Questions about BP

Editorial Team / Admin · Oct 6, 2005

I hope your mom is feeling better soon. It's good she's in the hospital to get treatment for her blood pressure, which is DANGEROUSLY high. She is in great danger of having a stroke from such a high BP. Without treatment of such a high BP, over time her heart will weaken, as it has to pump against such high pressure = she will develop heart failure.

The systolic is the top number, showing the amount of force the heart uses to pump the blood out of it and through the body.

The diastolic is the bottom number, showing how well (or how poorly) the heart rests after each pump (or contraction). It's important the heart DOES rest after each beat or pump. The higher the number, the less the heart can rest between beats and the risk for failure increases.

It's important to keep both systolic and diastolic numbers in a "normal" range. "Normal" blood pressure is always quoted as 120/80. Some people's blood pressure is always around 100/60, which is normal for them. Your mother's BP is WAY too high which, as I said above, puts her at extreme risk for a stroke or heart failure. High BP (or hypertension) is called "the silent killer," as ppl usually don't "feel" when their BP is high. They may take their medications for awhile, then stop taking them because they "feel" fine, feel "no different" without the meds. In reality, their BP can be dangerously high.

I did a google search using key words "help pay prescription medications." Take a look at the hits and see if you can locate ways your mom can get help paying for her very necessary medication(s). Her doctor or pharmacist or social worker may be able to help here too; some companies that manufacture the meds help pay for them, in some cases. Medicare has been very helpful for my mom, as she lives on very little $$ each month yet needs some very important medications.

Again, I hope she's doing better soon. ----------- D

sandiixx · Oct 6, 2005

Diastole is when the heart relaxes and the ventricles refill. If the diastolic reading is high it means her heart is not relaxing enough to refill properly and therefore her cardiac output would be poor. She NEEDS those medications and should be checked out properly. I would like to help more but I am only new myself and still learning.

papawjohn · Oct 6, 2005

Hey Woogy

Look, your mom needs your help. As the prev posters said, her heart is working MUCH too hard to get her blood through her 'system'. And her heart can't 'relax' between beats. This stresses her kidneys and all the other parts of her cardio-vascular system.

My sister had a similar problem, getting her Mother-in-law to take high blood pressure seriouslly. "Look," she told her m-in-law, "the BAD NEWS IS--YOUR FIRST STROKE DOES NOT KILL YOU."

This is best illustrated with your right arm "contracted" up to your shoulder, and your right lips "contracted" down to your jaw.

You get the picture? Your Mom is SICK. She just doesn't know it.

There are all kinds of options (not all the options one might wish, not many really good options) but many options--and she HAS to take one of them to get appropriate meds.

I started taking BP meds when I realized that my BP was > 160 systolic on a 'regular' day. I was afraid of a stroke, dialysis, etc.

Papaw John

Edit: Your specific questions: The GrocStore BP. Not accurate, but thank goodness it made her see an ER MD. The kidneys...how to compare them to something you know?....

Imagine you have a fish-tank. OK? You're filtering the water in your fish tank, OK? What happens to those filters if all at once you start putting like 4X or 6X the same pressure thru them? The filters don't do well with that? Right? Right! And what happens to the PUMP of your fish tank if--all at once--you needed it to produce 4 times the pressure, just to filter the water thru the 'filter' of the fish-tank? Would the pump be doing well? No. Of course not, you'd need a stronger pump. Right?

So if the Pump was your mom's heart. And the filters were her kidneys...

OK. You understand all you need to know to URGE YOUR MOM TO TAKE HER BP MEDS. Tell her, if she doesn't, she'll get the chance to meet me as a professional RN--in the ICU. And if she thinks her BP meds are expensivel, she doesn't know NOTHING!!! I charge about 1500 buck/night.

Papaw John

Race Mom, ASN, RN · Oct 6, 2005

I bought her a BP machine about 5 years ago (1st diagnosed). I bought a digital with a printout option so she could keep records of BPs throughout the day and be able to give that to her doc. If you've ever seen the movie Toy Story 2, with Stinky Pete, you can understand this line...

"He lives in the box, never...been...opened." :angryfire

Now she can't find it!

I have tried! I don't think she realizes how important it is. I've tried to tell her what her life could end up like. I've had a dear friend that survived and recovered (mostly) from a massive stroke.

She lives in another state so I can't hound her the way I would like to.

I fear for her, but she blows it off. "yah, yah, yah" is what her tone says.

Is it possible to have a BP of 118/103?

Thanks for all the replies! Hopefully I can tell her things that will help her understand the severity. Thank you for educating me.

Lisa

Race Mom, ASN, RN · Oct 7, 2005

Mom had a stress test this morning. Bad news. It didn't go well. They ordered an angiogram for today with the possibility that they may have to put in stints.

2 questions...

What do they do in a stress test? (test for???)

How major is an angiogram? Recovery??? Do you think this can put the scare in her that she so desperately needs?

Thanks,

Lisa

Katnip, RN · Oct 7, 2005

If she's getting stents placed then the stress test showed she has blockage in her coronary arteries. That's very serious. If she stays noncompliant with medications, she'll end up buying herself a heart attack.

I only do ER, but I think most people are in the hospital about 3 days after an angioplasty. But there are nurses here who can answer better.

It's going to ber VERY important that she takes the medicine they prescribe after she leaves the hospital. The meds will help prevent more blockage. Even with stents, she's going to need to take the medicine.

We had a guy who was 32 years old and had an angioplasty. He didn't take the medicine, and 3 days after he left the hospital ended up with a massive heart attack. He wound up getting bypass surgery.

Trust me, the surgery costs more than the medicines. In more ways than one.

There are ways to help pay for medications as stated above. Talk to your mother's doctors and the hospital social worker for help.

Race Mom, ASN, RN · Oct 7, 2005

Gosh! Another update! Her angiogram came back fine, no blockage, no stents. She will be dc'd tomorrow or the next day. If there are no blockages, what else could a bad stress test be diagnosing? What is tested? Is it how much her BP rises or her respirations? I'm just confused. Especially since they are just going to dc her.

Thanks!

Lisa

cardiacRN2006, ADN, RN · Oct 7, 2005

Mom had a stress test this morning. Bad news. It didn't go well. They ordered an angiogram for today with the possibility that they may have to put in stints.
2 questions...
What do they do in a stress test? (test for???)
How major is an angiogram? Recovery??? Do you think this can put the scare in her that she so desperately needs?
Thanks,
Lisa

Two kinds of stress tests. The old fashioned kind (that we don't use anymore at our hospital) is the walking treadmill. You have to walk until you get a HR to a certain number and then the ekg is evaulated and VS. I think it takes too long and some people are too disabled to walk.

The other kind is a nuc med stress test. Thallium or Adenosine is used in place of the walking, and then in addition to your EKG your heart also gets looked at under the nuc med scan. Both stress tests evaulate how your heart reacts to stress. Does it have any EKG changes, do you have chest pain, how do your VS react, etc. In our facility, you have to have 2 negative cardiac marker panels to qualify. If it looks like you might be having the 'real deal' then they will skip the stress test and go straight for the cath.

In our hospital, if you came in and your cath was clean and you were angiosealed then you might be able to go home later that day if you don't develope a hematoma/complications. If you require stents, then you could go home the next day (again, if you had no complications and you caught the MI before it happened). If you had the MI and needed stents, we keep you a couple of days for observation.

truern · Oct 7, 2005

Woogy...maybe suggest to your mom that she ask her doc about hydrochlorothiazide aka HCTZ...it's less than $15 for the month..

Race Mom, ASN, RN · Oct 7, 2005

Woogy...maybe suggest to your mom that she ask her doc about hydrochlorothiazide aka HCTZ...it's less than $15 for the month..

I will let her know! Thanks!!

Lisa

Hopalong · Oct 7, 2005

I will let her know! Thanks!!
Lisa

You certainly have rec'd some good reply's to your post.

Since she's had a cardiac cath, she's seeing a cardiologist, who will reccomend the right med for her B/P. For your info - ACE inhibitors, Beta blockers, Diaretics, etc. There are generic for all, and the Doc will work with you.

Very important to stress compliance, the alternative is not to see her dtr become a nurse.