Which doctor should I see?

[Mindy73]

I have been having a racing heartbeat so I have been taking my blood pressure for 4 days now, twice a day and the top number has been either in the 140's or 150's. I have an appointment with my kidney doctor on February 12 so I thought about waiting till then to tell him but with my heart racing I don't know if I should wait till then or call his office and tell them or if I should call and make an appointment with my primary doctor. Any suggestions? Thanks.

[WYOAnne NKF Ambassador]

CALL NOW, don't wait! High BP is doing more damage not only to your kidneys but also your heart. High BP increases your risk of a stroke or heart attack. Tell him or the nurse your numbers you have been keeping track of.

I had a transplant 19+ years ago and my heart has a lot of scarring. Dr. said it was due to the high BP I had pre-transplant. Do something now and get your BP under control. Feb 12th is waiting way toooooooooo long!

[Mindy73 in reply to WYOAnne]

OK, I'm going to call right now. Thank you!

[Bassetmommer NKF Ambassador]

Hi Mindy,

I hope you did call your doctor. The other thing to check is your potassium which can cause irregular heartbeats and racing.

Let us know how you make out.

[Mindy73 in reply to Bassetmommer]

I did call him but the nurse said that 140s and 150s isn't really that high but that she would tell him and get back with me on Monday, so I don't know. I'm getting blood work next week and I think they check potassium so I'll see what it says. Thanks for sharing that with me cause I had no idea about that.

[Bassetmommer NKF Ambassador in reply to Mindy73]

I wasn't going to say that, but in the scheme of things, it is not that high...BUT and this is a big BUT...it all depends on what is normal for you. I used to have high BP with sometimes having readings of 180 over 90. The bottom number or diastolic is a bigger concern. And this was on a BP med. Since I have changed my diet, same medication, lost some weight, watch my salt and drink lots of water, it now runs consistently at 70-73 for over a year. My top number, systolic number, can be affected by just being with a doctor. So I make them take the reading at the end of the visit and not with a machine. But It usually is never more than 150, which for me is much better. I also breath deeply before they take it. Don't drink caffeine either if you are going to have a BP done.

A racing heart is a different beast and may not have any impact on your BP. Do you drink coffee, tea or colas? I used to be able to drink all of those with no impact. And then one day, I started having terrible jitters and racing heart. So now I drink one cup of coffee that is half decaf and no other caffeine drinks. Caffeine can be found in many products that you may not realize its there, like root beer. (Soda is crap in general so if you drink it, try to stop. Its horrible for your kidneys) And I hope you do not drink energy drinks. Sometimes it can be an issue with your thyroid or even your monthly can cause heart palpitations. The point is, there are many causes which need to be looked at. Stress is also a biggie, so worrying about this is also not helping.

You said you take your BP at home. I do too and my little machine has a heart beat counter also. I would look at that and use the link below to calculate your target rate. But when you do your reading, make sure you sit for a minuter before you take the reading. If the racing lingers and does not seem to subside, I would call the Dr back.

livescience.com/42081-norma...

heart.org/en/health-topics/...

mayoclinic.org/diseases-con...

health.harvard.edu/heart-di...

[Mindy73 in reply to Bassetmommer]

Thanks for all the information, I didn't know about all of that stuff. I drink 2 cokes a day but I had already decided to quit when this half case is gone. I do have a lot of stress so maybe that's a big part of it. I feel a lot better now. Thanks again.

[Albuminian in reply to Bassetmommer]

Hi Bassetmommer, and Mindy73! Have you heard of Yerba Matte? It doesn't have caffeine and gives you energy. They have drunk it for centuries in South America. They drink it like tea. First time in a long time I drank some this morning I put in with my decaf coffee grounds in my drip coffeemaker. I'd forgotten how it gave me energy and alertness. I only slept 3 hours and have been going since 9AM and that was six hours ago and not jittery or having pvc's with it like happens with me and caffeine. You can get Yerba Matte (sp?) in whole food coops. It's ground up leaves and you steep it like tea. It has a pleasant mild taste. They drink it like coffee for waking up in Brazil and some other countries in South America. Hope I indirectly helped somehow.

[Bassetmommer NKF Ambassador in reply to Albuminian]

Oh no, it has caffeine in it just a little less than coffee. for someone who had high bp and racing heart and CKD, not a good idea. supplements, teas and herbals all should be checked out with your doctor before you consume it. Here is what I found:

"Yerba mate is POSSIBLY SAFE for most people, when taken by mouth for short periods of time. It contains caffeine, which can cause some side effects such as inability to sleep (insomnia), nervousness and restlessness, stomach upset, nausea and vomiting, increased heart rate and breathing, high blood pressure, headache, ringing in the ears, irregular heartbeats, and other side effects."

rxlist.com/mate/supplements...

There were positive reviews of the drink as well.

Here is a great list of energy drinks and what they have in them and the effect on the kidneys and I quote from the article: "For the person with CKD, a thorough review of the drink, its additives, and health risk should be completed with the renal dietitian or dialysis health professional before consuming."

jrnjournal.org/article/S105...

[Mindy73 in reply to Albuminian]

I'm really picky and don't care for tea or energy drinks but thank you anyway. I appreciate you taking the time to offer a suggestion.