Anyone have intermittant hypertension? My first symptoms came in a cluster including low-grade fever, headache, and elevated blood pressure. Like everyone else, I've been to a million doctors who've tested for everything BUT what's actually wrong with me. No one even mentions the intermittant hypertension. Is this a Lyme symptom?
Posted by tickssuck (Member # 15388) on :
Yes, I have this. Never-ever did until all the Lyme stuff came down. I have always been active, not over weight, no BP history etc. Since Lyme, I often have elevated BP....just my experience. TS
Posted by mcg08002 (Member # 24617) on :
Yeah, I am 20 and a college student. I have always been active. When I first got sick with lyme, I had Elevated BP and still do. I am on meds for it, but hopefully with treatment it will be normal again.
Don't worry, a lot of people with lyme get elevated blood pressure because lyme can make the blood thicken which would explain why the arteries and heart are working more harder to push the blood through (Think of it as a hose). Just be sure to get on some HBP meds, as low as 5mg, which is what I am on. HBP kills you pretty fast, unlike Lyme.
The meds would be good just to keep everything regulated.
I had the low grade fever, headache and elevated HBP as my first cluster of symptoms too!
Just hang in there. Have you gotten a doctor reccomendation for an LLMD or LLND yet?
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- Q: "Is this a Lyme symptom?" Yes, it certainly can be.
Stephanie, Actually lyme can kill in many ways. It's important to be clear about that.
If at all possible, it is best to avoid statins. Some of the blood pressure meds can have damaging results.
It's better to work with the underlying reason: infection, adrenal stress due to infection, nervous system support (see the cardiac thread in the next post). Diet - a Mediterranean Diet is best.
There are also many other ways the heart is attacked by lyme. As Stephanie says, blood thickness, viscosity - or hypercoagulation is a common problem with lyme. But that, alone, is not nearly the full reason for high blood pressure.
Blood pressure problems with lyme patients are not just about the heart or the thickness of the blood. Lyme affects the nervous system and often faulty messages to the "control room from the brain" - there are other mechanisms that go haywire so your LLMD needs to be the one you talk to about this.
Your LLMD will know what to do. Forget the doctors that are ignorant about lyme. They will get you nowhere fast - or worse.
This book is specific to lyme and other chronic stealth infections. The author discusses the endocrine connection and effects of STRESS on a person with such infections. Stress hormones CAUSE high blood pressure.
You can read customer reviews and look inside the book at this link to its page at Amazon.
A recently published study investigated the effects of curcumin, a constituent of the botanical turmeric, on changes in cognition and memory caused by stress. . . .
. . . In this new study, researchers investigated the effect of curcumin supplementation on stress-induced learning defects in mice. . . .
. . . In addition, curcumin reversed the stress-induced increase in the levels of serum corticosterone, the primary hormone secreted during the stress response. . . .
. . . The researchers concluded, ``Thus, curcumin may be an effective therapeutic for learning and memory disturbances as was seen within these stress models, and
its neuroprotective effect was mediated in part by normalizing the corticosterone response, resulting in down-regulating of the phosphorylated calcium/calmodulin kinase II and glutamate receptor levels.'' -
[ 04-16-2010, 08:33 PM: Message edited by: Keebler ]
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
[ 04-16-2010, 08:25 PM: Message edited by: Keebler ]
Posted by RESOLVED. (Member # 24991) on :
mcg08002, Yes, I have my first appt with a LLMD on May 3rd. I am so excited because someone will actually listen! You're the first I've met with the same 'cluster' of symptoms. Problem is, it's (the BP) intermittant, so I don't know if it requires meds. Like keebler says, I'd like to fix the cause and avoid more meds if possible. Thanks for your input, so nice to know I'm not alone:)
Posted by kday (Member # 22234) on :
I had persistent hypertension and tachycardia the first few months average was about 160/100. Beta blockers didn't even bring it to normal. Nothing did. I've been in the dangerous blood pressure range as well.
It is now intermittent. It can vary from 110/65 (normal) to 160/110. My blood pressure actually spikes on postural changes (lying to standing). Heart rate varies greatly based on my posture as well.
I am 24 years old. I am on beta blockers mainly to control the tachycardia.
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- Resolved, Glad to hear that you have your first appt with a LLMD on May 3rd. In addition to all those above, these should help you prepare for the appointment. Good luck.
In addition to the usual coinfections from ticks (such as babesia, bartonella, ehrlichia, RMSF, etc.), there are some other chronic stealth infections that an excellent LLMD should know about:
might help some of you. Posted by RESOLVED. (Member # 24991) on :
Thank you all for the support, I am so grateful!!!
Posted by littlebit27 (Member # 24477) on :
Everytime I read something like this I stop and think...could lyme have been why? I started having high blood pressure probably sometime in early 2004. Got pregnant with 2nd child and bp went back to normal. Had her and it shot back up. For a while they wanted to put me on bp meds. Then it would drop back into the normal range.
When I got sick in Dec of 2009 my bp was way up there 165/105. And now is back down to 120/80ish. Could all the times have been Lyme? I just shake my head sometimes...
Posted by WildCondor (Member # 434) on :
Another thing, make sure your Vitamin D levels are not low. According to studies, ( dont have them on me) deficiency in Vit D can increase the risk for hypertension.
Posted by randibear (Member # 11290) on :
i've had bp problems for several months now, but symptoms for years.
i've had the stress test and now echocardiogram. i get the results back on wednesday.
i'm hoping to loose about 80 pounds and that will solve the problems of cholesterol and bp.
my father, mother, 5 uncles, 1 aunt and one sister all have cardiac problems, so i have a major history of strokes, heart attacks, diabetes and cancer. and lyme...
my doctor has prescribed bp and cholesterol meds which i don't want to take, so i'm hoping this diet will work.
i'm easing back into buhner also. one of each twice a day right now.
Posted by RESOLVED. (Member # 24991) on :
WildCondor, I did test low for VitD and have been taking supplemental D for maybe 2 months. I still get the elevated blood pressure so, in my case, the D has not solved the problem. Thanks for the input!
Posted by sutherngrl (Member # 16270) on :
If you want your D to go up, you need to supplement more than 4000IUs per day. It takes 2000 to 4000IUS per day just to maintain your vitamin D level.
Unless you are taking prescribed mega doses of D, it would unlikely be up that much in 2 months. It needs to be at least 50 or higher.
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