Hey guys, I took my blood pressure/ heartbeat for the past 5 days sitting and standing (a couple I did 2 readings while standing). I am curious what you guys think and if you have any suggestions on what could be causing this and if you think these numbers are concerning? Also, if you have personal numbers or experiences with blood pressure/heart rate that changed after surgery I would love to hear about that too.
Are you taking your bp/heart rates at the same time every day? Before or after you’ve eaten? Anxiety level similar each day at the time you take the tests? Are you making sure your legs aren’t crossed but are parallel to each other? The sphygmomanometer cuff should be near heart level w/ arm relaxed (i.e. when you’re standing, the elbow would be bent to no more than 90º & arm would be supported by something other than your other arm to keep the cuff at heart level).
If the answers to all my questions are yes, then in my non-medical opinion, the fluctuations between standing & sitting are fairly normal. It’s normal to have a lower bp/heart rate when sitting than standing (POTS is a problem that occurs when the bp drops instead of elevating when a person stands up). Your heart rate will also coincide w/ your bp & is usually a little higher when the bp is higher, HOWEVER, when the bp is excessively low, heart rate will rise significantly as low bp sends a message to the brain the 02 is in short supply so heart rate is ramped up to try to bring more 02 to the brain. This in return can cause a feeling of breathlessness, nausea & feeling faint.
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@hyperichard As you probably know that optimal blood pleasure is 120/80 anything above or below does not mean there is blood pressure disease. There are a lot of factors to take into account as @Isaiah_40_31 put it. For example, when I used to meditate, my blood pressure would drop to 100/60 or less from 130/80 and that is because I am relaxed and calm. So you have to take those numbers with a grain of salt. I am not a medical doctor but I think your numbers are ok. If there is high blood pressure disease, this is typically caused by hardened or narrowed arteries that can’t expand enough to accommodate the blood volume hence the high pressure. Your numbers do not reflect that. Heart beat is different from blood pressure but the 2 are related and it is highly correlated with your posture. If you stand up your heart beats faster because it has to push blood up to the brain to counteract gravity pull. Similarly, lying flat on a bed reduces your heart rate because it is easier to push it across the body. This is analogous to what happens when you lift an object versus when you drag it. Obviously lifting is harder because you have to lift it up against gravity. Just like blood pressure, heart beat is also affected by physiological stuff like anxiety which jacks up your heartbeat to bump more blood into your muscles to fight or flee.
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It’s POTS a symptom caused by IIH? Or is it caused by compression of the vagus nerve since the vagus nerve controls a lot of those things, such as heart rate?
Or is it a combination of jugular and vagus nerve compression?
@Dontgiveup it could be any of that or combination of that. Or could be due to other mechanism. No one can say for sure but I would say majority are caused by what you mentioned.
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@KoolDude yeah, I mean it makes sense to me and a lot of people I’ve spoken to have had some sort of POTS onset since the neck issues.
This is probably a stupid question, but can an angiogram reveal CSF leaks?
@Dontgiveup i don’t think so. That is for vascular issues only. They have special CT called CT Myelography to detect CSF leak and MRI can sometimes detect as well.
I also have EDS, Chronic Lyme disease (4 years since diagnosis), and other co-infections (babesiosis, Bartonella). It’s hard for me to tell what symptoms are what but in terms of when I stand up I do get dizzy, but maybe that’s just because of my heart rate and not the blood pressure. I also am a very big gamer and all of high school i was homeschooled so I spent about 10-15 hours a day on the computer. And about 10 hours now in college, so my posture is horrible like my neck is completely forward.
@hyperichard I agree, with Lyme & EDS the symptoms could overlap with a whole host of other diseases. Lyme alone could wreak havoc many body systems so I sympathize with you.
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Having awareness of your incorrect posture/head/neck positions is the first step toward beginning to correct the problem, hyperichard. You’re still on the younger side which means you may have an easier time w/ postural correction than we older folks.
I have taken mat Pilates classes for several years which have helped w/ my posture, flexibility & strength. I’m not suggesting you go there until after your ES is taken care of, but once you’re fully healed, Pilates is a good “all body” type of exercise. Caveat - Not the high speed aerobic type often done on a reformer. The slower, less repetitive, version that focuses on breathing & proper posture & activation of muscles.
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These look pretty good to me. I think the heart rate going up to 80/90 is quite normal when standing and I’ve looked in to it quite a lot as mine is all over the place.
Your BP looks good too except diastolic a bit low at 53. Also you would expect it to go down slightly when standing. Can I ask why is it worrying you - do you think it brings on symptoms?
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@hyperichard hi there! I haven’t been on here in probably 6 months or so and it’s ironic I would see your post.
I have POTS. I can say with a high level of confidence that your numbers don’t look like POTS. I’m not and doctor, just a long time patient/sufferer. It’s normal for one’s heart rate to increase dramatically when they stand and then it usually settles to 20 or less increase in a minute or so. For POTS the heart rate is sustained at a 30 bpm or more increase without significant drop in BP.
With all that being said if you are feeling symptoms when your standing there could still be some dysautonomia going on. There are many types of orthostatic intolerance.
Let me know if you have any questions I’m happy to discuss.
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