Question for those with hypertension before surgery...

Did you continue you bp meds after surgery?  Did you doctor instruct you to just monitor at home?

At my one-week check up with the surgeon my bp was 160/110 - and this is while on blood pressure meds.  So obviously he advised me to continue taking it. 

Today I've been feeling a bit dizzy, and I took my bp at home.  It was 95/50!!!   I retook it several times with a similar result.  I have started losing weight, shedding the lbs gained from the surgery itself (fluids) and I think I'm starting to lose some "real" weight as well.  Is such a drop normal?  I will say I think part of the 160/110 was nerves and also I was still in a lot of pain at the time they took it.

I plan to call on monday to make an appoitment with my PCP to help monitor my changing blood pressure.  In the meantime, I plan to skip my bp med tomorrow.  

Anyone else have a dramatic drop?  In your opinion, does this warrant action beyond what I'm doing?

I had high BP and was on meds for about a year before surgery. By 3 weeks after surgery I was feeling dizzy when I stood up and nearly fainted while walking down the street. My pressure had gone all the way down to 80/60. They took my off the meds right away. I would go see your primary care dr asap.

yes, my pcp helped me.  I was on 6 pills, now do to 2 or 3 per day.  When stressed, it goes up a littlle.  In the Er, it was 114/47.  I have had it much lower than before surgery.  As I lost weight, it went down. 

Thanks for the responses, guys!  Do you think it's reasonable for me to just skip my bp dose tomorrow (while keeping an eye on my blood pressure, of course!) and get in to see my PCP as early next week as possible?

My surgeon told me to just keep an eye on my bp because I may need to discontinue the meds. (I'm only on one medication for it, by the way - enalapril.)  That was really all the instruction I got, though.  


ETA:  I thought I'd better add this disclaimer:  I know no one here is my doctor!  I'm not trying to get anyone in trouble by asking medial advice.  I am under the care of multiple doctors.  I just want to hear from the perpsectivice of patients that have BTDT, and how they handled it.  Thanks!  

I would recommend taking it easy and seeing your PCP right away, but I hesitate to recommend you don't take your meds (I am not a doctor and DON'T play one on TV). However, it is very common to decrease or come completely off blood pressure meds as you lose weight post sleeve.

I came off my meds almost immediately post op. My resting blood pressure is now around 90-something over 60-something and I have developed orthostatic hypotension, which is essentially a head-rush/very low blood pressure that hits if I get up quickly from lying down or reclining. Quite a change. Your symptoms sound like this, so I wouldn't be surprised if you find your high blood pressure has either resolved or at least improved.

Good luck!

 I had the same thing happen to me.  My blood pressure was about 78 over 50  at about one and one half weeks out and I was very dizzy.  I called the surgeon and they told me to stop my blood pressure meds.  I have about 110 over 70 now.

I started taking my BP regularly about a month after surgery.  It took about a 35 lbs weight loss before my BP dropped enough to half my dose.  I took my BP every day or two (in the morning while drinking my protein drink and resting) and emailed my PCP with the results.  She dropped my dose twice before discontinuing my Rx completely.  

So, my recommendation is to document your BP and let your MD know the pattern.  Skipping one dose will not necessarily do much as it takes a couple of weeks to lower the level.  So, start documenting (I had a spreadsheet with my weight, measurements and added a column for BP).  Then I could go back and see how things changed.  

i'd taper down.  if you are on beta blockers like me if you stop abruptly they can make your bp go up.

I would hope that if you call with a question for your Dr, you would get a call back the same day.  I would call first thing in the morning and just follow his/her instructions as for taking the med or not.

My BP was up in the hospital after surgery, not quite as high as yours, but almost, so I was still told to continue my meds at home.  I'm not advising doing what I did, but I had my husband take my BP every morning once I got home.  My pressure was never above 130/80, so I didn't take my meds.  Then at my two week follow up, I was "officially" told to stop taking them.  Of course, the right way to do it is to do what you are doing, call the Dr and ask their advice :)

Thanks, everyone!   I appreciate the advice.  I think I'll skip tomorrow's dose (it's an Ace inhinbitor, and not a beta blocker) and keep a close eye on my blood pressure all day.  If it goes up, I'll take the pill.  I'll call my PCP first thing Monday morning and hopefully be able to get in to see her ASAP.  If I can't get in to see my PCP right away, I'll call my surgeon's office and ask their advice.  My surgeon's office is a bit more accessible, it seems, than my PCP so I may get a faster response from them to at least give me some advice untl I can see my PCP.

Thanks again, everyone!