Seems like my blood pressure is getting out of hand since all of this started.....It's been as high as 152/100 the past couple of days. I know this is stroke high....my dad had a stroke in 95. I'm weining off the Prednisone and hopes this helps......I'm also takin Arava and it can cause high blood pressure.
When do you draw the line and stop trading one disease for another??
xoxoxox
Feel Better,
Kat
KAT, HAVE YOU BEEN TREATED BY MD FOR HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE IN THE PAST AND IS YOUR RHEUMY AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM??? I RECENTLY WAS SEEN BY A HEART DOCTOR FOR ARRITHMIA AND WAS DIAGNOSED WITH MITRAL VALVE PROLAPSE. IT IS HEART VALVE DAMAGE POSSIBLE CAUSED BY INFLAMATION . MY CHOLESTERAL IS HIGHER SINCE I STARTED TAKING THESE MEDS. I AM NOW ON ZOCAR WHICH I HAD TO STOP DUE TO MUSCLE PAIN (BAD SIDE EFFECT) AND LOW DOSE ASPIRIN. I AM AT HIGHER RISK FOR HEART ATTACK AND STROKE NOW. I WOULD START LOW DOSE ASPIRIN....I'M ON COATED 80 MG ASPIRIN BUT RUN IT BY YOUR DOC. IT C A N PREVENT A STROKE AND HAVE YOUR DOC CHECK YOU OUT ASAP!!!!I was hospialized in May for chest pain, kept having little "twingy pains" for a couple of day then it turned into pressure in the chest. Went to the ER, BP 162/100, spent the night, had a stress test and passed, my MD just kinda passed it off as a stress thing. BP keeps going up and down mainly avg. 140/92 (per BP machine). But those high numbers bother me. Haven't been to MD since April suppose to go back in Sept. Got a RD appt. this Tues.
Seems like everytime I'm at the RD BP is normal???????
Don't know???
Kat
I WAS ALSO TREATED FOR THE SAME THING AROUND THE SAME TIME. GET A HEART DR TO DO AN ECHOCARDIAGRAM. I WAS HAVING SLOW PULSE, RACING PULSE, LITTLE SHARP PAINS IN MY CHEST. NOW HEART DR ALSO SAID RA CAN EFFECT THE BREAT BONES WITH INFLAMMATION AS WELL BUT YOUR NUMBERS ARE DANGEROUS. I ALSO WAS DIAGNOSED WITH PLEURISY WHICH IS INFLAMMATION OF THE LINING OF THE LUNG....ALSO FROM RA. AT LEAST THE LOW DOSE ASPIRIN ABOVE CAN PREVENT A STROKE! PLEASE GET CHECKED OUT BY A HEART DR.....DON'T WAIT!!!
STACI....HAVE YOU HAD YOUR CHOLESTERAL CHECKED??
Cholesterol numbers aren't that great either....260 LDL 170 HDL 61 (that's good) Triglicerites are ok....152. I do take an 81 mg asprin when I take my BP and it's high... but I don't take it as often as I should. I really don't feel bad...except for the pain with the RA...and pain makes your BP go up. But that doesn't stop a stroke. I'm gonna call the Cardio Monday...I had an appt but cancelled it cause I thought I was ok since I passed the stress test.
What to do ,What to Do??? LOL
Kat
Hi Kat,
I am hoping that coming off the Prednisone will help bring your BP down. It is high enough to worry about.. I am pretty sure when I came off the Prednisone mine came down a little. But down the road I had to finally go on BP meds. I exercise and watch what I eat but it still remained higher than it should have. I really think that just having the stress from having these diseases and then the stress of constantly having to take meds., that can be quite toxic, is the culprit as to why our BP gets out of hand. What ever the reason, it is still more things we have to worry about or should have to worry about. And like you, I also ask myself the same question. "when is enough...enough? Still haven't gotten an answer back yet...LOL.
Take care Kat and try to have a relaxing and stress free Sunday...
Toni
Thanks everyone,
It just seems like every med you take has a side effect that make you have to take another med....Pred hurts the stomach so you have to take Zantac or equiv. RA Meds cause liver damage, high BP etc... I don't want to be like my granny and have to to 20 pills a day just to get by. She was a happy girl though until she died two years ago at the ripe old age of 86.. smart lady...I miss her advice...she had Ra too. I'm just trying to get a grip and find out what has caused this all of a sudden. I started back on hormones this week. That seems to be when all the crap started happening. Hot Flashes, no sleep, stress, high BP, no sex......yada yada yada!!!!
Ok gettin goofy now...later all
Kat