Low blood pressure issues

[nanienamou]

I was just wondering if anybody here has low blood pressure issues and how they cope with it?

This is new to me, I've always had perfect 120/80 blood pressure, but after experiencing some diziness and overall yucky feeling, I've been monitoring it and it is between 100/50 to 110/70, never really higher than that.

I usually walk the kids to school, but refrained this week, because of this. I'm going to go see my doctor next week, but hopefully, someone has some advice as to how to live with this.

[adrianka]

I've been 90/60 or slightly lower all my life, so no advice. You get used to it. I got my caffeine addiction thanks to low blood pressure, Mom allowed me to drink coffee when I was 15 to help the issue. :-) I don't advise you to drink coffee, I'm sure there is better advice than that, except I don't know what it is.

[aly321]

My blood pressure is always a tad low, but I only seem to get REALLY low blood pressure when I am pregnant. I get really dizzy and pass out, so half of my pregnancy I spend on bed rest so I don't fall and get hurt. I don't have any suggestions or help, since there wasn't much they could do for me. I hope that you can find some answers from a doctor. Let us know what they say, I am interested to see how to help it. Good luck!

[nietis]

I have low blood pressure like my mom. Every now and then, especially when I have period, I would be easily dizzy... one of the way to help with it is to eat some lamb It does help me, not sure it will help others, just thought it would help

[nanienamou]

Originally Posted by adrianka

I've been 90/60 or slightly lower all my life, so no advice. You get used to it. I got my caffeine addiction thanks to low blood pressure, Mom allowed me to drink coffee when I was 15 to help the issue. :-) I don't advise you to drink coffee, I'm sure there is better advice than that, except I don't know what it is.

Haha! I already have the caffeine addiction. It's the only way I can get through my day with the kiddos and everything.

I haven't passed out, but I've stumbled often, I usually try to lean on a wall until I get less dizzy.

Lamb might be a good idea, especially for the iron content, since I've pretty much eliminated the red meat from my diet.

[ayaandjudah]

I have very low blood pressure. At my first OB visit it was 90/55 and has gone even lower. I've just gotten used to it and make it a habit to not get up too quickly from a seated or laying down position. That helps a bit.

[Ginger_79]

Mine is usually 90/60 or so, but I'm just fine with it. However, if you keep having problems you can take medicine to increase it. Just like with high blood pressure it needs a bit of sorting it out til you're balanced.

[lovely1m]

I also have low blood pressure, I get dizzy often, I just try to eat some protein then. When I was pregnant it was awful, I was so dizzy and almost passed out often.

[sprauncey1]

I have always had pretty low BP. I fainted several times growing up usually when I was ill or just getting over something, so now I'm always careful to not overdo it then. I also like to make sure that I don't get too hungry. For me it seems like the combination of low bp and low blood sugar makes me dizzy or clumsy. I would suggest you get more iron somehow too. It is interesting that this is starting now though. It seems like for most of us its been a lifelong thing, so I'm wondering what caused the change.

Oh and when I was preggo, my bp went up to 128 but since that isn't "high" for their numbers they weren't concerned. I know the machines also have a hard time reading me sometimes too.

[lovely1m]

Originally Posted by sprauncey1

It is interesting that this is starting now though. It seems like for most of us its been a lifelong thing, so I'm wondering what caused the change.

I am thinking its probably because Nanie just lost so much weight, I know mine is lower when I am skinnier and closer to normal when I am heavier.

[emmasmommy]

i always had high bp and then when i lost a lot of weight, it became low. i think upping your protein intake would help.

[kristijoy]

I have lower than typical blood pressure too. Mine is the most obvious when I go from sitting to standing. I really noticed it when we moved from sea level to about 2500 feet last August. Exercising moderately seems to help me. I would definately try protein sources too. Glad you are going to see your doctor. I'll be interested to see what he suggests.

[athenagwis]

I have had slightly lower than normal bp my whole life, I also have what the doctors call "vasovagegal syncope" (totally did not spell that right) ... which basically means if I stand in one place too long I can faint. I had that my whole life without knowing it though, so I am good at coping with it, always shifting or moving. But it pretty much ruled out all retail jobs for me!! LOL I thought everyone was like that, but apparently it's totally not normal, and I am very jealous of people that can stand still for longer than 30 seconds. Anywho, doctor's didn't say the two are related, but I am convinced they are. I have always craved a lot of salt, so I have never denied myself that. I figure they cut out salt when people have high bp, so perhaps eating extra salt when I have low bp helps. LOL That's my theory and I'm sticking to it!! Actually when I know I am going to be on my feet a lot, I will eat salty foods the next day, and it does seem to help. Good to know I am not alone in this though!

Cheers!
Rachel

[nanienamou]

Yes, like Mari said, it started recently, because of major weight-loss - around 170 pounds lost right now. Even when I was severely obese and very pregnant, my bp never went higher than 120/80. My mother also has a history of low bp, but she has a healthy weight.

Anyway, I know that protein intake is an issue with me. I've always been borderline anemic. And now, I just can't get enough down and gag at the thought of protein supplements - I had to do a 6 week liquid protein diet and it marked me for life, lol! So this week we tried quinoa for the first time at home and the kids loved it. I also try to eat all sorts of beans and lentils. I just have a really hard time digesting meat, but fish and seafood are easier on my stomach. Eggs were easy but I'm starting to have trouble with them sometimes.

So I'm thinking that it might be a combination of things. Can't wait to see the DR, I'll ask for bloodwork for sure.

[lovely1m]

As a vegetarian, I have been looking into more alternate forms of protein lately. I have added Greek yogurt to my diet every day. Its a good source, I use it as my mid-morning snack.

[lauren grier]

i agree with the other comments re: what you're eating. I would look at that before being worried about your bp (regularly 106/60 here and that's perfectly fine. 120/80 isn't "ideal" it's just average. Low bp is anything below 90/60)

Make sure you are drinking plenty of water, and don't stand up too quickly that will probably help cut down on a lot of dizzy. As for food- I'm a former vegan -had to begin eating meat again (after 8 straight years of not) during my hospital stint earlier this year... I was deficient in .. everything, severely anemic amongst other things and my lifestyle was damaging my health. If it comes down to choosing a lifestyle, and being healthy.. Always pick healthy.
As for protein alternatives- there are tons, you just have to be creative. Beans, chickpeas, nuts, tofu, soy products, legumes, tempeh, peanut butter, etc. As a vegetarian and not vegan you have an even wider assortment of foods.

So.. examine what you're eating.. even making a food log would be great for the doctor to see what's going on. I'm sure they'll run a battery of blood work as well to figure out the cause of the dizziness.

[sprauncey1]

Originally Posted by lovely1m

I am thinking its probably because Nanie just lost so much weight, I know mine is lower when I am skinnier and closer to normal when I am heavier.

Ok that totally makes sense.

[kristijoy]

Originally Posted by lovely1m

As a vegetarian, I have been looking into more alternate forms of protein lately. I have added Greek yogurt to my diet every day. Its a good source, I use it as my mid-morning snack.

I'm a vegetarian too and I make sure I have protein at every meal. Especially breakfast. My main sources are:

eggs
cheese
milk

I occasionally have a bean/rice meal but I find that the protein in those (unless it also includes cheese) never holds me for very long. If I do this type of meal, I save it for the evening when I'm going to sleep soon.

I also use a variety of meat substitues that are high in protein:

veggie burgers (home made ones with nuts and/or legumes are fantastic)

tofu

quorn chicken cutlets (which I use in a variety of chicken type marinate dishes.)