Slightly elevated BP

sarkin · Post by **sarkin** » Thu Jun 23, 2011 3:20 pm

Yes, and GF Paris is exceding my hopes! But internet connectedness... Not so much ;

We ate tonight @ a GF restaurant cc and it was great for everyone. And my chef cards have been a huge help. We wished we had videotaped the waiters' reactions... concern, alarm, sympathy... In every case so far they helped me choose and checked with the kitchen, and once the chef/owner came out to strategize. My SIL was emboldened to eat more paleo, as she prefers. The family togetherness has been perfect and I can't wait to catch up with you all, soon... I promise a much better update and trip report,

Love,
Sara

Deb · Post by **Deb** » Thu Jun 23, 2011 5:12 pm

That's HUGELY encouraging, Sara! Thanks for the update. Deb

mbeezie · Post by **mbeezie** » Sat Jun 25, 2011 5:46 am

After taking my BP for a few days I decided it was time to get it under control so I went to an internist and got a prescription. I am taking Norvasc, a calcium channel blocker. I am always anxious about starting meds because of my history with reactions, but I found this article and think that a CCB is a good choice for me. http://journals.lww.com/co-infectiousdi ... te.14.aspx

Hopefully I will see some positive results in a few days with no adverse reactions.

Sara,

I am glad that you are finding Paris so GF friendly. That is on our list of places to visit. I can hardly wait to hear your trip details.

Mary Beth

Post by **tex** » Sat Jun 25, 2011 11:46 am

Hmmmmmm. Interesting. I wonder how long it will be before some GI specialists/allergists begin to prescribe them for off-label use to control mast cell issues.

Do you by chance take a magnesium supplement? I find that a daily 250 mg magnesium supplement consistently lowers my BP by approximately 10 to 15 mmHg, (in addition to other advantages, such as eliminating leg/foot cramps, breathing problems, etc.).

Thanks for the link.

Tex

mbeezie · Post by **mbeezie** » Sat Jun 25, 2011 12:00 pm

I am taking a magnesium supplement - shudder to think what my BP would be without it. I'm only taking 2.5 mg (1/2 pill) because I wanted to check my tolerance first and so far it seems to be working well with no side effects, so I doublt I will increase it to 5 mg. It will be interesting to see what it does to my mast cells. I also read that it has been observed to manage urticaria pigmentosa (a form of mast cell disease).

Mary Beth

Deb · Post by **Deb** » Sat Jun 25, 2011 3:56 pm

Tex, after your previous post I started on 250 mg of magnesium with possibly increasing to 500 (the only good ones I could find at Walgreens are 500 and I'm splittting them.). My BP has been consistently 130's/over 70's but sometimes when I first take it it can be 140-150's/over 80's but when I retake it again it's down (white coat issues?)sometimes even in the 120's. I've been doing very well with the D (several months with no significant issues) but had a bout last night after the only thing I ate was steamed crab legs/butter and some wine. The wine has been okay so I'm wondering about preservatives in the crab.I still seem to be okay with casein.

Post by **tex** » Sat Jun 25, 2011 7:13 pm

Hmmmmmm. I've never checked my BP soon after taking a supplement, so I don't know if I have any quick response, or not. I check my BP first thing in the morning, (before I take any pills, except for thyroid hormone supplement), and again at bedtime, (before I take my BP pills).

I have no idea if preservatives might be used on crab.

Tex

mbeezie · Post by **mbeezie** » Sat Jun 25, 2011 7:56 pm

Crab is high in histamine FWIW . . .don't know if you are senstive.

Mary Beth

Deb · Post by **Deb** » Sun Jun 26, 2011 10:55 am

Tex, I figured I'd give the magnesium a couple of weeks or more before I'd see if it helps the BP and if I react to it. It's possible that may have been the cause of the D but I had taken it in the morning and didn't have issues until that evening.
Mary Beth, I'm still learning about histamines and haven't figured out what, if any, issues I may have from them yet.

mbeezie · Post by **mbeezie** » Sun Jun 26, 2011 11:21 am

Back to the drawing board . . . reacted to Norvasc last night

I am making an appointment with a hypertension specialist in Houston who knows about dysautonomia. I seem to have all the symptoms of hyperadrenergic POTS, along with mast cell issues, which is not uncommon. Hopefully it won't take too long to get an appointment.

Mary Beth

Post by **tex** » Sun Jun 26, 2011 12:29 pm

Bummer, for sure. Good luck with getting an appointment soon.

Tex

mbeezie · Post by **mbeezie** » Tue Jun 28, 2011 8:08 pm

I found this article on hyperadrenergic POTS and mast cell activation that may be of some interest to others with mast cell issues who said they experienced exercise intolerance.

http://hyper.ahajournals.org/cgi/conten ... a;45/3/385

I'm having trouble getting an appointment with a specialist

Today my BP was either normal or in the pre-hypertension range. I believe the diet modifications I am doing are working (no caffeine, low histamine, low sodium, reduced carb/higher protein and of course all of the other things I avoid). Yep, it's a pretty short list of foods that I can eat right now.

Mary Beth

sarkin · Post by **sarkin** » Tue Jun 28, 2011 9:01 pm

Mary Beth,

For some reason I missed this thread while trying to catch up - I'm sorry to hear about your BP *and* your reaction to the CCB.

I thought of you on our trip - I definitely believe my (minor) issues on the trip support your recommendation that I pay attention to mast cell issues (worse on hot days, after prolonged climbing of ancient stone staircases, a rogue hive here and there, etc. - I'm working on a trip report).

Glad your so-restricted diet is bringing your BP back in a safe range, but sorry both about the restrictions and the delay in getting an appointment. Sometimes it feels as though we're always waiting for (yet another) shoe to drop - and there's so much luck involved (we had lovely cool weather in Paris, most of the time - what great good fortune).

I am using topical magnesium. I have no way to know how much I'm absorbing, but it has been safe for me as far as D goes, and I haven't had any leg cramps since I began. I use nigari flakes, which are used to make tofu, dissolved in water. It has been more effective than a health-food-store product I tried that cost drastically more... If this is a placebo effect, I'll take it.

I don't know whether there's a difference in what works in cases where mast cells are more numerous, as opposed to mast cells that are more easily triggered - and I don't know what exactly is going on with mine. I haven't read the article you linked, but plan to settle in with it and try to orient my own next steps.

sarkin · Post by **sarkin** » Tue Jun 28, 2011 9:07 pm

Mary Beth,

For some reason I missed this thread while trying to catch up - I'm sorry to hear about your BP *and* your reaction to the CCB.

I thought of you on our trip - I definitely believe my (minor) issues on the trip support your recommendation that I pay attention to mast cell issues (worse on hot days, after prolonged climbing of ancient stone staircases, a rogue hive here and there, etc. - I'm working on a trip report).

Glad your so-restricted diet is bringing your BP back in a safe range, but sorry both about the restrictions and the delay in getting an appointment. Sometimes it feels as though we're always waiting for (yet another) shoe to drop - and there's so much luck involved (we had lovely cool weather in Paris, most of the time - what great good fortune).

I am using topical magnesium. I have no way to know how much I'm absorbing, but it has been safe for me as far as D goes, and I haven't had any leg cramps since I began. I use nigari flakes, which are used to make tofu, dissolved in water. It has been more effective than a health-food-store product I tried that cost drastically more... If this is a placebo effect, I'll take it.

I don't know whether there's a difference in what works in cases where mast cells are more numerous, as opposed to mast cells that are more easily triggered - and I don't know what exactly is going on with mine. I haven't read the article you linked, but plan to give it a real look, and try to orient my own next steps. I hope you get some help soon, and that your BP stays stable in the meantime.

All my best,

Sara

mbeezie · Post by **mbeezie** » Wed Jun 29, 2011 5:47 am

Thanks Sara. I think the pieces are coming together for me. The article I posted has shed alot of light on my situation. I am going to work hard on keeping things under control with diet and mild exercise.

The flu shot that triggered both mast cell and autonomic symptoms was nearly 4 years ago. Right after the incident I was very sick for 2 months and glued to my computer trying to figure out what had happened. I had determined at that time that I had dysautonomia (mast cells weren't on the radar yet because I didn't have D). I remember clearly having a discussion with a neurologist about dysautonomia and she quickly dismissed it and angrily said "you have a little autonomic instability" and that was it. Looking back, my diagnosis was correct. Apparaently it's not just GIs that have a bad attitude. In any case, I feel much more confident and will pursue a specialist who understands what is wrong with me rather than wasting time on another narrow minded doctor. Tight control of my diet is buying me time to do so.

Sara, I am curious - do you have any trouble flying or with changes in barometric pressure or altitude? I have noticed this is a problem for me.

Mary Beth