Low Bp And Pulse - Virtually Dead?

[PollyBlue 22]

I'm five weeks post op. Going ok apart from nasty headache and dizziness upon standing. Drinking abou 1.2 - 1.5 litres of Fluid per day, eating, meh, a bit. I've always had good blood pressure (around 110/60) and pulse rate (60pbm). In hospital my obs were 90/50 for blood pressure and 45 for pulse. I was hooked up to the IV for fluids and pain relief. The nurses didn't seem peturbed by this and I never asked my surgeon about it - assuming he read my charts when he visited. Now that I'm out of hospital I felt dizzy again this morning and had a bit of a headache. At the chemist I asked the assistant to take my blood pressure, thinking it might be high - 110/60 - great, but a bit on the low side (she said), but then she looked worried and said "Oh, but your pulse is 48.....are you diabetic?" No I'm not. Now I'm wondering what the h*ll is going on with my pulse. I'm obviously no athlete, my BMI is 34, my exercise is 45 minutes of brisk walking four days a week. Can anyone please shed some light on this? Thanks in advance!!

[Sassygirl06 962]

first, about the blood pressure...there is a thing called orthostatic hypotension, big name for when you stand up from sitting or laying down your blood pressure drops....this is what is causing the dizzyness.....it is common to have this symptom after major weight loss....what to do for it is to get up really slowly from a sitting position....and from a lying position it is good to dangle your feet from your bed for a few seconds and then rise up slowly.

as for your heart rate... it changes all day long, with exercise and with breathing. you already had a low pulse and bp before surgery so this is not abnormal for you. obviously if the doc or nurses in the hospital were worried about your low pulse then they would have said something then and issued you a medication for it.

make sure you are getting in plenty of fluids and electrolytes, as this can lower and increase your bp and pulse. if ever you feel like your heart rate is to low (which I doubt will happen) get up (slowly) and move around a bit. And as always if this continues to be a concern of yours...dont hesitate to go to your doc and talk it over with him or her

good luck to you!

[Shemy-away 83]

are you still taking pain meds?

[Pennie 66]

I've had problems with low BP and pulse too. I'm glad you are under the care of doctor, because that's where I would send you, just to be safe.

My heartrate is often in the 40s. I've accepted it as the new normal as doctors havent been able to find any negative reason why. My blood sugar tends to be borderline low. Last check I believe it was 65 fasting. It has been suggested to me that low blood sugar can be the cause, perhaps dehydration.

My case is different from yours, though, because I'm asymptomatic. I wouldn't know my bp and pulse were so low if it wasn't being checked. No dizzyness or headaches ... nothing! So I think that is part of the reason that my doctors say to not worry about it.

Have you had your blood sugar checked lately? I wonder if you have really low blood sugar that might be the culprit?

[BlackBerryJuice 349]

Low HR is not a cause for concern (well, <35 would be, haha). It's usually high heart rate (>100 resting) that suggests complications.

Also, 110/60 is not "low." It's a very good BP.

[PollyBlue 22]

Thanks everyone. Appreciate your comments.

[circa 333]

i don't really find that all that odd - my normal blood pressure is 90/64 with a resting pulse of 52. I was an athlete though.

[Writergirl 230]

My bp has been 90/53 or thereabouts every time they check it, and no one has seemed concerned! Finally, the nutritionist saw it and scolded me a bit. She said it's that low because I'm not drinking enough liquids. I got the message!

[Reunitedjess 10]

Im now 7 days post op, lower bp and pulse since leaving the operating room. While they are not worried, i read online about damage to the vagus nerve can occur with stomach surgery. Hmmm

[grannyk 58]

I have had problems with vagal response since my surgery, but only when I overfill my sleeve and put pressure on it. I only recognized this because I am a registered nurse and was able to add up the cause-and-effect relationship of eating too much and then nearly passing out. Very scary the first time it happened, and I really try to avoid the problem. I have learned the triggers, but it still happens if I'm not very careful. Kathe

[shelleyrn22 78]

I've had a vaso-vagal response as well - but it was from dehydration. Dr said a true response like the one I had doesn't happen often or to many people, but it can and does happen to vsg patients. It scared me enough to make sure I make more of an effort to stay hydrated. I can't imagine what would have happened if I'd been driving or not at work in an office full of nurses.

[PollyBlue 22]

Wow I had no idea it could be related to so many things. Thank goodness we have so many medically trained people on this forum. Thanks everyone for your replies.