Post AVR and blood pressure.

[Astromeria]

Hi, I'm five months post AVR and mostly doing well. When I was discharged I wasn't taking any of my previous medication for high blood pressure. Great, I thought, it must have been the stenosed bicuspid old valve that was making my blood pressure rise. My blood pressure has gradually risen again to higher than it was before so now have been put on amlodipine and candestaten. Also have now tipped over into type 2 diabetes and have a higher cholesterol level than before so just had my atorvastatin doubled. Has anyone else found this has happened to them or is it a case of new piece of plumbing putting a strain on the old pipes. I'm trying not to let it get me down but to be honest I know it is.

[Fortepiano]

I always had borderline hypertension, but it was only decided to treat it after my aortic valve replacement. I was never on any medication before and now I have 4 tablets a day. I liked not being on meds but I am also glad to have my BP lower as it always worried me. I can understand that you feel a bit that everything's going wrong! After any heart operation doctors try very hard to improve all cardiovascular risk factors and that can only be a good thing.

Is there anything more you can do from lifestyle adjustment to improve your readings? E.g weight loss helps both with BP and type 2 diabetes.

[Astromeria in reply to Fortepiano]

Thank you for replying. I do follow a healthy diet but have now cut out apple juice and dates that I added to my porridge. I walk every day for at least half an hour. I don't buy wine for indoors but have a glass as a treat if out for lunch. I maintain a steady weight. I suppose there's always room for improvement ....

[Chappychap in reply to Astromeria]

"I walk every day for at least half an hour."

It's not easy to reconcile the various exercise regimes recommended by the NHS. On the one hand the posters in my GP's waiting room celebrate walking, even relatively small amounts of walking are regarded as a very good thing.

However, the advice on the cardio rehab course I'm currently attending is that walking, (at least on level ground) really isn't good enough. You need 150 minutes of moderately vigorous aerobic exercise per week, and that excludes the warm up and cool down periods. The advice was that this becomes doubly important if heart disease is accompanied by T2 diabetes.

I suspect the NHS is trying not to discourage people from modest exercise if they anything harder just too demanding. That makes sense. However, for really positive results I guess what's needed is the more vigorous aerobic regime.

[Fredders]

Hi, like you I was on blood pressure pills, then my spleen went rogue and started killing my red blood cells and I got anaemia and my blood pressure dropped, so I was taken off them. 18 months later I had my second AVR and my blood pressure has slowly crept up again. I am now on Losartan and although it has come down it is still the high end of normal, so my gp might increase my dose when I next see her.

Wendy

[Shar28]

Hi, my husband was discharged after his AVR without his blood pressure medication being prescribed. His BP increased and he was put back on his ACE Inhibitor, Spironolactone (diuretic) and Bisoprolol (betablocker). Perhaps check the NICE guidelines for the management of your condition or speak with the BHF nurses. Hope all goes well for you in future.

[MichaelJH Heart Star]

A friend's wife had one valve replaced and a further two repaired. After six months her BP rose and her medication was increased. It was felt by the cardiologist that the underlying cause was stress caused by her mother-in-law's rapid decline in health. Do you have any outside stressors?

[Astromeria in reply to MichaelJH]

Yes, I do have an elderly father who has been in and out of hospital recently.

[robert1957]

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[Astromeria in reply to robert1957]

Will do. Thanks.