how low does one suppose is too low?

[franksolich]

Okay, I'm not seeking medical advice, because I see a dermatologist every six weeks, more often if necessary, and have a family practice physician who's handling the ulcers, meaning I see him about every two weeks.

So sooner or later, I'll get an official medical answer to this question, but for the meantime--

How low does blood pressure have to be, before it's considered too low, possibly perilous?

Because I'm paranoid about blood pressure, I take readings on a semi-professional gadget at least four times a day, more often if something seems quirky.

I'm paranoid about blood pressure, because the parents and the six older siblings had too-high blood pressure, which was a factor in every single one of their premature demises.

For years and years and years, say from about the time I graduated from college at the age of 23, until August 2009, I always had consistent readings of circa 110/60, give or take a couple of points either way.  These were readings taken by medical professionals.

In August 2009, an ulcer in my throat burst open, and I lost about three pints of blood in my body.

In the hospital emergency room, when they sealed up the hole, the blood pressure unanticipatingly skyrocketed into the stratosphere; I was told the numbers, but don't remember them; all I remember is that everybody came scurrying back from their coffee-breaks and someone jammed nitroglycerin into me; it had been thought all was stable, but this happened.

For three months, I was taking pharmaceuticals for high blood pressure, after which I was gratefully told, "You don't need this any more."  I currently at present take no medicines other than an occasional aspirin and, of course, copious cigarettes.

However, the consistent readings (circa 110/60) of all those decades past never again occurred; as mentioned, I had gotten really paranoid about blood pressure, and was taking readings all the time.

They always varied, circa two-thirds or three-quarters of the time, being somewhat below 110/60.

But lately, the blood pressure's been plunging into a deep hole (which I'm sure affected my posting here during the weekend).

The past 24 hours (most of Sunday and into very early Monday morning), the readings have been 71/44, 71/43, 81/41, 63/39, 72/43, 67/43, 94/55, and is currently 82/45.

The last time a lower reading was more than 59, was on April 5, 2011, when it was 112/64.

So the past 24 hours, I've been smoking like a chimney, downing gallons of coffee, so as to jack that downward-withering blood pressure up.

That apparently doesn't work.

I am, as everyone knows but in case someone doesn't, a white middle-aged male 6'3" tall, and last I checked, 174 pounds.  I have no other health conditions such as diabetes or wracked nerves or bad cholesterol; just an irritating propensity to generate malignant things on my skin every so often, and the ulcers.  The kidneys are excellent; according to medical opinion, they're the kidneys of a healthy 18-year-old male who hasn't yet acquired any bad habits.  I am absent a couple of ribs, my right elbow, and of course, ears.

So, for someone like this, how low does the blood pressure have to get, one supposes, before it should be a concern? 

[Ballygrl]

frank, everyone is different, even though your numbers are seen as low blood pressure (hypotension) those numbers might be perfectly normal for your body whereas in someone else it might not be so good. I don't think there's a straight answer on what is considered too low since we're all individuals. How are you feeling? do you feel like you have some noticeable symptoms that could be related to low blood pressure? and have you taken your pulse rate? if so what does your pulse rate run? My MIL runs low, she's usually 90/60 but she feels fine. Has the Doctor done any thyroid tests on you? sometimes a thyroid problem can cause the pressure to be low. Also, and this is just my opinion, I hate those portable BP cuffs that people buy in the drug stores, I've seen more false readings on other people and even myself. I went to the OB/GYN Doctor a few months ago and he didn't have the old fashion machine you use with the stethoscope, I was terrified because my BP was sky high and I felt fine, my friend works for a Surgeon so I ran into her office the next day and had her take it the old fashion way, she took it 3 times and it was normal. This wasn't the 1st time I've seen false readings, when I worked for a Doctor we had patients bring their portable cuffs in and we'd take it both ways, the cuff and the old fashion way and the cuffs were almost always off. The scales and BP machines in Doctor's offices are calibrated on a regular basis to make sure they're accurate, that doesn't happen on a portable cuff.

Call your Doctor and tell him your concerns, let him take it in the office and see how much of a difference it is.

[Eupher]

If you're passing out on a regular basis, or otherwise feel like passing out and haven't been imbibing, it's probably too low.

If you feel okay enough to run a marathon (okay, maybe not a marathon -- just across the room over to the fridge might be far enough), you're probably fine.

Speaking as someone who has borderline hypertension (which is fundamentally caused by weighing too much and is controlled when the weight goes down), pretty much all a doc might do is have you do what you're doing already -- take your BP and trend it over a week or so, then he'll want to see the data. He may or may not prescribe suitable meds.

[JohnnyReb]

Move one of the DUmmie wymins in with you...if that doesn't jack up your blood pressure it's close to dearly beloved time.

What's your heart rate at the time you take your blood pressure?

Right after I had my heart attack, (in the hospital) my blood pressure at times would run around 55/35 and a little lower at times...that was with a "constant monitoring" device. But at the same time my heart rate would be 25 to 30 beats per minute.
When I slept, the rate would drop to as low as 20 beats per minute and blood pressure would also tank. Usually happened around 5 am every morning. When that happened there would be a gang of people around my bed with a cart full of portable equipment asking me how I felt. I felt just fine but the doctors would say, "You're not going home today." This went on for 10 days until I forced myself to wake up early one morning and stay awake so I didn't have that episode of low/rate/ low/pressure. They let me out if I wore a monitor and had someone stay with me at all times. I had my sister bring me home and my niece meet me at home. As soon as the sister was out of sight I told the niece, "I'll see you. Go home. I'm going for a ride."

Record your heart rate at the same time you check your blood pressure. The doctor might need that info.

[delilahmused]

Frank, I don't think you should take it so many times a day because it stresses you out and that's not healthy either. Maybe you should just take it once a day at the same time every day. If it bothers you or you don't feel good go see your general practitioner. No one in my family has had a blood pressure problem (high or low) so I don't have a clue.

Cindie

[franksolich]

On my way back here, I stopped at the nursing home in town, where an LPN took a reading with their machine, and then we took a reading with my machine.  On her machine, it was 88/49, on my machine it was 91/47, which to me indicates my machine is still accurate, although I'll keep checking it.

As to the heart-rate, this is something that's always bugged me.  I had been taught, as a little lad, that the "normal" pulse rate, the healthy pulse rate, is 72 per minute.  I've never since I've gotten that machine seen a heart rate in the 70s; it's always always always 81 or 83 or 82 or 85 or something else in the 80s.  So while it seems it never gets higher than up to 90, damn, it never seems to dip lower than 80.  I'd really like to get it down to 72 at some time; perhaps the smoking elevates it, I dunno.

[dandi]

Frank, there are many things that can cause hypotension. The "average" blood pressure range for a man your age (and I'm estimating your age here)
is from 116/81 on the low side to 147/91 on the high side, though there are many people with much lower BPs who get along fine.

A few things can be ruled out immediately. Dehydration for one, since you indicate you are taking in plenty of fluids. Massive bleeding either internal or external, which would present other, more obvious concomitant symptoms (think shock, bloody stools or vomit, loss of consciousness, etc.). Overdose of BP meds, which you aren't taking. Septicemia or "blood poisoning", in which you'd present with a high fever, malaise, dizziness, weakness.

Other causes of low BP which may be less readily apparent are damage to the heart muscle or problems with the heart's electrical system, resulting in a lower or uneven pulse rate or problems with the heart's ability to contract and pump blood efficiently. There are also hormonal conditions stemming from the kidneys and adrenal glands that can affect pressure.

A dangerously low BP, something that would require emergency medical intervention, would be in the neighborhood of 50/33 and you would likely be experiencing other symptoms.

If your urine output is okay, you're not getting dizzy or passing out when you rise from lying to sitting or sitting to standing, the color in your face, hands and feet are normal, you're thinking clearly and not short of breath, then your blood perfusion is most likely adequate for your body.

Of course the problem could just be with your BP machine, or you might not be placing it properly on your arm, which will definitely cause a false-low reading. At any rate, absent any other symptoms, you should be fine. Just be sure to make an appointment as soon as possible with your regular doctor to check for problems and if you do happen to develop any new symptoms like those above, get seen immediately.

[dandi]

On my way back here, I stopped at the nursing home in town, where an LPN took a reading with their machine, and then we took a reading with my machine.  On her machine, it was 88/49, on my machine it was 91/47, which to me indicates my machine is still accurate, although I'll keep checking it.

As to the heart-rate, this is something that's always bugged me.  I had been taught, as a little lad, that the "normal" pulse rate, the healthy pulse rate, is 72 per minute.  I've never since I've gotten that machine seen a heart rate in the 70s; it's always always always 81 or 83 or 82 or 85 or something else in the 80s.  So while it seems it never gets higher than up to 90, damn, it never seems to dip lower than 80.  I'd really like to get it down to 72 at some time; perhaps the smoking elevates it, I dunno.

Your heart rate is fine, Frank. 72 is just an average like a temp of 98.6 is just an average. It doesn't mean you're supposed to have that rate, as we're all built a little different. And yes, smoking will increase heart rate, along with caffeine.

[franksolich]

Thank you, sir.

There is some of that going on, mildly.

I will inquire of all of it on Saturday, when I go again out into the interior of the Sandhills, to see the physician who's dealing with the ulcers.  I can see him sooner in the big city, which is closer to me, but I'm killing two birds with one stone here, also consulting my roving partner.  A couple of days shouldn't make any difference, as there's nothing new or intense about it at the moment.

As mentioned earlier--you and I were posting at the same time, and so perhaps you didn't see it--the blood pressure machine was compared with a professional one, and the readings seem accurate.

There should be a lesson in this for everybody.

For years and years and years, decades, I prided myself in avoiding the things that had afflicted my parents and older brothers and sisters--usually the diseases and ailments of a too-easy, too-comfortable, too secure, too affluent, of a life--even, surprisingly, the genetic ones. 

In fact, I've been rather arrogant about it, an air of superiority.

I temporarily forgot that God has a sense of humor.

While I may have avoided their ailments, I seem to have acquired some uniquely my own.

[Ballygrl]

In reference to what Dandi brought up about bleeding, are you bleeding from your ulcers?

[franksolich]

In reference to what Dandi brought up about bleeding, are you bleeding from your ulcers?

Oh, probably, but that's a long-standing condition, for years.

That's why the surgery some weeks ago, to close up the hole in the small intestine.

[NHSparky]

Sounds like everyone here has said all that need be said, but if you do have a propensity for dizziness, light-headedness, what have you, then it would be worth checking into.

But if you can drink and smoke, and still not get your BP up, more power to you, my friend.  I used to be like you--pulse of 48, BP of 104/68, then I quit running regularly, and BOOM--big fat old guy.

[debk]

Frank....mine usually runs in the 90-100/60-70 range.

But it drops quite low when I have surgery, and for about 24 hours after, and it did when I was in labor with my kids. I end up getting attached to heart monitors, even though I am aware of what's going on, the ones in charge get nervous. I know it's gone as low as 60/40...and that made the heart monitor go crazy.

I lose feeling in my arms from just above my elbows and just above my knees, when it drops. It's as if they just go "to sleep" as if I was in an odd position or sitting on my foot when at my desk (which I'm usually doing), there's no tingling, nothing, just complete numbness.

Make sure to write down any symptoms or difference from normal, when you are taking your blood pressure, so that when you see the doctor on Saturday, you can let him know if anything else is happening at the same time. It might help him to figure out what is causing your blood pressure to be so low.

 

[SaintLouieWoman]

Frank, are you experiencing fatigue? SR always had normal blood pressure til he went to the hospital with the stroke. The doc placed him on a fairly low dose of bp meds, but subsequently cut them in half when SR told him about the fatigue. It helped. Dont do it without your doc's advice, but another trip to the doc might be in order.

The other thing the internist told SR was that the bp is usually quite different in the morning. I believe he said it was higher, why he was taking a higher dose of bp med in the evening to control that morning bp.

It's amazing that you're smoking so much. The first words out of the lips of the internist, neurologist and neuro surgeons were "do you smoke?" SR didn't smoke all that much, but even that smoking might have led to the stroke. He's way younger than what you normally would think of as "stroke age", but look at how young BEG was when she had a stroke.

I know all docs will lecture you on the smokes, but it's kind of alarming the way you described your smoking so much. Take care of yourself, everyone here loves your stories and want to keep you around.

[Skul]

The wife runs in the same range.
To be honest, I suggest having the BP machine checked for calibration before you consider moving in with a DUmmie.
Might save you half.

I'm at the other end of the scale.
Wish I had your problem.

[vesta111]

The wife runs in the same range.
To be honest, I suggest having the BP machine checked for calibration before you consider moving in with a DUmmie.
Might save you half.

I'm at the other end of the scale.
Wish I had your problem.

Frank you are perturbing me here, when men over 60 begin to check their sugar, their blood pressure every 4 hours-------It is just a short step to keeping feces in a jar to examine and have a wall chart on how often you go and what the condition of the expelled excrement is in.

Damn don't start peeing in a cup to measure urine out put,  and logging the amount of liquid you intake each day.

You need a distraction from worries about health,  what killed off family may have by passed you in the gene factory.  They died years ago from something that in today's world is no problem to us.

Having a room mate regardless of sex, politics, race or outside your knowledge of their traditions or homeland just may take your mind off your longevity. Hell having an Aleut Eskimo move in will be a adventure for you.

Fancy, they speak no English, you are deaf,    the logistics of this will be fascinating reading for us.

You can write  book titled "20 years in Nebraska with an Eskimo" and become a book for anthropologists to mull over 50 years after you have departed.