blood pressure

 Had a pacemaker fitted November 2016 for heart block 1 and 2. Consultant wanted me off my medication immediatley which was ramipril 10mg on admission.

 I am now very careful with what I eat , plenty of fruit and vegetables, avoid salt and products containing salt. 

 I find my blood pressure always higher in my left arm, both systolic and dyastolic. I am usually 10-14 digits higher than my right arm. My right arm reads a good blood pressure sub 120/80 but my left arm is usually around 135/92.  My blood pressure is ALWAYS higher in the morning and gradually decreases during the day. My doctor has no idea and little interest.

 Could the pacemaker leads actually cause the left arm to read higher as the artery into the heart is narrower with the leads running through?

 

 Thanks,

             Phil

2 Comments

Small difference is nothing to worry about, but ..

by LondonAndy - 2017-04-11 08:00:57

Hi Phil, and welcome to the club.  A small difference in blood pressure between arms is not a problem, and quite normal.  I took part in a clinical trial recently, for a cholesterol lowering drug, and one of the most useful things about taking part was the additional testing that they do, especially for me as it was soon after open heart surgery and I had started on several new medications. They sometimes took my blood pressure in both arms, to look for such differences.

However, larger differences can be a sign of heart disease and be a concern.  According to this article in the British Medical Journal, your differences are borderline, but may depend on your other medical conditions, if any - see http://www.bmj.com/content/344/bmj.e1327 for more details.

Also, higher blood pressure first thing in the morning is completely normal, and the famous old sea-farer's song about a "Drunken Sailor" includes the lyric "Hooray, up she rises, early in the morning" and refers to the effect of higher blood pressure on erectile disfunction early in the day!  

 

blood pressure

by PhilUK - 2017-04-11 10:02:00

  Hi Andy, thanks for coming back. I have done some online research and yes, a figure of 10 or more difference is worrying.  Nobody has ever compared my blood pressure in different arms, even my GP with whom I raised concerns. I was in hospital over two weeks and only my right arm was ever checked as it was the side the nurse came to. My nurse who I see yearly for cholesterol and blood pressure checks only ever checks the left arm as thats where the chair is in relation to her desk.  I only noticed this myself when I purchased my own monitor to assist in naturally lowering my blood pressure.  I had an MRI scan in November prior to the pacemaker implant and was told everything was good, just missing the electrical impulses.

     I am just 48 years old and class myself as in decent shape. The requirement for the pacemaker came as a complete shock as I had not been ill but had collapsed a few times over a weekend. My GP and Nurse were also surprised.

You know you're wired when...

You have an excuse for being a couch potato.

Member Quotes

Sometimes a device must be tuned a few times before it is right. My cardiologist said it is like fine tuning a car.