I have a blood preasure problem,and iregular heartbeat, BP ranges from 110/50 - 167/136. my average bp is 145/110. My highest reading normally happen when im sleeping ( it wakes me up with a restriction/pain in my chest, neck, jaw and left arm and lasts for about 10min or so.I have been to many doctors and specialists and they can't find the problem. I am on avapro 300 once a day, and prazosin 1mg 3 time a day, but they don't seem to be helping. Any help or sugestions would be appreciated.
thanks...

Hey there GEISTER- Before we chip in here with our two cents, need a little more info.

What are the specialists you have seen?
Have you been evaluated by a cardiologist?
And tell us what tests have been run on you.

zuzu xxx

I have been to a heart specialist, he has sent me for ultrasounds, renal scans, i'v had holter devices, ecg, (all ecg found is i have a irregular heart beat) i've tried about 15 different bp meds. with no change in bp.
Ive been to a hypertension specialist, he figured i had Pheochromocytoma (because i have most of the symptoms for it), he sent me for a ct scan and it came up with nothing. Now all they are doing is changing my meds around, nothing seems to be helping. They have no idea what causeing the problem, its been going on for about 2 years now, and i would really like to get this sorted out so I can get back to my normal life. If you need more info just ask.

thanks..

geister,
You are exhibiting some signs of unstable angina (pain at rest):
restriction/pain in my chest, neck, jaw and left arm and lasts for about 10min or so.

I think what you need is an evaluation for coronary artery disease/health and the place to start is with a stress test and echocardiogram with some sort of marker like radioactive Thallium or some dye marker.
If any ischemia (pain from blood restriction) develops, angiography will probably be called for.

There are several discussions on the Heart Disorders forum.

A plain vanilla EKG or a Holter monitor will tell you nothing about arterial flow.

What happens when you excercise hard and long? Shortness of breath or chest ache or heartburn, anything like what happens at night?

I have had 3 stress tests, and they always stop me by stage 2 of the test because my bp is up to around 200/140 and my heart rate is around 180 bpm, and all they do is change my meds and send me home.

Geister,

They really SHOULD do an echocardiogram with ischemia markers, dye or radiation, at this point in the stress test. Just the stress test with BP, heart rate and ECG monitoring is NOT enough, not with chest, jaw and left arm pain. Did the pain occur during the stress test.

There's more to heart disease than blood pressure.

I have a blood preasure problem,and iregular heartbeat, BP ranges from 110/50 - 167/136. my average bp is 145/110. My highest reading normally happen when im sleeping ( it wakes me up with a restriction/pain in my chest, neck, jaw and left arm and lasts for about 10min or so.I have been to many doctors and specialists and they can't find the problem. I am on avapro 300 once a day, and prazosin 1mg 3 time a day, but they don't seem to be helping. Any help or sugestions would be appreciated.
thanks...

I've had heart failure for around 20 years. My heart never beats correctly. But, around 7 years ago, my blood pressure went into orbit. I started experimenting with my meds in order to get the BP down. I started taking my BP many times per day, and I found out which BP meds were working and which meds were not working. I also found out that my BP varied quite a bit by hour, by season and by the levels of pollens and pollutants in the air.

I also found out that various allergens and irritants would cause my BP to soar, such as dust, old books, newspaper ink, carbonless paper, blue dye, some of the clothes that I wore, gasoline, smoke, caffeine, non-caffeine coffee, nuts, chocolate, food additives, etc.

Once I found out which med worked best for me, and I stayed away from those allergens and irritants that raised my BP, I then tried to figure out how to further reduce my heart problems of jumping around so much, and reduce my problems with chest pains, sweating, fatigue, dizziness, tiredness, brain fog and shortness of breath.

I found out that if I separated my meds by up to three hours, I had less heart misfirings and other symptoms. I also found out that if I took one of my meds at night, it caused my heart to go nuts, but if I took it during the day, I was OK. I also had to take my vitamin pills at least three hours away from my meds, or not at all. I also found out that I couldn't eat after 6pm at night.

I am on Digoxin, an Ace Inhibitor and a Calcium Channel Blocker. If I eat or drink a dairy product, or a product with calcium, within three hours of these meds, it causes my heartbeat to go nuts.

And........ I can't drink more than one glass of orange juice per day, or it causes my heart to jump all over the place. Just a little grapefruit juice causes a rapid heartbeat and chest pains.

Lastly, I must take my Warfarin (blood thinner) away from my other meds or it will give me severe cramping and constipation.

As a result of all that I have found out, and implemented, my blood pressure and my heart rhythm have improved significantly. I still have daily problems with my heart disease, but without the changes that I made, I would be much worse.

Just wanted to pass on to you my experiences, just in case something that I have done can be of help.

One last thing....... once in a while my heart goes nuts when I go to bed. So, for those nights I sleep in a leather recliner without any blankets or sheets, or pajamas, and my heart does much better, and I feel much better the next day.

Best of luck and health.
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