really bad.

They left me off of anything for a month but then I had 4 tackies so decided to try me on a beta blocker which caused me to feel bad all over. I didn't feel like I could breath and my heart seemed to be trying to work but it wasn't letting it.

I've been off everything for a week.

Yesterday I felt really jittery all over. When I took my BP it was 111/72. I had my BP taken over the weekend and it was 152/80. I know you BP can change contently but it this normal for PM patients.

Is it still the meds getting out of my system? Does anyone else have this problem? How do you get your BP up when it drops and you feel the effect?

Thanks for any input.

9 Comments

Thanks

by drashmore - 2011-03-15 01:03:19

Thanks for the reply. I'm just trying to figure out what is going on with my system.

I was eating lunch when it started, so I wouldn't think diabetes would be the cause. The 152/80 BP was being taken by a medical professional and it will always goes up then.

Maybe I'll go to my GP this week and let him do some blood work to double check things. I would love my BP to stay down since before this all started I had high BP.

I just don't like this jittery feeling. The only thing I was connecting it to was my BP. When it starts, I start tensing up and that just makes thinkg worse. My next appt with my cardiologist is in May, unless I keep having issue.

Thanks for the input!!

Has anybody suggested you check

by janetinak - 2011-03-15 02:03:05

your BP yourself for awhile at home? I have similiar BP readings at times when I go to Dr & its up ("white coat syndrome") & when at home or sit in waiting room for awhile reading quietly & it is lower than past Dr visits. So I got a regular BP cuff (Walmart,etc) not a wrist type & took my BP at home for a few wks. I also have found that as my arm (like rest of me) is not skinny a larger cuff works better for me. I found that my BP at different times at home is low enought that don't need any meds.

Just a thought,

Janet

Blood Pressure Changes

by SMITTY - 2011-03-15 10:03:38

Hello,

Blood pressure is probably the most variable body function we measure. Doing nothing can make it go down just as activity can make it go up. How much either will make it change has to be measured. In addition, doing something as simple as playing a game on your computer can make it change. So a single reading for any activity does not tell us much unless it is way high or way low. Janet mentioned White Coat Syndrome. I have as has many others had that problem. My guess is WCS has caused many a person to be put on BP meds.

You say you have been off everything for a week. Is everything just the beta blocker, or were there some others. As for your feeling jittery, I don't think that being off the beta blocker for week is responsible. My experience has been that stopping a BB suddenly may make my HR erratic and make me feel funny for a day or so but I have never had any other symptoms. As for stopping them suddenly, we hear all time to never stop a heart medication suddenly, but I have on two occasions had the cardiologist to stop my beta blocker suddenly. If it had any effect I never noticed, but the beta blocker had me feeling so bad I doubt that I would have noticed.

My guess it that your feeling the way you do has nothing to do with getting the meds out of your system. And a pacemaker makes little or no difference on BP. I have heard people say their went up after they got their PM. I can see how that can happen if they had a real slow heart beat and they got a PM to increase the HR considerably, my guess is the higher heart rate is pumping more blood through the same little blood vessel and that caused the BP to go up. I know if you have a water pipe and you want to increase the flow through you have to increase the pressure of the water going through that pipe.

To answer your last question, "How do you get your BP up when it drops and you feel the effect?" it all depends on the circumstance. But if I'm in my house I'll get hold of a chair or something to steady me (otherwise I may fall on my butt) and run in place for about 30 seconds. Never fails to increase my BP and HR.

Good luck,

Smitty

Variable BP is normal

by ElectricFrank - 2011-03-16 02:03:31

Good description Smitty!

The healthy body varies BP depending on activity to maintain good blood flow. I'm not on any meds and my BP varies from the 95/50's up into the 165/95's.

The only effect I have from the low readings is that I feel a bit low energy, but all I have to do it get out of my chair and get busy and it comes back up.

When my doc gets upset about one of my isolated high readings in the office my response is to ask him if he has every taken his own BP after close call in traffic.

frank

Thanks for your response

by drashmore - 2011-03-16 02:03:40

I'm not so much worried about my blood pressure going up and down. It's these jittery, quivery, heart in my thoat attacks that are bothering me. I can't figure out what's causing them. I'm off everything but my vitamins. I have thought about it and it seems when I get upset or in a hurry I tighten up all over trying to protect my heart from beating to fast.

I sometimes wonder if it's not anxiety from everything I've been through since Dec. I've tried to start taking deep breaths when these episodes start up and that seems to be helping. I've always been health and this has been a totally different experience for me. I had a stress test and heart cath when I was in the hospital ,so I know everything is OK with my heart. But because of these episode I keep wondering if there is something else. I think it's a case of mind over matter. And I need to get my mind over it.

I think the hospitals should approach this process totally different. They told me "once you get your PM you will feel totally different." Well there are a few other steps in there. There should be a PM rehab, just like they have heart rehab.

Again, thanks for the input.

Debbie

A thought

by ElectricFrank - 2011-03-17 02:03:14

Since the feeling shows up when you are upset or in a hurry it's possible that the pacemaker settings need to be changed.

If your pacer is using Rate Response and it is set too sensitive it can cause your HR to rise rapidly.

Or if the upper pacing limit is set too low you could be hitting the limit when you are hurrying or anxious. The effect of hitting the upper limit is an erratic heart beat that doesn't feel good.

Just some thoughts. Have you asked for a copy of the interrogation and programming report? This can be helpful in understanding how your pacer is being used.

best,

frank

No I havent't ask for a copy

by drashmore - 2011-03-17 09:03:13

I know you all suggest getting a copy. I've seen it put I didn't think I could figure out what the thing was telling me. I know my heart can't slow any more than 60 PPM and last month I was pacing 4% in the top, 2% in the bottom.

They tried putting me on Atenolol for 4 tacky episodes and that just made things worse. So now I'm off everything. My next appt isn't until May but I guess I need to go back before then.

Thanks
Debbie

PM Rehab

by Sue H. - 2011-03-17 09:03:15

Debbie, I believe you are having severe anxiety attacks which can be all part of the "emotional" healing process after receiving a pacer. Many people react differently to having a pacemaker. Some literally jump off the table and get right back into the swing of things with no side effects, etc. They are the lucky ones! Then there are many who don't react that way and have a very hard time reacting to a computer running their heart. Some have physical symptoms that "tweaking" the settings on the pacer solve while others have emotional issues, e.g. depression, anxiety, etc. which no amount of "tweaking" of the pacer will help. If you read a lot of the past posts on here, the emotional reaction is huge and the medical profession doesn't seem to get it. Many of us are patted on the back and told oh you are going to be terrific now that you have a pacer and send us on our way. If we mention anxiety or emotional issues, they look at us like why do you feel that way I just cured you. There is no PM rehab per se that I know of. In fact when I mentioned it to the doctor and pacer nurse tech they looked at me and said why would you need that? I realized then they just don't get it and to try and explain? Well maybe I should have but I was too frustrated at the time. So....it's up to us pacer patients to make them get it! Speak up when you're with your doctor and don't be afraid to talk about anxiety attacks etc. Maybe part of the problem is we are too embarrassed to let them know? We all have to get over that. It's time to educate the medical profession that these emotional feelings are real for us and not let them dismiss us with a pat on the back! Debbie, try and relax, take deep breaths, listen to wonderful music and realize you have a guardian angel inside you that is watching your heart for you. Or as we pacer chicks like to call it, our "internal bling". And finally, (I'll get off my soap box, LOL.).. stay on here with these great people! I will say it again.....if I didn't have these wonderful people listen to my venting and emotional issues I know I would have had a much harder time adjusting to my "internal bling" Hugs to you Debbie, we're all here for you. Sue

Sue, Smitty, Frank

by drashmore - 2011-03-19 09:03:54

Thanks for all the encouraging words of wisdom.

I am going back to my Card on Tues and I am trying to calm myself down and relax.

But something isn't right. When I walk and try to talk I get out of breath. Last night my HR woke me up. It was 106 and I was sound asleep. I'm trying to convince my self, it was a fluck and probably a bad dream I don't even remember.

On a postive note, today has been a good day. I went shopping and no occurances.

Hugs to everyone!

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