Blood pressure help

[cananyonehelpbp]

Posting here as I am confused and trust me, my first port of call would always be a doctor, except I am 4 weeks into waiting for a doctor to call me back and followed up late last week to be told a call is coming at some point.

Ive had awful health for 8 months, quite bad for almost 3 years but this is something that has been changing for a couple weeks.

I have high blood pressure, been on meds since 2022. Currently under investigations for the cause.

However in the last 2 weeks my systolic has suddenly started dropping and dropping but my diastolic is staying high.

So 3 weeks ago it was consistently around 140/90 or there abouts. I was put on spironolactone but after trying it twice, each time it made me really ill. Stopped that a couple weeks back but since my BP dropped to around 125/83. Thought great something has changed. Then it kept going down but only the systolic.

So most recent readings have been 109/91 and 119/93. Ive had numbers as low as 101 on my systolic, but the diastolic is always in the 90s. This is after years of high BP (it was caught at 200/110).

My general health is awful and im having lots of tests right now but the BP is confusing me and ive been feeling honestly awful. Any idea why one would suddenly drop but not the other?

Faulty machine? It’s probably a good idea to check it on a different machine - maybe at the pharmacy or in a nurse clinic at the GP practice? It would be pretty unusual to have such a low pulse pressure as the recent readings are giving but if it is real you need to keep trying to get your GP to see if they can make sense of it.

I may order another machine just to check but honestly I think its real as I honestly feel awful, like feeling like im dying awful. Ive been trying to get the Doctors to speak to me for a month, I even commented that my mental health is rock bottom and I was told we will come back to you when the hospital letter comes in. Thats been in over a week now.

I am getting heart palpitations, fast heart rate, dizzyness, feeling weak, nauseous. I genuinely feel awful. And thats only the symptoms that come on intermittently. Ive barely been able to move in 8 months because of how bad my health has got, its genuinely awful and I cannot get help.

I just wondered specifically about the BP because its new and my health the last couple weeks feels even worse.

I might have to call the Doctors again tomorrow but at this point I just feel like talking to my wall is getting me more help.

Is your heart rate stable, or rising? BP dropping but heart rate rising can be a sign of PoTS.

As pp said, it could be a faulty machine.

Just seen your update.

Google PoTS. Sounds a likely cause for how you're feeling (I have it)

Make some notes and get an appointment with the doc.

Here's the NHS info on postural tachycardia syndrome OP

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/postural-tachycardia-syndrome/

So clearly then with the rest of the info that wasn’t in your first post it sounds like you need to keep trying to get seen. If you can’t get an appointment via the usual route then 111 may be able to advise. Or a pharmacist. Or trying a GP practice nurse clinic.

Honestly I felt like I could write an essay of a post with my full symptoms and issues ive been going through, ive gone over my health stuff so much that its hard to put it all in without feeling like im going to write so much, that its such a large post that no one wants to read it all to give me advice.

I am definitely going to keep trying but feel like at this point I might have to look at funding private help.

Heart rate rising. My Sister has POTS so its something im aware of but didnt think it fit but will definitely do some reading.

Its just odd that for years my BP is always high, its just these last 2 weeks this is happening.

My heart rate is always high but definitely rising when this is happening.

The gap between the two readings gives you your pulse pressure. If they are close together this is a low pulse pressure. It can be related to POTs, it can be a sign of a more serious heart issue, and coupled with how you are feeling, it definitely warrants investigation. In the meantime, you might want to try eating salty food and really upping your water intake. If it’s POTs that will possibly help - it’s crucial to keep on top of hydration but actually quite hard to stay well hydrated. Also if you are taking any calcium supplements (or remedies including calcium like gaviscon etc) you might want to suspend that to see if it helps, and balance it out with a magnesium supplement - it’s surprising how many people with palpitations are a) chronically dehydrated and b) electrolyte imbalanced, and it can make you feel disproportionately bad. But you do need to be checked out. Your symptoms could also be due to something serious like your heart not shifting enough blood with each pump, it’s hopefully and probably not but you are not being unreasonable to seek help.

This is really helpful, thank you very much for the info and advice, it explains a lot. I think I am well hydrated, cant be certain about electrolyte balance but have been taking magnesium.

I think I shall just have to follow up again with the Doctor and hope for the best.