Took my tablet about 2 hours ago. Now, at 11am, my BP is 116/66. Very healthy no doubt but I must admit I feel better if it is 145/85. Before PMR it was always very high!
In England they used to say 160/85 was perfectly alright for an 82 year old. Any comments??
Personally, I think 116/66 is too low for most people and definitely too low for you - especially if you can feel symptoms. 145/85 is a bit equivocal the 85 is definitely better, the 145 is going to be a bone of contention though!
OH worked closely with a top-notch vascular surgeon who always complained about the GPs who kept their older patients at too low a BP for the good of the patient. He believed that the inevitable effects of aging on the cardiovascular system meant that you need a higher BP to ensure the brain and there peripheral circulation still gets a good enough blood supply. He had a point - low BP leads to falls, falls lead to the potential for head injuries or broken hips, neither of which are likely to have a good outcome.
Thanks! Over here (Germany - for those that don't know me) they think it's high at 145/85. I, however, feel great at those levels - far more energy.
I'm sure it probably would be considered high in the UK these days. But for older patients - other rules need to apply for safety.
No doubt considered out-of-date, this explains the point:
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...
and it seems a study published last year agrees to some extent:
medicalnewstoday.com/articl...
If I were you, I'd be insisting on discussing the fact you feel better at a slightly higher level - that 66 diastolic is pretty low and it always makes medics look at OH. It is the nightime levels falling even further that is the problem in the older patient who needs to get up to the bathroom during the night which puts the at risk of falls.
Can't get any links any more - they come up as "400 Bad request"!
Have you reported it to HU? It was a problem a couple of weeks ago for a couple of people. They are working for me.
Are you using the app? Think there is a problem there ...
Yep! Using the app!
If you got in touch with HU Support they’d tell you to delete it & used the Web Based Page, that’s what l’ve done & made a link to it on my phone. Cheers
Angela
Try This.....
Yep! That works. Thank you.👏
Just make a short cut on your phone 📱
Ooooer - how do I do that? I use an ipad!
Open the link l sent you -
There’s a square blue box at the right hand at the top - with an arrow pointing upwards.
Select that & a small screen will open & you can select “Add To Home Screen”
It will Open with the HU Green Logo & it’s called Favourites - you can change the Name & it will Pop Up on Your Screen!
Hopefully 🙏🏼
I’ll send some photos
Angela
Only blue box there is 'open' no arrow. You don't need to say it - I know it's me!! I'll look again when I'm not so tired!🤪👵🏻
Hope this helps 🙏🏼
Ha ha! No photo.😂😂
If you are still using the App you WON’T be able to see them 🤦🏻
I’ll PM you 😉
Got it!
No it’s not you I don’t think...unless it’s me as well! I’m on my iPad, too, and all I get is the blue box with ‘open’ on it! I use the app and see most things but there’s a huge big gap on Mrs Nails post! I’m happy to delete the app but only if I continue to get the email with daily posts. If I don’t receive that I will never remember to look at the web site each day, that’s for sure! S x
Photos often don't come up on the forum now (which is a great pity because a lot of them cheered us up - best 'medicine' for PMR).
I will keep the App but turn to main page of HU to see links.
Thanks! Sounds like a plan.
Sounds like you are using the App Constance - it’s just not working anymore, l’ve ditched it!
What’s OH please?
"Other half".😂
Maybe not in the context of medics looking at OH? Lol
😂😂
That's what mine is...GP days it's fine.....
I remember when I was nursing..120/80 was the recommended 'norm'.....and woe betide the student nurses who dared to argue the case for individual norms?
I rang 111 once about 15 years ago and told them my BP was 185/90 and they said go to A&E asap. Which I did - the doctor was very concerned but everything was tested and I was OK. The nurse afterwards said "the doctor is very young and takes things rather seriously - take a couple of Aspirins and you'll be OK"!!!
In the good old days 160/90 was considered OK. When I was in hospital my BP systolic went up to 212, i don’t know what the diastolic was as there was a dreadful klaxon noise and flashing lights. They just switched the machine off. Later on I fainted and it showed 55/40. That did worry them!
Just done mine and it is 120/58!
my normal blood pressure is 115/65 (I am 61) I would be really worried if it went to 160's. I guess we are used to our normal and what works for us.
After reading what you said I went and took my readings. As you know I'm two years older than you and mine just now were 138/71 with a pulse of 75. I feel OK at this level. Very interesting to read what PMRpro says on the matter.
I am usually fine on about that level too. My BP goes up and down like a yo-yo but I can't cope with it going down so often. I even tried going without the BP tablets for a while but it rose to 170/85 so started up again at half strength.
I can understand that. It looks like you need to experiment to find what is right for you. I don't take any BP tablets but I try to have a Mediterranean diet.
I'm 78 and I've just taken my BP. It's 104/65 with pulse at 81. I'm just halfway through my morning stretching exercises. I don't feel weak, unwell or dizzy in any way. The temperature here is in the upper 30'sC and my BP is always much lower when it's hot. During the winter months it goes up considerably, to around 146/81, 142/84, and one time when I visited my GP my systolic was 180 which caused her some concern. I've been on 7.5mg pred for almost a year. About 10 years ago I was put on 5mg amlodipine by a doctor who may not have understood 'white coat syndrome'. 2 years ago my BP was so low that I weaned myself off the BP medication over several months (with the agreement of my GP). Being on pred has made no difference. As I see it I have neither low or high blood pressure, it just fluctuates quite a bit depending on the time of year, and it seems that exercise reduces it even more. I have a 3mm brain aneurism which has not grown in the 6 years since diagnosis so I think keeping my BP low is probably a good thing. I would welcome any comments.......
I was always told that my blood pressure was good. It was always around 140/70. Then all of a sudden my doctors were telling me that my BP was to high and put me on 2 BP meds. Come to find out the recommendations (in the US) changed to 130/70. So suddenly now I've got "hyper tension" and yet my BP never changed.
It's mad, isn't it? Of course doctors have to give advice about BP (especially if it extra high) but 130/70, 140/70?? I would agree that 170/180 is far too high but many older people have much higher readings, are on BP tablets and still don't die. My mother in law's BP was often 185/90 but she still lived until she was 96.
PMR and Giant Cell Arteritis 
Difficulty tapering and questions~!
Is 4mg prednisolone enugh to keep PMR/GCA inflammation under control?
BP labile & dizzy spells & arm pain
Long term PMR
