Low Blood Pressure anyone?

I've always had a lower blood pressure just never thought anything of it and have always been told...Yeah, low blood pressure is good!! Cholestorol is good, HDL's are good....life is good.

The other day, went to the gym and jogged for 20 minutes...then went to work on some Ab equipment and I suddenly got really lightheaded and thought I was gonna pass out (but didn't). That was the first time I've ever had a situation like that even after 3 years of going to the gym. I probably have very brief moments of light headedness once a week or so but always thought it was due to waiting too long before I eat or not drinking enough. Eating /drinking would always help....and why I never thought anything of it.

So, went to the doc yesterday. My blood pressure there was 96/? Shit, can't remember. But low enough and the fact that I had symptoms. Did the EKG thing - everything was fine there. Took my blood pressure sitting down, standing up and laying down...all were about the same. Friday I have blood work....and Monday I have to get a Holter monitor put on. I've actually had a holter monitor on before because of heart palpitations 8 years ago.

Never thought this could end up being a more serious issue and I'm somewhat worried about needing to change my lifestyle / diet to regulate things better.
Not sure what else they could FIND .....or whether there's other issues or whether I'll need to take medications to keep my blood pressure UP....

Yikes...this is new to me.

What's your experience?

 

Well from my experience working out in the field, a lady your age with a BP of 96/? wouldnt be anything to bad in my mind especially if you are active and exercise. If you told me that out in the field, I would say you have a good blood pressure. But I'm only an EMT so we dont diagnose any problems, thats why they transport you to the hospital to see a doc. I'm sure everything will work out okay. Best wishes to you!

 

As a paramedic those numbers would only concern me in someone who is experiencing acute symptoms, hypovolemic shock, new onset heart conditions, infections, allergic reactions, etc.

Pressures of 90's systolic can be normal without any detrimental effects in certain people, athletes and people who exercise regularly and are in excellent physical condition.

Now since you said you are experiencing side effects like dizziness, lightheaded it may be something to consider and work with your Dr to treat. Causes that come to my mind, do you drink enough water and stay hydrated? Are you on some new meds? It sounds like they are trying to work with you to rule out heart problems so I wish you luck and hope the symptoms can go away with things like diet changes. Once again, In your case the actual number wouldn't concern me as much as how you feel.

 

Thanks Guys!

The doctor did say my pressure isn't something to be concerned about but it can vary for different people and since I had symptoms. I'm just glad they're looking into things more closely.

Nothing has changed for me in terms of medications. It's been regular routine stuff for me.... I did change shifts 2 weeks ago after being on 1st shift for 6 months. Before that, I was rotating all 3 shifts and still managed to get to the gym 3X a week on different shifts. So - my body should be used to my un-settled shifts/lifestyle. I never had to pay much attention to when/what I ate or drank.... I know I should drink more - but never thought I needed to.

We'll see.....it's gonna be hard forcing myself to drink. I'll be running to the bathroom more often!!

 

Being a competitive cyclist, I know how important proper hydration and nutrition is.

When exercising, make sure to be drinking fluids before and during activity. Also make sure you consume appropriate amounts of calories to get you through the exercise.

I was hypoglycemic which meant my blood sugar level would drop with activity. When blood sugar levels get too low, your body will start going into shock. Initial stages or symptoms of shock are feeling faint, cold sweats, disorientation, etc. Proper nutrition would prevent this.

By no means am I trying to diagnose you, as I'm not qualified to, but make sure the basics are there - food and water. It's important for many reasons.

If low blood pressure indeed caused this, hopefully your Dr.'s can fix you up!

 

Yeah eating and drinking enough are very important when it comes to medical symptoms. Thats one of the important questions we ask our patients when doing our assessments. When was the last time you had something to eat o drink? What did you eat or drink? How much...etc....? But Sandfires the medic so he should know a lot more then me.

 

Not necessarily, ever heard the saying, "a good EMT makes a bad paramedic look good and a bad EMT makes a good paramedic look bad." Most of the time I run calls with an EMT partner find they can be quite knowledgeable if they have an interest and apply themselves.

Most of EMS treatment is geared towards acute conditions and treatment (although we are being used otherwise) so I have to step out of my box a bit to consider issues like Janster is having. If not simple issues like diet/hydration it may be a challenge even for her physician to diagnose the root cause.

 

Yeah I've heard that saying many many times! And its very true! I work with a couple of medics when they show up on the ambulance and some are very unprofessional! A couple think just cause they are medics that they are GOD!!! I'm just like, NO, your not God so calm down! But for the calls that we go one, we are normally always there before the ambulance so technically I am the first EMT on scene so I try and get the best assessment as possible along with vitals. A lot of the ambulance personnel appreciate it but some others, since I work for the fire dept and am only an emt-b, don't even take the time to hear what I have to say. Sorry, didnt mean to thread jack!!!!

 

No worries on the thread jacking..... I highly respect all of you guys/gals who are there to help us in terms of life threatening (or even non) situations.

When I had my accident in 2003 - I had concussion, etc. I had to get THANK YOU cards and send them to all the people involved that helped, including the fire department, the EMT's, and the hospital. And even that wasn't enough to express my gratitude.

But anyway...
When is your blood pressure at its lowest point? Is it in the morning when you wake up or while sleeping or...??

Yeah,the blood sugar thing is something else I wonder about. My blood sugar has always been in the lower side of normal also, but again...has never been an issue. I just went about my life without a worry about when or what I eat in the past. I've been the same weight for 10 years and I can't say I eat all that bad and I take my vitmans. (I know, that's not an excuse)

I gotta remind myself to FAST tonight...blood work in the morning.

My employer has this neat blood pressure monitor thing. You put a cuff on and hit the 'START' button and it does all the rest. I like that...
Do you think it's time I think about getting a blood pressure reader?
I wouldn't even know what to look for in researching or buying one - but I definately like the idea of having a cuff and a start button. Any insight?

 

Well I havent looked into this myself but I would assume your blood pressure would be it lowest when you are asleep because your heart rate should slow down and your respirations should also. Now unless your like me and get some crazy nightmares sometimes where you heart rate increases and same with respirations, then wake up in a cold sweat!! I'm pretty sure at that moment, your BP is fairly up there! Oh and automatic BP readers are great IMO!!

 

Blood work will tell you a lot for sure. They will prolly do orthostatic vitals as well just to see the change in pulse an BP from lying down sitting and standing. Hope everything goes good for you.

 

Just

 

just eat some bacon and eggs! thatll get ur pressure back up...just kidding. Hope everything is well

 

I'm being treated for unexplained high blood pressure, all my tests (everything you are having done) came back normal, but my BP was still high. So I've been on meds to lower it for about a year now and its been 'normal', the cardiologist told me to check my BP every couple weeks when I started the meds and the monthly after that, he said if my blood pressure gets below 90/60 to go to the quick care.
He said 90-120 on the top numer and 60-80 on the lower number is considered normal for most people.
I hope everything goes back to normal on its own and you start feeling better soon .

 

Hope it's nothing serious Janster and you find the cause and get it fixed.

The only time I've heard of a too low blood pressure was in my mom and sister when they were on meds...diuretics.

 

Thanks Gang!

Gave blood on Friday and have a appointment to have a Holter monitor put on Monday 1pm. My employer just informed me I have to work at noon-midnight on Tuesday. I've had a Holter monitor before but forgot how you take it off. Can I take it off myself and return it at anytime? Or do I visit the office after 24 hours and they take it off? It's supposed to be a 24 hour session - will it matter if I take it off 2 hours early?

Anyone have any insight on blood pressure monitoring systems? I should call a friend of ours/and neighbor...who is a pharmacist.

 

My sister had one, but we were back at the doc's in time to get it taken off. Don't know why you couldn't take it off yourself...

 

Ended up going in a little earlier to get the Holter monitor put on....so tomorrow I'll return it around 9:30am.

On Wednesday....I'm scheduled to wear a 24 hour blood pressure cuff.

It's times like these when I realize just how OLD i'm getting....

Anyone personally familiar with Omron & their blood pressure units?
Looking at the HEM780 unit and it's $60.32 from Amazon.

I surely hope I see the doctor again and he can talk to me about all this data he's getting and what's going on. I can understand if I'm withing NORMAL readings - but atleast give me some insight on how to manage myself to prevent the light headedness from happening again.

 

Well....all my test results came back NORMAL. So, that's a good thing, but I'm still confused.

We talked for a bit....and he was more concerned about heart issues than anything else. All my test results show very very low chance of heart disease (which is really good). But that doesn't explain my light-headedness. He offered to do a CAT scan but I didn't think it was necessary.

So... We came to the conclusion that I should try eating BEFORE going to the gym and working out. Perhaps my 'energy stores' were depleated. In most cases, I'll go to the gym 6 hours (or more) after \the last time I've eaten. He suggested carbs or candy bar before ...and protein after.

Funny....but the trainers at the gym tell you to eat AFTER you work out.

So, we'll see.... I guess I never would've considered my 'energy' stores would be depleated when I still have FAT hanging on my theighs (laugh).
Yeah, I've got lots of energy RIGHT HERE (grabbing the love handles).

 

Now that you mention that... when I was running track in high school, if I didn't eat at lunch time, I didn't do very well when running after school. But if I had a hamburger about three hours before running, I did alot better.

Make me shake the cob webs out to remember that