Blood-pressure & Dialysis.

[kristina]

Is it common to Dialysis-patients,
that when they arrive for Dialysis & have their BP taken,
it is high (i.g. 212/110   etc.)?

If this is the case, how does their body stand-up to this
high level of blood-pressure three times a week?

I ask this because when I suffered the cerebral haemorrhages on one occasion
and the stroke on another occasion, I was told in hospital, the haemorrhages & the stroke
were due to uncontrolled high blood-pressure of this level (220/160).

So naturally I wonder what will happen to me,
if I were to be going to Dialysis with this sort of high blood-pressure?

(I do take antihypertensives, which control my blood-pressure, so why do people who go to
Dialysis have uncontrolled high blood pressure? I am confused about this whole issue).

Thanks for your thoughts, Kristina.

[monrein]

Water retention can cause that pre-session high BP, and the pressure drops as the fluid is removed.  Problem sometimes is that the fluid is in the tissues, not in the blood stream only and if too much salt has been consumed, the pressure drops as the fluid comes out of the blood stream but it can't come out of the tissues fast enough to be removed since the sodium causes the body to hold onto it.

[kristina]

Thanks monrein for your explanation, it makes it much clearer.
So, as I understand it, it “pays” to keep the Sodium-level in the normal range
and to pay attention to the liquid-intake and be very strict about everything,
but I am sure, that is easier said than done because as I understand it
there is not much room for error.
Thanks again for the explanation.
Kind regards from Kristina.

[jbeany]

Even fluid overloaded, my bp never ran that high.  It's one of those things that varies from person to person, though.  I was on 3 or 4 different bp meds before I started dialysis.  I was down to one after the first couple of months.  I came off of all of them once I started on a NxStage.  Even when I went back to in-center after a year and half on home hemo, I didn't start taking bp meds again - but I had also lost a significant amount of weight by then.  Weight loss can affect bp a lot, too.

[monrein]

Towards the end of my last transplant I was on 5 BP meds until D started.  Then I was on none.   Jbeany is right about the weight loss too.  My BP was never that high or I'm pretty sure my doc would have put me back on meds....actually I would have asked him to.

[Jean]

All of the above answers I am sure Kristina, are correct. I find that stress ( like going to see the neph) will raise my BP at least 25 points!!!

[kristina]

Thanks for all the answers.
It possibly is right that we are all individuals
and it varies from person to person.
Getting different views does help because
one never knows what to expect and having
that background information can be very useful and
I thank everyone for their input.
Kind regards from Kristina.