Liosinopril Loose Ends

Pursuant to this post and this post regarding my blood pressure, let's make some knots out some loose ends, shall we?

1. Liosinopril dose. I am not necessarily 'cowgirling' the dose. I have been instructed to halve or discontinue the dose if I have hypotension. So me dithering about 5mg vs. 10mg is something I am 'allowed' to do.

Once I get the official tilt table results, which I assume will be 'normal', then I'll go back to the PCP and point out:

1.Blood pressure medication doesn't work
2. I swing high and low along with feeling like I'm going to pass out-- it is just a matter of time before I really do pass out, I'm right on the edge when it hits.

Maybe I need a different medication?

A body transplant?

2.Pheo

Everything I'm reading suggests that pheo be ruled out as there is an obscure chance of it being pheo. It comes up again and again in the differential diagnosis. It's like it's stalking me.

I don't think my blood pressure is going high enough for pheo, I get that. The cycling though can be pheo, it doesn't have to be consistently high.

Again, I don't think I have a pheochromocytoma but I do think it should be ruled out. Does that make sense?

Also, I AM growing small little tumors in multiple places. It is not outside the realm of possibility that I've managed to grow one in a spot where it can wreak havoc.

And I keep going higher despite blood pressure medication. Perhaps it is as simple as trying a different medication. I don't know.

I am just suspicious of my body, it's guilty until proven innocent.

3.Regarding how multiple blood pressure readings skew results. I am scratching my head. They do whatever the hell they want to at the hospital and it's okay, but when I check BP at home, I have to be sitting, I can't have eaten, my bladder has to be empty. God forbid I cross my legs.

But at the doctor's office? I can be talking, laughing, standing, sitting and have my BP taken so often and so tightly here I am a week later with broken blood vessels under my skin and that? Is okay???

Makes no sense to me.

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A List & Day One

1. The hydrocortisone dose is 20mg.

2.I am no longer taking Singulair. There never seemed to be a good time to mention that, it never fit the narrative I had going at the time. It's now back to being an 'as needed' medication.

Only took 9 months!

3.Slowly realizing I have more problems with muscle cramps/pain than I have allowed myself to feel. To where I almost denied having them to then endo. Almost.

There are things I just ignore. I have almost daily neck pain. My gut is still painful from the cranberry acid. These are not things I dwell on, except maybe here on the blog. I am used to ignoring muscle spasms/cramps unless they are really bad because I've had them for years.

Luckily the toddler used me as a jungle gym the other day and the pressure of her hands on my legs was enough to make me yelp. I actually didn't realize I was in so much pain, it was kind of latent. Because of the toddler, I fessed up to the endo.

It doesn't help that I always like to blame the muscle stuff on steroid withdrawal. As in, now that I've gone back to 5mg, I feel good, but my muscles are all up in arms and very pissed off about it.

4.I am now taking Liosinopril daily. I don't get it and am confused. When did I switch from having high blood pressure that didn't respond to medication, to not needing medication at all, to suddenly using one medication for high blood pressure that seems to be working?????

Or has my body now decided to do it by the book and ramp up the BP with the prednisone?????

And how will the hydrocortisone affect that? It has more mineralcorticoid activity than prednisone meaning, from what I understand, it will influence blood pressure quite a bit more, but I don't know which way things will swing.

5.Bumping up to 10mg on Friday was fantastic. It worked really well and seems to have help flip the switch so that 5mg now is feeling pretty good. I think I underdosed whatever that episode was prior to Thanksgiving which is why I was dragging for so long. A one time booster dose worked wonders.

So today is day 1 of Hydrocortisone (HC), I hope it goes well. We also have a blizzard warning and I will be so bummed if pre-school closes. Parent-teacher conferences are today and I have been waiting since August to hear what's really been going on at p-school all these months.

I would call off my tutoring tonight, between the storm and the HC, but the last time I tried to call the family, I couldn't get through to anyone.

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Under Pressure

So the relative RN says to me "90 over 60 is normal for me. I am fine."

Yeah. I know.

Some people have naturally low blood pressure. I used to be one of them until this year.

I was 115/70 something for the longest time (Spring through July) and felt fine. Then my blood pressure started creeping up again despite continual weight loss and an exercise regimen that got my resting heart rate down to 60.

I cut salt. Did nothing, although if I eat salt it will increase my BP, but cutting it out didn't appreciably lower it. Yes, salt has a one way effect on me for some reason.

I cut caffeine, had a little slip and then cut it again. Did nothing.

My BP went higher still until I was in 140/90 territory.

So I started Liosinopril (sp?), per a pre-existing agreement with the PCP, which did nothing, just like the last time I was on it. Well, it does make me pee. A lot. Urgently.

I hadn't gotten around to adding the ACE inhibitor (which also does nothing) when the adrenals started crashing again.

While some people may feel great at 90/60, I would challenge them to stay upright as they dropped from 140/90 to 90/60 or even 80/50. Those drops threaten to bring me to my knees when they hit.

I don't know what is going on with my blood pressure. I really think there's something hormonal at play, but so far I can't seem to get anyone with a prescription pad to listen to me.

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