Record low blood pressures

[LifeOnHold]

Yaaaay, I made it out of there ALIVE today!  I started passing out and when Rosie (my tech) took my blood pressure, it was 70/40.  I felt panicky and dizzy, so I knew it was pretty low.  I got almost a whole bag of saline and then it went up to 103/70.   (I have to have at least 100/70 before they'll let me leave the unit.)


My all-time record low bp was 50/30... and I was still awake at the time!  (I couldn't believe it-- I've passed out at 80/60!)

So, what's everyone's record low blood pressure?

[Epoman]

WOW! my lowest has been 100/60 and I felt really bad. BUT on the flip side I had a HIGH blood pressure of 250/140 and I felt REALLY sick, no headache just really sick. Finally I got my pressure under control and my pressure is usually 140/80 which is actually very good.

I had a hell of a time finding the right drug combination and dosage.

[Rerun]

High BP is what took my transplant.  I was popping pills 24/7 and could not get it down.  My high has been 210/115 or something like that.  No record lows yet and I'm not looking forward to it.  Darla~

[tamara]

My lowest blood pressure is the same as darla's, but trying to control it sometimes is crazy, esprecially early on in my "End STAGE". 240/120 is my highest no headache no nothing, its funny because sometimes i feel better and more energetic when its higher.But it hasnt been that high for a long time.At the lowest blood pressure I was laying in bed wasnt even taking that much off that day and i could feel that i was falling laying down.So here comes mr saline to the rescue.!!!!!!ciao for now.

[tweetykiss]

The hospital had the nerve to give us a blood pressure machine and now it is making me crazy......his numbers have dropped and I am making phone calls like crazy....his pressure at the hospital on all his check ups is 112/something (but never too low) and now I get readings like between 96 and 102/between 48 and 58 and pulse rate at 58 but his pulse has been in the higher 50s in the check ups.......

Now why are they being cruel to us making me worry when it is really better to wait for check ups and see how he reads......nurse triage told me not to worry unless his systolic is 80 and diastolic goes in the 30s.......

[Adam_W]

My lowest blood pressure that I remember having was something like 70/50, pulse in the 160s, and my highest was 220/140 and that came very close to killing me (I was in the ICU for three days while they were trying to get it down).

Adam

[tweetykiss]

My lowest blood pressure that I remember having was something like 70/50, pulse in the 160s, and my highest was 220/140 and that came very close to killing me (I was in the ICU for three days while they were trying to get it down).

Adam

Sorry you had to be in the hospital for high BP since that is something all KD patients worry about.......my husband is taking high blood pressure pills like hydralazine (300 mg a day) and metrpolol and then he off course has his low to no sodium diet and no salt off course........

Now what did they have to do with you when you had that very low BP?

[Chicken Little]

Now what did they have to do with you when you had that very low BP?

On PD, you increase your sodium and drink more liquids.   You're probably ok doing both, but you need to get some instruction from his doctor tomorrow. 

[tweetykiss]

Now what did they have to do with you when you had that very low BP?

On PD, you increase your sodium and drink more liquids.   You're probably ok doing both, but you need to get some instruction from his doctor tomorrow. 

After talking to nurse triage (yeah no doctor on Sunday unless ER...beautiful eh)....anyway she said unless there is fluid restriction is to have him drink either water or something safe so I had him drink some 7-up and then took his pressure again and his systolic is 115 and diastolic was somewhere in the 50s and pulse was 59 so now I am happy.....

I will call his GP tomorrow and ask a 101 questions.......

I hate weekends.....

[ktpuppers]

I wish I could get my pressure up to 100/anything.  I usually have a struggle to get it to the 90's before I can get on the machine to begin a treatment.  At one point yesterday during my treatment, my pressure dropped to 55/30.  There is no cramping, no vomiting and I am conscious.  When I come off of dialysis and it is that low, I walk around the unit.  The doc's have run every test they can think of and cannot come up with a reason for such extreme hypotension.  I guess I am just a freak of nature.

[skyedogrocks]

Rob's lowest has been in the 50's/30's area.  I used to panic like you wouldn't believe!  Since starting home hemo it has been much better.  I know once he starts yawning it's time for him to lay back.  If he still has fluid to take off I start to monitor it very closely.

[Bajanne]

I had to spend extra time at dialysis today because of low BP - at one time it was 70/50.   One of the nurses always checks my BP when I start to yawn.  I wonder why you yawn when your BP is low.

[Chicken Little]

You could yawn because your body knows that yawning increases blood pressure, but its more likely a reaction to a lack of oxygen.  We yawn when our oxygen levels are down.  It's one of the reasons we yawn when we are bored, like in school.  Our breathing tends to change when we zone out, and I definitely zone out when my BP crashes.  So try taking a couple deep breaths next time it happens. 

I also concentrate on my breathing (in, 1, 2, 3, etc.   out, 1, 2, 3, etc.) in those meetings & situations where it's long and boring, but it would be rude to yawn.  It works great.      

[LightLizard]

breathing deeply is good advice, chickenlittle. my lowest was around 70/30. my highest, which it was at for months, was 200/100. the constant ringing in my ears and headache was not a party.
i was told, after going on home dialysis, if my B/P dropped down below 100/60-ish, to lay down and drink salty broth of some kind.
adjusting my dialysate and meds has brought my B/P more into reasonable levels, but it is a constant juggling act for people in our position, that's for sure.
yesterday, i was told that i could halve my current blood pressure meds, to bring my B/P up, slightly..
i considered that
'good' news, for lack of any other....

[larry781]

My philosophy about BP is simple: if I can stand by myself, it is OK. So what if I lose my sight for a few moments?
Unfortunately, we too must have a diastolic of 100 or greater to leave, but I have found a little way around that. While still seated, I hit the inflate button on the machine and let it go. While seated, my BP is almost always OK. I then stand and immediately take it again, standing in front of the screen. Before deflation, I very slyly hit the button to cancel, that way, my last seated looks like my standing!
Gawd, I hope the chage nurse doesn't read this board.

Larry

[kitkatz]

Larry when you fall down and go kaboom on the floor and hit your head do not go running to your charge nurse! She will laugh at you!

I hate that low blood pressure feeling you get after treatment.  The woozy I am either going to throw up or pass out feeling and the room spins slowly around your head!

[fluffy]

I had 50 30 once when i was using a high concentration of PD fluid  i was ok if i sat still but if i had to walk anywhere or move my heart would pound and my back would hurt like hell