blood pressure question

[texasstyle]

My husband's on a blood pressure but stopped taking them last week ( I'm not getting into that part). Oddly enough he's BP been sorta ok.140/150 over 70 -ish. This morning he had dialysis and normally it's low at the end but today it was 150 over 70-ish? again.(doesn't remember exact number) Could the dialysis possibly be enough to keep the bp down so you may not need to take BP meds or at least go on a "reprieve". A few years back before being diagnosed his BP was around 180 at one point.  I have a hard time understanding BP's relation to dialysis. He goes 2x a week. Dialysis is supposed to keep it down right?

[pamster42000]

Kidneys remove wastes from your body and also release three important hormones:

1) Erythopoietin, or EPO, which stimulates the bone marrow to make red blood cells

2) Renin, which regulates blood pressure

3) Calcitriol, the active form of vitamin D, which helps maintain calcium for bones and for chemical balance in the body

A normal blood pressure is 120/80.

This is just my personal opinion but I would encourage your husband to start taking his BP medication again. I would guess he has some kidney function left. Keeping his BP at a lower number may help the kidney function that is left, last longer.

I would take his BP daily and write it down each time with the date and time. It is wise to monitor BP.

Also the Dr. will state your husband is being non-compliant with his medications and this will cause problems for you down the road. I would visit with his doctor and ask him if he thinks your husband needs to continue to take the BP med, maybe the dose can be lowered.

[Rerun]

Nocturnal dialysis and daily dialysis may keep you off BP medication, but not 2x a week.  150 top number is high.  I'd just continue to watch it.  Make him tell you what it is when he gets to dialysis.  If it is high then back on the pills he goes.

[monrein]

I came off all my BP meds once I started dialysis BUT I did 5 days a week, was super careful about sodium and my BP ran about 110/70. Like Rerun said,  I think your husband's BP sounds on the high side to be off all his BP meds. 

[*kana*]

I had been on BP meds since I was 12 years old until I started PD last year.  When I did a couple weeks on hemo my pressures were great and then went up super high.  I got back on PD and they crashed....I still can't get a BP while standing up.   

[monrein]

Sounds as if you were holding on to too much fluid on hemo.

[lizabee]

They had to take me off my BP meds after a little while on dialysis...mine was running like 70/40 but I wasn't feeling funny at all.  Now that I am not on the meds it runs about 116/70's

[Bajanne]

I used to be on BP meds, but I had to stop taking them because my BP is always too low.  That is my present problem. Sometimes they don't allow me to leave because my BP goes as low as 80/40!  I notice that I don't have to take my diabetes medication anymore, either.

[RichardMEL]

Like a few here I was on BP meds for 14 years before I started dialysis, after about 2 years on D my BP was getting lowish (like 90/55) and we decided to quit the BP meds(well the doc did ). Until a couple of months ago I was fine, averaging like 125/70 for BP, but lately it's been more like 150/90, which had me worried, so we're back on the BP meds as of earlier this week.

To texasstyle - if hubby is only on 2x a week, I don't think that will affect his BP much and those BP's sound very similar to mine and as I said the docs decided to put me back on the BP meds(well I emailed him with my concerns, and he agreed ). I would definitely recommend your husband get back on the BP meds - specially if he didn't stop under medical instruction but just decided to himself... that won't be helping him in the long run, IMHO.

[kitkatz]

We found if I take the BP meds the BP drops during dialysis since I have been on nocturnal.

[pdpatty]

Dialysis is doing a great job of controlling bp BUT should the top number go above 120 ,I am to take  1/2 of a 40mg lisinopril.I will probably have to take it tomorrow.

[texasstyle]

Sorry I didn't get back sooner but what a weekend it was. It was one of the "Murphy's Law" weekends lol. Anyway,I absorb something from what everyone says. He started his BP meds yesterday again (went off on his own to see if he'd feel better without my knowledge) He did the home unit BP was high yesterday & said it was pretty high at dialysis today but wouldn't give me the number. At lunch today he turned pale white got glassy eyed and starting sweating over his face. Maybe a sugar drop or maybe it'll take a while for the BP to regulate things again.Hopefully things will back to normal, but it seems things kidney disease makes things never really normal again. PS: I love the information on the 3 important hormones the kidney releases and their purpose. Helps me understand what, & why things happen. Thank you!

[pamster42000]

I am glad to hear your husband started taking his BP meds again! 

If your husband agrees sign a paper at the dialysis unit stating you can receive information about his health related issues. This way you can ask what his BP was during treatment etc. I would think beings you are his caregiver he would agree to this because you need to know what is going on.