Low Pulse Pressure

[nmorgen]

I was just wondering how many of you get a low pulse pressure and what your doctors advice is? When I am POTSY My diastolic climbs and my pulse pressure reduces to 15-20 on rare occasions lower than 15. It makes me feel horrible. I'm just wondering if anyone else has this happen.

[MightyMouse]

My pulse pressure can be as close as 5 ticks apart (millimeters of mercury). I've never been given any advice about dealing with it, but when I do get that close, I usually feel my most miserable.

[firewatcher]

When I get this way, I have found that drinking at least 10+ ounces of anything helps. It is a fairly accurate measurement of my volume status. I've been 8 mm/hg apart and nearly fainted. I am usually 12-20 mm/hg apart in the morning and feel awful!

[Simmy]

My normal is 40-50, but when I stand or sit upright for too long my systolic drops and diastolic rises, usually to a pulse pressure between 15 and 20. The worst I've recorded was 12 (96/84), a horrible feeling. Lying down instantly expands it.

[nmorgen]

Thanks for all the responses. I'm not happy you are all experiencing the same thing , but I'm relieved that I am not alone. My normal pulse pressure is only 25-30. I was just wondering if anyones doctor was concerned by this. I haven't seen my doctor in over a year so I really don't have anyone to ask. I am trying to find a doctor that knows a little about POTS and that speaks English, but I haven't been able to yet. I'm just concerned and really have no where to turn at this point. Unfortunately, I left the country shortly after diagnosis and I have a lot of questions.

I have noticed that my lungs are filling with fluid at night while sleeping. Do any of you get this as well? I wish I could sleep at an incline, but I have a fused back from scoliosis and it is just too painful. Could I be drinking too much water at night?

Thanks for all responses

[potsgirl]

I also suffer from narrow pulse pressure, especially in the morning when it gets to be about 75/65. Ugh. Lying down it's about 25-30 points apart, but standing, 10-12. All I've been given as advice is to keep drinking more water and more salt. Eat some pretzels in the morning before you get out of bed, have some Gatorade or other electrolyte drink, too. That might help a little. I usually stop drinking fluids about 2 hours before bed, because otherwise I'll be in the restroom all night - I have IC so I get up to go enough!

I'm much more concerned with what you wrote about the fluid in your lungs. Please get that checked out right away. It could be something quite dangerous, and we POTSies sometimes have a bad habit of attributing everything to POTS. Get a CT scan or MRI - and let us know how it turns out!

Take care,

Jana

[Machair]

My pulse pressure is a major issue especially in the mornings and it's worse in hot weather. Sometimes it is too bad for my machine to read it, but 90/80 is not uncommon for me and this will usually cause dizzyness and headaches. This is my warning to drink more and take in more salt.

[Tammy]

I'm thinking your lungs shouldn't be filling with fluid... that kind of sounds a bit like a heart failure sort of symptom, so please get that checked out right away, because if that would be the case, than you shouldn't be salt/water loading.

[MightyMouse]

fluid in lungs is NOT a symptom of autonomic issues and should be checked immediately. I thank the other members who noted this before I did. Get to see a doctor ASAP...seriously. ASAP.

[anna]

Yes get it checked, but do you mean fluid like phleme that makes you want to cough a lot in the morning and you bring up sticky white stuff or do you mean you can not breath well and have a heavy chest that makes you cough?! Do you have edema in your ankles, arms ect?!

With the bed if you can put 4 inch blocks under the legs at the head end of your bed, you might find tha helpful, as you will not need to be able to bend in the middle!!

[nmorgen]

Yes get it checked, but do you mean fluid like phleme that makes you want to cough a lot in the morning and you bring up sticky white stuff or do you mean you can not breath well and have a heavy chest that makes you cough?! Do you have edema in your ankles, arms ect?!

With the bed if you can put 4 inch blocks under the legs at the head end of your bed, you might find tha helpful, as you will not need to be able to bend in the middle!!

My chest feels tight and crackly in the morning and hurts when I take a deep breath. It feels like I have had a major asthma attack and not taken any medicine in a few days. Just feels like there is something in them. I don't really cough a lot, but I try to take really deep breaths to open my lungs. Maybe I could be having asthma attacks in my sleep? I am looking at trying to find a doctor. Thanks for all of the advice. I really appreciate it.