Have been taking my blood pressure each day for the last week. Highest is 130/80 lowest is 119/67.
Showed the renal dr and he said it seems a bit high; better increase my atenolol!
Feel a bit annoyed about this, I stood up the other day at work and collapsed in a heap on the floor! Not that dignified…
Does anyone else have their blood pressure kept artificially low post transplant?
Blood pressure
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that seems like a great blood pressure- i personally don't think you should be on any BP medication!
ok 130 is a touch higher than it should be, but the top number doesnt mean much-- it will rise if you are stressed, or have been doing exercise, or for a number of reasons. The lower one is the one to keep an eye on
If low BP is impacting your daily life then I say talk w/ the docs and ask them to sort it out! You can't be fainting during work
ok 130 is a touch higher than it should be, but the top number doesnt mean much-- it will rise if you are stressed, or have been doing exercise, or for a number of reasons. The lower one is the one to keep an eye on
If low BP is impacting your daily life then I say talk w/ the docs and ask them to sort it out! You can't be fainting during work
Gotta say Bluemoon - I agree with Jen on this one. 120/80 is the perfect BP, and they shouldn't really be increasing your atenolol with a BP of 130/80. I'm on no BP meds at all post-tx and mine has been 130/90 recently.
Maybe your Consultant is being a bit over-cautious, but it certainly seems like your BP may now be too low. See what your Doc says about bringing your atenolol down a bit - incidentally, atenolol was the only BP meds that I have been on which brought my BP down so much that my heartrate went down to 45 beats per min, and it brought on migraines. It is quite a powerful drug.
Hope it clears up for you soon.
Ruth x
Maybe your Consultant is being a bit over-cautious, but it certainly seems like your BP may now be too low. See what your Doc says about bringing your atenolol down a bit - incidentally, atenolol was the only BP meds that I have been on which brought my BP down so much that my heartrate went down to 45 beats per min, and it brought on migraines. It is quite a powerful drug.
Hope it clears up for you soon.
Ruth x
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Julie
My neph tries to keep my blood pressure really low too. It ranges from about 100/70 to 125/85 and yet he still likes me to be on BP meds. I'm not on anything at the moment but that's against my neph's wishes. Thankfully my GP agrees with me. I've been on Irbesartan a lot and had really low blood pressure. At one point when they increased my dose I spent the whole day lying down because I couldn't stand up at all without fainting. Obviously I reduced it again quick smart!
So I completely sympathise with you James. I think their theory is the lower the BP the less the kidney(s) have to work and the longer they'll last. That's all well and good for them when they're not in constant head-spin! Talk to your GP for a less renal-oriented point of view.
I agree with the others, it doesn't seem like you need to increase your atenolol. Just keep an eye on your BP to check it doesn't go any higher.
So I completely sympathise with you James. I think their theory is the lower the BP the less the kidney(s) have to work and the longer they'll last. That's all well and good for them when they're not in constant head-spin! Talk to your GP for a less renal-oriented point of view.
I agree with the others, it doesn't seem like you need to increase your atenolol. Just keep an eye on your BP to check it doesn't go any higher.
Membranoproliferative Glomerulonephritis (MCGN/MPGN) TYPE 1
Stage 5, nephrotic, hypoalbuminia, proteinurea, hypothyroidism, anemia, vitamin d deficiency
Ramipril, Levothyroxine, Ferrous Gluconate, Alfacalcidol, D3, Domperidone, Amitriptyline
Stage 5, nephrotic, hypoalbuminia, proteinurea, hypothyroidism, anemia, vitamin d deficiency
Ramipril, Levothyroxine, Ferrous Gluconate, Alfacalcidol, D3, Domperidone, Amitriptyline
Hi James,
The higher of the 2 readings is pretty much perfect and the lower is a little low! I wouldn't necessarily agree that you shouldn't be taking any BP meds at all but definately that they should not be increasing it. Speak to the docs and if they wont listen speak to your transplant nurse as well.
Mine at the best is around 130/70 but in the morning is around 160/100 before taking any meds. My high BP is caused by my native kidneys and I take 10mg Ramipril, 10mg felodipine & 1.25 bisoprolol.
Good luck
Mike
The higher of the 2 readings is pretty much perfect and the lower is a little low! I wouldn't necessarily agree that you shouldn't be taking any BP meds at all but definately that they should not be increasing it. Speak to the docs and if they wont listen speak to your transplant nurse as well.
Mine at the best is around 130/70 but in the morning is around 160/100 before taking any meds. My high BP is caused by my native kidneys and I take 10mg Ramipril, 10mg felodipine & 1.25 bisoprolol.
Good luck
Mike
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I am not sure I agree that lower BP makes the kidneys last longer because they do less work
From my experience on dialysis and experimenting with fluid balance and blood pressure.. when my BP is lower as I have had less fluid, I tend to feel a lot worse, and this is confirmed with higher urea levels. When my BP is slightly on the higher side and I'm slightly fluid overloaded I feel a lot better and my blood results are always a little better too. When I experimented with this at my last dx adequacy test, toxin clearance of my own kidney function (excludng dx) was better. Of course this could be due to other factors, but I definately feel better when I'm slightly fluid overloaded. Not too much though cos then it starts collecting and my BP goes way higher than it should be.
I don't know if its because the urea/creat is more diluted or something I dont know; my reasoning is (could be totally wrong!) that dialysis doing the work and taking off the fluid makes my kidneys lazier or something. If there is more fluid in my bloodstream they are forced to do some work, and stop sleeping on the job
Of course, this will only last as long as they are still able to get rid of a little bit of water
I thought the reason high BP was bad for kidneys is because the blood vessels and filters are so small that they are easily damaged by high BP... But then it depends what you classify as high. High for normal people is 140/90.
I want to ask about this next time I see the Neph (once every 6 months here for people stable on PD
)
From my experience on dialysis and experimenting with fluid balance and blood pressure.. when my BP is lower as I have had less fluid, I tend to feel a lot worse, and this is confirmed with higher urea levels. When my BP is slightly on the higher side and I'm slightly fluid overloaded I feel a lot better and my blood results are always a little better too. When I experimented with this at my last dx adequacy test, toxin clearance of my own kidney function (excludng dx) was better. Of course this could be due to other factors, but I definately feel better when I'm slightly fluid overloaded. Not too much though cos then it starts collecting and my BP goes way higher than it should be.
I don't know if its because the urea/creat is more diluted or something I dont know; my reasoning is (could be totally wrong!) that dialysis doing the work and taking off the fluid makes my kidneys lazier or something. If there is more fluid in my bloodstream they are forced to do some work, and stop sleeping on the job
Of course, this will only last as long as they are still able to get rid of a little bit of water
I thought the reason high BP was bad for kidneys is because the blood vessels and filters are so small that they are easily damaged by high BP... But then it depends what you classify as high. High for normal people is 140/90.
I want to ask about this next time I see the Neph (once every 6 months here for people stable on PD
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Anne in Va
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Hi,
Here's my two cents worth! After years of 120/80 being considered the perfect blood pressure, the medical community is now saying that figure is a little high. The "new normal" here in the US is considered to be 110/70. This is a pretty new measure and don't know if it will stand the test of time! Anyway, some doctors are now using that new measure as the standard.
Anne
Here's my two cents worth! After years of 120/80 being considered the perfect blood pressure, the medical community is now saying that figure is a little high. The "new normal" here in the US is considered to be 110/70. This is a pretty new measure and don't know if it will stand the test of time! Anyway, some doctors are now using that new measure as the standard.
Anne
I’ve been through the blood pressure thing a few years ago, so here are some things I picked up along the way.
120/80 used to be called normal and 130/90 was borderline high but a few years ago that has been changed and 120/80 is now borderline high. Now 120-130/80-90 is now in the area where some physicians treat it with medication some try to lower it with life style change.
Now with kidney transplant patients the game changes a bit. Remember high blood pressure and kidneys do not get along. A large percentage of kidney failures can be attributed in part or in whole to high blood pressure. Having said that, it’s important for people with transplants or kidney disease to keep tabs on BP. But as far as I can tell there are no hard fast rules on what is too high for transplant patients. It seems to be the doctor’s call. Its funny but in my case it was my GP that was more aggressive then my Neph.
Moreover, the flip side of the coin is too low a BP can decrease the filtering function of the kidney, or so I’m told.
Also, I’m not sure what type of BP med you are taking but ACE Inhibitors have been found to have positive impact of the transplanted kidney.
Last, finding the right combination of BP meds for me, as like a lot of people, was a lot of trial and error. I’ve have everything for swollen ankles and abdomen to dizzy spells. For awhile I was not too positive that the doctor knew what he was doing. It was like try this, opps did not work, try this, nope not this time, how about this. I was waiting for an instruction like when you take this one stand on your left foot and rub your belly. But now that I’m “settled in†my BP runs in the range of 100-115/65-75 and I generally never get over 120/80 unless it’s like 120/82. My personal feeling, form someone with a kidney transplant’s prospective, is it was worth the effort to find the right medication to have gotten it where it is now, why play with fire?
Now in my mid 40’s I was getting a company physical and the nurse who took my BP said “WOW you have a great BP for someone your age!†My response was “I better have, I pay $$ enough for it.â€
Bill
120/80 used to be called normal and 130/90 was borderline high but a few years ago that has been changed and 120/80 is now borderline high. Now 120-130/80-90 is now in the area where some physicians treat it with medication some try to lower it with life style change.
Now with kidney transplant patients the game changes a bit. Remember high blood pressure and kidneys do not get along. A large percentage of kidney failures can be attributed in part or in whole to high blood pressure. Having said that, it’s important for people with transplants or kidney disease to keep tabs on BP. But as far as I can tell there are no hard fast rules on what is too high for transplant patients. It seems to be the doctor’s call. Its funny but in my case it was my GP that was more aggressive then my Neph.
Moreover, the flip side of the coin is too low a BP can decrease the filtering function of the kidney, or so I’m told.
Also, I’m not sure what type of BP med you are taking but ACE Inhibitors have been found to have positive impact of the transplanted kidney.
Last, finding the right combination of BP meds for me, as like a lot of people, was a lot of trial and error. I’ve have everything for swollen ankles and abdomen to dizzy spells. For awhile I was not too positive that the doctor knew what he was doing. It was like try this, opps did not work, try this, nope not this time, how about this. I was waiting for an instruction like when you take this one stand on your left foot and rub your belly. But now that I’m “settled in†my BP runs in the range of 100-115/65-75 and I generally never get over 120/80 unless it’s like 120/82. My personal feeling, form someone with a kidney transplant’s prospective, is it was worth the effort to find the right medication to have gotten it where it is now, why play with fire?
Now in my mid 40’s I was getting a company physical and the nurse who took my BP said “WOW you have a great BP for someone your age!†My response was “I better have, I pay $$ enough for it.â€
Bill
Hi Jen,
From my own experience on PD and APD on the rare occasion I was overloaded with fluid I felt terrible after using an orange bag and taking that fluid off. I think you have to take into account that when you remove lots of fluid you also remove a lot more salts with it. It often makes your salt amongst other thing too low so you would feel unwell. I would have terrible cramps, feel totally exhausted and ill for a day or so until it returned to normal(ish)
I feel that it is worth pointing out that fluid retention puts an big strain on the heart and actually removing the fluid strains the heart as well. We all as kidney patients need to take care of our hearts as they will be under a greater strain than in a normal person for most of the rest of our lives. We dont know if we will end up being on dialysis again after a transplant, the transplant operation as with an operation puts massive strain on it and if you are on dialysis long term you really have to take extra care of it. Heart and circulatory diseases and disorders are the biggest killer of kidney patients.
I know it is difficult but there is a reason for a fluid restriction and the closer you keep to it the better for your long term health.
You are right about the dialysis making your kidneys sleepy, it is the reason why with PD your residual function lasts longer than on hemo. I'm not sure I would have wanted to strain them too much as they still work for me even now and they kept me off a fluid restriction.
I'm not sure of the exact mechanism of high Bp that causes the damage myself so can't offer much assistance there but my bp was ok all the time I was on PD but only due to 4 different BP Meds plus frusemide to help too. I was on ramipril which helps reduce the protein leak too.
I'm really surprised you have such a long gap between clinics I was at the clinic a maximum of 3 months apart.
Anyway hope you are well
Mike
From my own experience on PD and APD on the rare occasion I was overloaded with fluid I felt terrible after using an orange bag and taking that fluid off. I think you have to take into account that when you remove lots of fluid you also remove a lot more salts with it. It often makes your salt amongst other thing too low so you would feel unwell. I would have terrible cramps, feel totally exhausted and ill for a day or so until it returned to normal(ish)
I feel that it is worth pointing out that fluid retention puts an big strain on the heart and actually removing the fluid strains the heart as well. We all as kidney patients need to take care of our hearts as they will be under a greater strain than in a normal person for most of the rest of our lives. We dont know if we will end up being on dialysis again after a transplant, the transplant operation as with an operation puts massive strain on it and if you are on dialysis long term you really have to take extra care of it. Heart and circulatory diseases and disorders are the biggest killer of kidney patients.
I know it is difficult but there is a reason for a fluid restriction and the closer you keep to it the better for your long term health.
You are right about the dialysis making your kidneys sleepy, it is the reason why with PD your residual function lasts longer than on hemo. I'm not sure I would have wanted to strain them too much as they still work for me even now and they kept me off a fluid restriction.
I'm not sure of the exact mechanism of high Bp that causes the damage myself so can't offer much assistance there but my bp was ok all the time I was on PD but only due to 4 different BP Meds plus frusemide to help too. I was on ramipril which helps reduce the protein leak too.
I'm really surprised you have such a long gap between clinics
I was at the clinic a maximum of 3 months apart.Anyway hope you are well
Mike
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I go to a clinic every month where the CAPD nurses take bloods, ask if everything is ok etc but we only see an actual doc every 6 months where he does the full check up. If there's anything in the blood results that causes concern or needs a medication alteration they ring us up.
Back to high BP... well I was on loads of medication before I started CAPD,3 different types and even then it was 130-140/80-90. Now I'm on dx they've said I don't need it as my BP hovers around 118/75 without drugs, so I'm happy I have 3 less pills to take... apart from when I drink to much it goes up a lot.
The lower the better I guess is the answer...Yanamami Indians in the Amazon apparently have BPs of 90/40 But if its affecting your ability to stand then I think the docs need to reconsider giving you so much
J
Back to high BP... well I was on loads of medication before I started CAPD,3 different types and even then it was 130-140/80-90. Now I'm on dx they've said I don't need it as my BP hovers around 118/75 without drugs, so I'm happy I have 3 less pills to take... apart from when I drink to much it goes up a lot.
The lower the better I guess is the answer...Yanamami Indians in the Amazon apparently have BPs of 90/40
But if its affecting your ability to stand then I think the docs need to reconsider giving you so muchJ
Hi
Im not post transplant im currently on PD but have high blood pressure until recently i was taking both Atenolol and Adalat but started to get light head and had my vison close in when is tood up. My Doc took me of the adalat but i still get light headed and now get extrem headaches which i had before i was diagnosed so im going to ask to go back on it. I get bloods taken once a month and see the doc at the clinic bi monthly see him monday when i'll be asking about it. Cutting my BP meds was to stop the lightheadness but it hasnt and it has brought back other symptons.
Tom
Im not post transplant im currently on PD but have high blood pressure until recently i was taking both Atenolol and Adalat but started to get light head and had my vison close in when is tood up. My Doc took me of the adalat but i still get light headed and now get extrem headaches which i had before i was diagnosed so im going to ask to go back on it. I get bloods taken once a month and see the doc at the clinic bi monthly see him monday when i'll be asking about it. Cutting my BP meds was to stop the lightheadness but it hasnt and it has brought back other symptons.
Tom
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amanda in CA
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BP
It used to be thought that only the lower number (diastolic pressure) on a BP reading had any real significance in terms of health. However, that has been re-evaluated and it is important to also keep the systolic (the bottom number) within a certain range.
Those numbers don't seem high to me and clearly if you are getting drops big enough to make you faint, maybe your BP meds. need to be altered. I would explain your concerns to your doctor and see if they can find you something that doesn't give you such wide fluctuations.
Don't forget to drink enough to. If you are dehydrated then your BP is likely to drop to the point that you faint.
Those numbers don't seem high to me and clearly if you are getting drops big enough to make you faint, maybe your BP meds. need to be altered. I would explain your concerns to your doctor and see if they can find you something that doesn't give you such wide fluctuations.
Don't forget to drink enough to. If you are dehydrated then your BP is likely to drop to the point that you faint.
Blood pressure
The new numbers in the States are as someone here mentioned about 110/60-70. But your numbers are NOT bad. And the fact that it is sometimes under 120 (top one) is a good sign. As Amanda said, try to be sure you are as hydrated as possible. That can affect bp.
If it is more consistently above or around 130 then I know here in the States they'd put me on a blood pressure med. I was on one pre-transplant and it was never higher than 130, in fact, only near the very end before transplant was it ever really up there. That said, I was on bp with it getting up there. But I was on blood pressure meds (with a low bp the whole time before even starting them) to try and control/minimize the failing of my kidneys. For my particular condition taking an ACE inhibitor was considered (and still is) a good preventitive and helpful med to take to reduce the workload of the kidneys.
If it is more consistently above or around 130 then I know here in the States they'd put me on a blood pressure med. I was on one pre-transplant and it was never higher than 130, in fact, only near the very end before transplant was it ever really up there. That said, I was on bp with it getting up there. But I was on blood pressure meds (with a low bp the whole time before even starting them) to try and control/minimize the failing of my kidneys. For my particular condition taking an ACE inhibitor was considered (and still is) a good preventitive and helpful med to take to reduce the workload of the kidneys.
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JMan
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I believe that the official level of a good BP, has been changed slightly, I picked up somewhere & this:
The 2004 British Hypertension Society guidelines for hypertension management recommend that drug treatment should be considered for individuals with blood pressures of 140/90mmHg or over, and that optimal blood pressure treatment targets are a systolic blood pressure of less than 140mmHg and a diastolic blood pressure of less than 85mmHg (and lower still, at 130/85mmHg, in people with diabetes). People with high normal blood pressures 130-139/85-89mmHg should be assessed yearly. The optimal blood pressure level is now classified <120/<80mmHg.
Both drug treatment and lifestyle changes - particularly weight loss, an increase in physical activity, and a reduction in salt and alcohol intake - can effectively lower blood pressure.
from :http://www.heartstats.org/topic.asp?id=881
is probably what I mean.
My blood pressure is usually below the 'norm' or close to the optimal
level. With my last cardiac scan showing a normal heart I really did wonder why they were considering prescribing me ACE inhibitors!!!!
Jut my tuppence:D
J
The 2004 British Hypertension Society guidelines for hypertension management recommend that drug treatment should be considered for individuals with blood pressures of 140/90mmHg or over, and that optimal blood pressure treatment targets are a systolic blood pressure of less than 140mmHg and a diastolic blood pressure of less than 85mmHg (and lower still, at 130/85mmHg, in people with diabetes). People with high normal blood pressures 130-139/85-89mmHg should be assessed yearly. The optimal blood pressure level is now classified <120/<80mmHg.
Both drug treatment and lifestyle changes - particularly weight loss, an increase in physical activity, and a reduction in salt and alcohol intake - can effectively lower blood pressure.
from :http://www.heartstats.org/topic.asp?id=881
is probably what I mean.
My blood pressure is usually below the 'norm' or close to the optimal
level. With my last cardiac scan showing a normal heart I really did wonder why they were considering prescribing me ACE inhibitors!!!!
Jut my tuppence:D
J
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