Sticky blood and low blood pressure in AI | Arthritis Information
Hey Pip,
Saw on another post that you wrote "AI people have 'sticky blood'". I have low blood pressure, is that what your referring to?
Thanks,
- Joy
Joy2008-03-11 09:15:37I have very low blood pressure too. In fact, the nurse either does it over again or asks me if it's normal for me to be so low. Except for the dizziness when getting up too quickly, I think low blood pressure is a good thing. I'd like to know if that's what sticky blood is too. Hey I do too........have low BP that is. Always have. Some ER docs would have never believed I was in pain back in the day (when I had my migraines) if I hadn't been about 3 seconds away from ripping their testicles out, because apparently, my BP *never* moved. And this was when they'd say "on a scale of 1 to 10, whats your pain?" And through clenched teeth, spitting and cussing I'd scream "FIFTEEEN"
Ok, this is weird.
Do any of you have CFS?
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/8022/conf98.html
I knew HIGH Blood Pressure was myco-regulated - but this threw me for a loop. Tomorrow I'll wander over to Pub Med and see what I can find.
Anybody else have low Blood Pressure too? Joy - maybe you can edit your thread title to say 'sticky blood/low blood pressure. Hmmmm.
And no, I didn't mean anything about blood pressure. From a lot of the research I've seen, our blood is 'thicker' than it should be. We can get blood clots. I did so that's why I kept following research about it. And it's part of the cell communication thing. If your body is trying to communicate at 45rpms but your cells are only doing 33rps - you got some problems deciphering what the cells need. Its why a lot of us have infertility problems too. And why we may not utilize the vitamins and nutrients properly. Everything is 'off'.
Pip
Edited for spelling - sheesh!
Pip!2008-03-10 20:32:39So in theory, wouldn't you clot really well when you have a cut?
Cause I don't. Like, at all. I bleed for days sometimes. *sigh* I can get a cat scratch, paper cut, etc etc. Something you'd all wipe off and walk away from. Yeah I get to bandaid the stupid thing and wait for it to STOP. The other night I had a scab on my neck (from what I have no idea) but it itched, so I reached up to scratch not knowing what it was. Well this pin head size thing bled EVERYWHERE. Ugh!
But when they take my blood, I don't bleed like that from the needle site. And I don't bleed like that from IVs either. Weird?
Yep - weird.
I know our veins get bad when we get these diseases - and it's tied in there too. The keys can't fit in the door.
Pip
Ok, I want to hear more about this sticky blood stuff...I have always had a hard time with people getting my veins (and I am a lab tech, so I used to train people on me) I had to go in for a stress test last week and after 7 attempts at getting the IV started, they gave up. But, I had to have blood drawn a few weeks ago, and the poor girl got the vein, but she was using a syringe and it was like pulling mollassas out...she actually had to change syringes and transfer the little bit from one into a tube before it clotted...and I have never had that happen before!! and after reading this thread and really thinking about it, if I get cut or anything lately, I just don't seem to bleed.
Do you have any of this research that you can share Pip??? I have an appointment with my cardio doc next week, and I want to bring that to him along with a few other things I have found out. I have a very funny feeling that RA is behind my other medical issues, but in different ways then we first thought.
By the way, my BP has always been low, but the last time I was in the ER with what we thought were heart issues, my BP got REAL low...had one that was 108/11 (thought the machine was messed up) but then the next ones came back at 90/50 and 95/55. Real low for me...normally I am 112/70
Could most of these issues be connected to the drugs we take.
I bleed a fair bit from a small scratch and the area around becomes red and inflamed.
Doc said that was from the Pred.
We have a small BP and pulse gizmo that we use to check ourselves.
Here is a chart of the last 15 days.
Deb,
I saved some of this research - let me dig. What's my deadline as I'm still finishing something for JSNM and then Katie's up? LOL
Stephen -
No, the meds might mask the problem, or in some cases exaserbate (spelling) it - but the problem is there usually prior to diagnosis. It's like, got sticky blood? next up "insert AI disease here".
This is something most people dealing with unexplained infertility have as an underlying issue. And the problem is so common that many newer AP docs automatically treat with bloodthinners to help the antibiotics reach the myco's. Not my AP doc; he's old school.
Pip
LOL...no hurry Pip...don't see the doc till next week, but am interested in seeing it...thought it was weird when I had my blood drawn, but didn't really give it much thought until I saw this post...could be something that really needs to be looked into.
This article should help clear everyone's understanding of the term "sticky blood". Here's a wee bit from the Antiphospholipid Syndrome website
What is Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome?
Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome or APS is an autoimmune disorder in which the body recognizes certain normal components of blood and/or cell membranes as foreign substances and produces antibodies against them. Patients with these antibodies may experience blood clots, including heart attacks and strokes, and miscarriages. APS may occur in people with systemic lupus erythematosus, other autoimmune diseases, or in otherwise healthy individuals.
APS is also known as APLS, APLA, Hughes Syndrome or "Sticky Blood."
I have Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP) & had the APS test done 3 years ago when I ended up in hospital with an extremely low platelet count... that's how I found out I have ITP.
I'm a member of the Platelet Disorder Support Association and PDSA recommends that anyone with ITP be screened for Antiphospholipid Syndrome (APS).
** I think it might be wise for anyone with an autoimmune disease(s) to have this blood test done. Some of the PDSA members who have Lupus and ITP have been diagnosed with APS.
There's a huge list of risk factors, one of them being miscarriages.
Here's the link that gives a very good explanation of APS.
Hope this helps everyone.
Cheers
Judy
Punkie2008-03-11 00:37:53I have low blood pressure as well.I have low blood pressure also.
No CFS here and my blood clots normally. Just the low blood pressure. I have super low blood pressue. It is normally 90/60. And I don't really bleed. In fact yesterday I stabbed myself with a knife pretty good and by the time my husband got back with the bandaid it was clotted and fine. I always thought I didn't bleed very much because my bp was so low.
A nurse pricked my finger once to check my iron and she couldn't get it to bleed. She ended up forcefully poking me with the needle thing and squeezing my finger like crazy. It hurt!
Punkie -
You have to understand - I don't believe there are seperate diseases. They may have a test for APS, and it looks like I probably have it, but it's not another 'disease'. It's part of the process that makes us sick in the first place. I've seen research implicating a 'sticky blood' protein in autism. I don't have autism. You don't have autism. It's in the 'inflammation cascade'.
Doing a quick search I found one thing really interesting. This guy is no scientist; it's only a family history-ish thing, but reading it is eye opening. On the negative side, I think he's an Anti-MPer (your mileage may vary on that issue :-). But look what he's saying under infections about 'adrenalin' and stress. I've seen other research that says the same thing about the HPA axis - namely, these baddies can 'amp' hormones to make the the body more hospitable to it's 'life'.
Pip
P.S. More later - I'm hiding because I haven't finished the survey yet. LOL
You don't have to hide...besides, apparently I can find you!
My blood pressure has always been high, although it's been controlled for many years by meds. And my blood has always flowed very easily, but I believe that's because 4-5 of my meds can thin the blood.
Well, my problems all started when I wanted to have a baby. Over the course of having 5 miscarriages, I had every clotting test and fertility test under the sun done and all were negative. Chromosomal studies on my babies showed they were healthy and no reason has ever been found for losing my five children. While going through the miscarriages, I started developing problems, first the hand swelling, than joint pain, than uvieitis, fatigue, etc.
I was recently hospitalized for FIVE blood clots, two in my lungs and three in my legs and I am still on blood thinners. They retested all the clotting factors and again, all were negative.
I have the worst veins! They had to sew an iv into my femoral artery in the hospital and when that blew, I got a PIC line put in. Luckily, they have been able to get the IV's in for the remicade but I a not an easy stick!
My blood pressure used to be high, in fact I was on bp meds for a while. After my first release from the hospital in October, I was put back in a week later for extreme heart eurthymia (sp??), heart rate at 150-160 resting. I was released a week later after they discovered my problem is sarcoidosis but they still can't get my heart rate under control. I am on a beta blocker, which lowers my bp really low, it was 90/60 yesterday but my resting heart rate is still 100-110.
Not sure what all this means but it has to mean something! LOL!!
I just want to add that blood clot problems have become such a problem here in the US that there is now an assessment that has to be done on each and every patient that enters the hospital....the DVT scoring system. The treatment depends on the score and many of our patients here are put on Lovenox for prevention. I wonder if chronic disease, or meds, or decreased activity, or what.....can cause this thickening. It is interesting and something I'm keeping in the back of my mind. Wow. After 3 miscarriages in 12 months we gave up. Given our life-stages, we'd given ourselves a year. What if it had been as simple as asprin?
As for low blood pressure, I know its part of the diagnostic analysis for fibro.
Thanks for all the great info. I'm going to speak with my doc.
Joy2008-03-11 09:09:48Pip, I agree with you. I just wanted to add info about sticky blood. As I said earlier, because one of the symptoms is low platelets, the PDSA recommends that people with low counts be tested for APS. It can occur with Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura.But I *don't* clot pippy. I think you mis-read me? I have the super low BP, but I bleed like a mo'fo'. All over the damn place. *sigh* I wanna fit into one of your theory's one day. Not part way, ALL THE WAY.
Inner - :-) - going to corner the hobby when he's off the latest conference call!
Michele - that's because you difinately have myco's! I had all the fertility tests and something like 17 genetic tests for clotting and nothing was found...how much do you want to bet the problem was 'sticky blood' all along? Also, look back to the front of this trhead and find the post from Deb (Tenderjoints). Send her a PM. She had heart arrythinmia (spelling) and posted something about beta blockers interferring with meds. I have a little bell going off.
Punkie - I'm going to have my AP doc run that test on me to see if that's another thing I'm dealing with - and hopefully I am because that means I can possibly talk him into blood thinners to get at these bad boys.
Katie - when these microbes disrupt our cellular communication it hits us usually one way. We see a lot about HBP - so - I was STUNNED when I read 3 LBP posts in a while. It's my fault, really, I should have realized that you can go either way with this. Do me a favor, if you get a chance, see if you can get the tests that Punkie talked about. How much do you want to bet you're in the 'opposite' branch.
Pip
Wishing you luck Pip. Keep in touch.
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