hypotension.
Posted 10-28-2009 at 04:33 AM by mixedmedia
When I went into the hospital last spring one of the biggest surprises I discovered was that I now have low blood pressure. It never rose above 85/65 or so the entire time I was there. I haven't checked it in a while, but I've no reason to believe that it has changed. I feel it all the time now.
My blood pressure was always pretty consistently 120/80 before - like clockwork. Now my clock is permanently slow, I guess.
I feel perfectly fine most of the time, but if I allow my head to remain lower than the rest of my body for too long I will get a very intense, piercing dizziness accompanied by nausea and headache when I stand back up. So I try and make sure not do that too much, lol. Occasionally I will get a vertigo feeling just lying down flat. It's a bummer because I really hate nausea...I would rather be in pain (most of the time) than be nauseous.
The other major consequence of having low blood pressure is the amount of time it takes for blood to flow back into my hands if they've been compressed - while sleeping, for instance. I tend to sleep halfways on my stomach with my arms under my pillow and sometimes I will wake up with one or both hands completely dead of feeling and when I change position, it takes a long time for the blood to circulate through them again. I can feel the sluggishness of the blood like a flag unfurling in slow motion...it's very odd. That happened early this morning which is what got me to thinking about it when I got up. Most of the time I don't think about it at all.
The good thing about low blood pressure (I guess) is that they actually encourage you to use salt, lol. And I love salt!
Oh, and as it turns out, my father has low blood pressure, too. I haven't read anything to suggest that hypotension is inheritable, but they do believe now that hypertension is a hereditary condition, so I would imagine its possible.
Most of the time it's a non-factor. I'm not sure why I got so focused on it this morning. Like the cardiologist in the hospital told me, no one ever died from low blood pressure, lol. Yay!
My blood pressure was always pretty consistently 120/80 before - like clockwork. Now my clock is permanently slow, I guess.
I feel perfectly fine most of the time, but if I allow my head to remain lower than the rest of my body for too long I will get a very intense, piercing dizziness accompanied by nausea and headache when I stand back up. So I try and make sure not do that too much, lol. Occasionally I will get a vertigo feeling just lying down flat. It's a bummer because I really hate nausea...I would rather be in pain (most of the time) than be nauseous.
The other major consequence of having low blood pressure is the amount of time it takes for blood to flow back into my hands if they've been compressed - while sleeping, for instance. I tend to sleep halfways on my stomach with my arms under my pillow and sometimes I will wake up with one or both hands completely dead of feeling and when I change position, it takes a long time for the blood to circulate through them again. I can feel the sluggishness of the blood like a flag unfurling in slow motion...it's very odd. That happened early this morning which is what got me to thinking about it when I got up. Most of the time I don't think about it at all.
The good thing about low blood pressure (I guess) is that they actually encourage you to use salt, lol. And I love salt!
Oh, and as it turns out, my father has low blood pressure, too. I haven't read anything to suggest that hypotension is inheritable, but they do believe now that hypertension is a hereditary condition, so I would imagine its possible.
Most of the time it's a non-factor. I'm not sure why I got so focused on it this morning. Like the cardiologist in the hospital told me, no one ever died from low blood pressure, lol. Yay!
Total Comments 6
Comments
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Well... not to contradict your cardiologist, but I think you'll find that almost everyone who's dead has VERY LOW blood pressure
I have the opposite problem, with mild hypertension. But one of the side effects of the drug(s) I've been on to control it is "postural hypotension". Like you, if I bend down and then straighten up, instant dizziness and nausea. I may have to hold on to something for about 5 - 15 seconds.
Isn't getting older SO much fun?Posted 10-28-2009 at 04:49 AM by GreyWolf
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haha! that's what I told him.
he didn't laugh.
the cardiologist was almost as hilarious as the neurologist (not!)Posted 10-28-2009 at 04:57 AM by mixedmedia
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Oooo, someone has health insurance.Posted 10-28-2009 at 07:29 AM by Plan9
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who? who has health insurance?
not I.Posted 10-28-2009 at 07:58 AM by mixedmedia
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Past tense, too? Wow. Did your insurance puppy die too?
...
(thinks salt, imagines you eating pickles and Campbell's products)Posted 10-28-2009 at 08:16 AM by Plan9
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I haven't had health insurance in over a year...so, yeah.
...and I used to eat pickles and Campbell's soup all the time when I was little, now not so much. I do love sliced tomatoes with sea salt, though. In fact, I just had some.
Posted 10-28-2009 at 12:42 PM by mixedmedia
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