Blood pressure problems..........

[Guest cheri]

Hey! Has anyone experienced any blood pressure changes when taking chemo?

Dad had to get a Medi-port inserted this morning b/c they are unable to draw his blood...tried 8 or 9 times yesterday. When they took his blood pressure the first time it didn't even register. They kept trying and it eventually read 74/50! This is the third time that this has happened and it always hits the week after chemo. Not the day after or the third day or fourth day...for some reason it's around the 6th day and will last about a week. This sound so strange to me and we can't figure out what's going on.

He has been treated for high blood pressure for years...I mean years and has never had any problems. It started dropping after his first treatment, as I mentioned earlier, a week after his chemo. They fiddled with his bp medications and then about a week later he was OK. Exact same thing with the second treatment...78/54 reading about a week after the second treatment. They decided to completely take him off of the blood pressure med and within two weeks it slowly crept back up to exacerbated levels (179/130, etc.) so they put him on a low dosage med. Now it happened again after his third treatment (even after only taking lower dosages). If all goes like before, it will come back around next week to normal levels (he's not taking any bp meds right now after yesterdays incident). His oncologist said that he wants him off FOR GOOD; however, when we tried this last month it eventually climbed back up and we were fearful then of a stroke.

Any ideas as to why this would happen a week after treatment? Mom and I are now keeping a calendar and are tracking dates/bp readings to pinpoint exactly when the drops occur. I am thinking about not taking the bp meds the week after chemo and then resume the week following when they begin to creep up.

Any thoughts or experiences with this would be greatly appreciated. I do respect and appreciate you all so much.

Oh...I know that he takes 50 mg Metropol and something else...will check with Mom and post later.

Cheri

[Guest cheri]

Just talked to Mom...50 mg Metropol , 25 mg Maxide

Thanks.

Cheri

[MO_Sugar]

I have always had low blood pressure but I have noticed since I started the Carbo / Taxol that it is even lower than normal. It was so low the other day they almost took it twice because she thought the machine wasn't working! She said "I saw you walk in here so I know you are alive", lol. She told me to be sure to eat something in the morning because that gets things moving.

Best wishes and God Bless,

MO

[Angie Daughter of Bill]

Hi Cheri! One thing that my Dad's Dr. cautioned us about with Taxol is low blood pressure. Dad's Dr. said that low blood pressure is not uncommon with Taxol. Strange thing is, my Dad has had to go on BP meds. Dad's BP has been really high. They suspect that it could be progression of his LC. Dad's tumor is growing around the main pulmonary artery in the left lung. Wonder what Dad's BP would be if he wasn't on Taxol?? It could be that your Dad's Dr. might need to temporarily take your Dad off of his BP meds. ????

Nice to see you!

Angie

[Frank Lamb]

CHERI,I don't remember how low mine was but i had all kinds of problems when on carbo/taxol.They still have trouble getting needle in my veins,my blood oxygen dropped,(now on oxygen)I had allergic reactions,and blood clots (now on blood thinner)Everyone says I will improve and get better but it seems to be taking a long time

GOOD LUCK

FRANK

[Carolyn Flournoy]

Cheri.....Jim has been taking med. for high blood pressure for 30 years. Last year when on Carbo/gemzar his blood pressure began to come down. After radiation he ended up in E.R. for S.V.P.T. low blood pressure, high pulse rate. He saw a heart specialist who changed his med. he takes med. just for the high pulse rate now. I would talk to your dad's primary Dr. or see a heart specialist to be on the safe side. Carolyn