Anyone having blood pressure issues following surgery?

Posted , 6 users are following.

My total hip replacement surgery was last Tuesday. During the procedure a heart arrhythmia was noted so I now have an appointment with a heart doctor. My blood pressure has been great for several years with medication. Now I am taking my blood pressure a few times a day and it is all over the place - sometimes too high, sometimes perfectly normal. Has anyone else had this type of experience?

0 likes, 8 replies

8 Replies

  • Posted

    Hi  Anne I went for my pre med last week, and my blood pressure was high , and I was told they would,nt do the op if I could,nt get it down , I too have never suffered from high blood pressure . Could feel myself getting more uptight about it . Currently going to nurse to be monitored,  and also bought my own monitor, it's keeping lower but feeling nervous that when I go in for op it will shoot up again. Was given good advise on this forum to get bachs rescue remedy, think this is actually doing some good. Anything is worth a try . Hope you get sorted soon . Warm regards lynne 

    • Posted

      Lynne,

      The day before my surgery I was in my doctor's office crying like a baby! That's how anxious I was about the upcoming procedure. He prescribed just two Xanax pills for me, one for that day and one for the day of surgery. They did help me to feel calmer.

  • Posted

    Dear Anne

    I'm sorry that this has happened to you.   My experience of five years ago was much the same I think however this was following ankle replacement surgery so in case it helps you in any way.

    Within a few hours of my surgery...the same morning actually I felt something uncomfortable in the area of my heart and brought it to the attention of the nurse.   She organised an ECG and there did not seem to be too much concern but when the same thing happened the following morning there was considerable concern and as this was a hospital without heart specialities.    I was blue lighted to one hospital and on arrival after much waiting around was told they did not have any space for me so off we went again to another hospital.

    I had many tests over the following days being moved from ward to ward. I felt pretty unwell and at one point I was told that they may have to fit a pacemaker but in the end that did not happen and I was released without any conclusion.   It was thought that the general I had had for the surgery had triggered my condition.

    Eventually after having a portable ECG strapped to me for a day it was decided that I should be put on blood thinning tablets Warfrin being the normal one here in the UK.   As some here may know this precluded eating some green vegetables, means going for blood tests quite often with changes in ones dose and if you ever have to have antibiotics the whole testing procedure has to start again.    I realy, really did not want this for the rest of my life especially as I had been so fit and healthy and being reminded that I had had a problem was an alien prospect for me.

    I did some research and found that there was a much more expensive type of tablet that one takes morning and night that does not involve watching what greens you eat of any testing, you just have to remember to take them.   The downside is that if you have a severe bleed there is no antidote and as I was involved in stuff where cutting oneself was a high probability I have had to be more careful.   Oh yes I've recently had my hip revised and had to stop taking the blood thinning tablets a couple of days before the surgery and this time I had a spinal and a low level general with no further heart issues though of course I was somewhat apprehensive.

    That was four to five years ago and everything has been fine and my heart has been working as well as before the surgery on my ankle I'm happy to say.   If there is anything anyone wants to ask that's fine by me....on or off forum.

    Cheers

    Richard

    • Posted

      Hi Richard,

      Thanks for telling your story. When I was speaking with the nurse this morning she said that in her opinion it will probably turn out to be the anesthesia that caused the additional problems. I don't know at what point in the surgery the arrhythmia was detected. I just heard about it after recovery. I do see the heart doctor next week who was called in to attend to me, so I will find out then. He put me on an additional blood pressure medication and this morning my heart rate was low-normal, so I may not need that extra med at this point.

      Glad to know that you have not had any more heart issues.

    • Posted

      Dear Anne

      Sorry for the length of my earlier reply but thought that it was more useful to provide the full story in case there was something that you or others might find useful.  Hope all goes well for you.

      Cheers

      Richard

  • Posted

    Hi Ann thankfully you have had your op so at least that can cancel it, it sounds as though you are now very anxious regarding BP this will as you probably realise send it all over the place, please try not to worry too much about it and it will probably settle down again, as for the arythmia that could also be something or nothing, did they glue your hip or was it a straight forward hip replacement were the bone heals round it?? Can I also ask your age
    • Posted

      Hi Alexandria,

      I think that my BP is starting to normalize. And I will see the heart doctor next week to make sure that nothing else is going on. My hip replacement was not glued. And I am 72 although I can't believe that's true!

  • Posted

    Hello Anne,

    My bp has been all over the place since the operation also.  Not way high but it's been under control, with meds, for many years now.  My PCP said to keep an eye on it and that it was caused by anxiety and the trauma of the op.  Hopefully it'll settle back down for both of us.

    Wishing you well,

    Kelvin

    • Posted

      Kelvin, I think that you and I are in the same boat! This morning my BP was finally in a good range and when the nurse took it later in the morning it was still good. I hope that you and I can both calm down and not have any additional worries on our minds.

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