Orthostatic Hypertension

I don't have a blood pressure monitor, but I have bad problems standing up for long, so I just took my heart rate lying down and it was my usual 96 bpm (I'm 45 and slim, if that makes any difference).

I stood up and took it again. 98 bpm.

Stood still for 5 minutes. Horrible pain in my feet, pins and needles, fizzing, aching in knees and thighs, head spinning. Pulse hard to find, but was 118 bpm.

Really odd that pulse is that high, but faint?

Not that much of a difference, but must be too high to be healthy.

 

In order to get a PoTS diagnosis - a sustained increase in 30bpm in 10 mins of standing. So you may well have PoTS/ tachycardia issues if you stood for 10 mins (but don’t try it at home!). 96bpm lying down is high too, think it’d be classed as tachycardia, similar to what mine used to be (around 90-100 at complete rest). Has come down to around 70-80 at rest now with meds, and in evenings comes down to 60ish.

 

A rise of 30 bpm in 10 minutes of standing. Thanks so much for the info. Extremely useful. And the warning! Will NOT try this at home!

It's strange to me I'm never aware of my pulse at all. I thought people who had tachycardia felt it as palpitations. I guess mine is a weaker beat or something.

I'm so glad your heart rate has come down to normal now @lunarainbows and I hope you are feeling an improvement in your wellbeing for it. Are you?

I rather hoped that when I had a home visit from a nurse a couple of weeks ago she'd have brought portable equipment to ascertain my basic state of health, and was surprised when she arrived entirely empty handed.

I'd have thought checking my blood pressure would be basic.

 

Hi,

Yes I am feeling an improvement. Before when I went out to a hospital / clinic appt, I suffered a severe deterioration for about 3 consecutive months.

Now after months of being on Ivabradine, I went to 3 appts in a week (granted I stayed very close by to the appt site), and then a few weeks later - went to another 2 appts! Have not suffered any lasting damage. I did have to rest a lot afterwards but I recovered. They’re still not easy - need dark glasses, ear protection, need to be in a reclining tilting wheelchair etc, travelling lying down/reclined and so on. And they were not big and noisy hospitals. But It’s an improvement! There are other things too, ability to talk, symptoms especially head related symptoms. It’s so nice not to feel my heart race up to 140bpm just for sitting up in bed, or for daring to talk out loud..I hardly even feel my heart rate anymore. Which is astonishing to me.

When I had tachycardia and even now when it goes above maybe 100bpm, which is rare now though,. I do feel my heart rate quite a lot. I used to get palpitations really badly, would feel it skipping, not sure if it really was though. It was horrible, a constant feeling in my chest. Sometimes it was as if my throat was pounding. Hard to explain.. or I would hear it in my ears.

Yes that’s why I bought my own BP monitor & I even a heart rhythm monitor. I got it because the med I’m on can cause heart rate arrhythmia as a side effect, so wanted to monitor it properly. And my BP monitor is connected to my phone via an app so records all my measurements and there’s space to write notes too. It’s great - I’ve sent it to the doctor before as a file!

Edit: I also can see why the meds help with some of the head symptoms that used to come on after talking. In the past even talking for a short conversation, ie 1-2 minutes would send my heart rate soaring to 140bpm,(I measured it) most likely my blood pressure too. Now when talking the heart rate doesn’t go anywhere near that. So I don’t get that severe post-talking head pressure / headache like before.

 

@lunarainbows That's an excellent improvement! Not to feel like you've run round a racetrack when all you've done is sat up or chatted for a minute! Quality of life!

I understand that pounding in the throat and ears, heart beating out of my chest - I remember it from getting thoroughly out of breath from sprinting too far, too fast for a bus, when supposedly healthy and fit! Ghastly having it for a reason, but so much worse having it for no point at all!

I'm so happy that you can attend appointments without fearing a permanent worsening now. I can imagine the relief

So sensible to have those monitors. If I'd been through what you'd been through I'd have them too. Reassuring.