a bit confused, any advice appreciated please. - High & Low Blood Pressure Message Board

lisaw26 · 04-04-2006, 07:25 AM

Hi there, im new here, just found this forum today. i am 26 years old and i have been suffering with high blood pressure since i was 17. my doctor put me on ramipril 2 years ago and i was lucky enough to be able to come off it in september 2005 but now my BP is high again (152/112). I saw my doctor today and i am concerned because she didnt seem worried about my BP reading, she didnt ask to see me again any time soon and she hasnt re-prescribed me the ramipril. Do you think this is right? My main concern is that after having my 2nd child last July, i wasn't allowed out of hospital because my Bp was really high (got upto 159/115 at its highest), so if my BP is almost that high again, should my GP have done something more?

thanks in advance.
Lisa

Lenin · 04-04-2006, 07:31 AM

If you are running 152/112 consistently, you need to be back on meds.
BUT don't assume it from one reading. Buy a digital tester and test at home, relaxed and seated comfortably for 5 minutes or more with upper arm at heart level.
Test every day or evening for a month and average the readings.

When you have the average compare it to 140/90 to determine whether to go back on any meds...ramipril is a good choice if it works well for you.

lisaw26 · 04-04-2006, 07:35 AM

Thank you for your reply. I dont have a monitor but i do use my mums often and it has been around 145/99 for weeks. yesterday i had it checked twice and it was 145/110 and then 146/111, that was on 2 different monitors, one was a wrist one and the other was an upper arm one. i think i might have to invest in a monitor and keep an eye on it. When my bp is up i suffer with migraines and dizziness. thaks again.

Lisa

zekat · 04-04-2006, 11:19 AM

I noticed in another post that you were eclamptic after the birth of your baby. Are you still being followed by your OB? Are they still checking your liver enzymes & platelette levels as well as checking to see if you have protein in your urine? While it's incredibly rare, eclampisa can affect a person for up to a year after birth.

I was induced as well for hypertension. I made it to 41 weeks though and was not diagnosed w/ pre-eclampsia because my labs were always clean & I never did spill any protein. It was very frustrating because everyone was running around in a frenzy b/c of my BP while I was pregnant, but once I had the baby it was like nobody cared. That made me very nervous. At 2 weeks post-partem, my BP was 170/110. We got it down to 140/100 where it stayed for a while. I finally started monitoring it at home (once in the morning & once at night) and I"m actually finding that my BP is much lower than that! I was on Labetalol, now I am on a diuretic. My BP today was 117/81!! My Baby is 12 weeks old and I think my body is finally getting back to normal. I've finally lost the weight that was gained & I"ve been exercising again.

I agree w/ Lenin that you should monitor your BP, but you should also find a doc to take your BP seriously!

lisaw26 · 04-04-2006, 01:17 PM

Hi Zekat, thanks for your reply, and Congratulations on the birth of your child

I have been considering getting a second opinion elsewhere but am worried i will have the same problem with another doctor, i guess all i can do is try and see what happens. I told my mum tonight about this and she agree's i should get a second opinion and that it shouldnt have been left.
I am not still being observed after having eclampsia. I was discharged from the hospital officially when my daughter was 2 weeks old but they allowed me to go home when she was 10 days old on the condition that i wasnt to do anything stressful and i wasnt to be left on my own incase of a fit. I was having my BP checked 4 hourly whilst in hospital, and as my daughter was in special care until she was 2 weeks old, when i went everyday to visit her, i had to go back to the postnatal ward for bp checks. Ive still got some of my old ramipril here and am in 2 minds to self medicate because i feel so dizzy all the time, but i probably wont.
Its great that your BP was at a good level at 12 weeks post partem, the weight loss has probably been a helping hand in that, i have gone the other way and put on 2 stone in weight, but i have PCO and find it difficult to lose it and keep it off and ive been on 3 different types of pill since the birth which hasnt helped either.