low b/p again...

In search of me

Silver Member
Had my bp checked this am as felt dizzy yesterday when planting some peas &, despite having a week off, have been VERy tired, verging on exhausted! On two readings its ranged from 105/62 to 92/59. I'm getting quite concerned about this as I have a very busy few weeks coming up at work. I'm just on week 12 and wonder whether I should eat for a week to try & get it back up. LL now reccomend the "milk week" but I could not drink 2 litres of milk a day...yuck.
I dont think this is my chatterbox because I really dont want to eat and am very worried about being able to get back on track is I do as know its an enormous struggle & I just dont want to risk sliding into oblivion....
Can anyone offer any advice/suggestions?
 
are you keeping your fluid intake up as dehydraton can cause bp to drop and if you are prone to low bp and don't keep well hydrated that wont help.
 
Hi Lavender,
Thanks for the reply.Yes am having loads of water and not ever had low BP before so no history of it - usually within the high normal range but its plummtted since starting LL....getting concerned as its so low!
 
Someone else had low blood pressure on here & it was suggested they add salt to their soups or drink some marigold to help bring their blood pressure back up.
Have you spoken to your LLC ISOM?
 
Hi ISOM,
Your BP is within normal adult ranges but if you're feeling faint then you should really go see your doctor and see if he/she can do some blood tests and see how the rest of you is.
Eating extra salt may work but it's an overall unhealthy thing to do.
Living on 500 cals for (more than) a few weeks must take its toll and maybe some of your blood tests would show if your iron or something else is low.
Can you use the milk (or some of it) to make your shakes?
Let's know how you get on and look after yourself
 
as tishtosh said ,your curent BP is at the lwer end of what isconsidered to be a 'normal adult range.

in parts of continental Europe if your bp isa below this level you are considered to be suffering from a Hypo-tension & medication may be suggested as a means of elevating it.

In Britain this concept does not exist.that is to say if you have no sympoms caused by you Bp, however low it may be, it is then considere tobe Normal for you. It is a rather nice exampleof how cultural diffeences influence the 'science' of medicine.

So ISOM, what you need to remember.unless you are about to emigrate to Germany, is that it is your symptoms of low bp that are of concern not the pressure reading Per se.
the reading will be of importance only in respect to using for comparison with your BP whenyour symptoms have abated.

Factors that will make you more likely to feel dizzy esp on standing up ,or straightening upafter bending will include

State of hydration, made worse by being hot in the sun
salt intake ( more neede to compensate for the losses during sweating in the sun)
TOTM esp if un-usually heavy periods
Tiredness (mental,physical)
Mood state &/or any anxiety or stress.
blood problems eg anaemia.(these are highly unlikely as the LL shakes are designed togive the full daily intake of vitamins,minerals,trace elements etc.
There's also the unknown/no obvious reason heading. this may be the largest category.

If you have done your best to exclude the above as a cause & you're still botheredby dizzyness,then adding some extra food for a week, as well as trying to take things gently, might be the next step.On CD they have GREEN & WHITE Meals.(= low fat protein ( fish,chicken,cottage cheese) & low carb/sugar vegetables(spinach,lettuce,broccoli etc) LL uses milk so I'm told.

Lets just hope that it turns out to be a self limiting 'one of those things'that fades away as mysteriously as it appeared & you'll be able to continue the losses as planned.

Oh it must be late now,as I've come over all ponderous..so sorry..better get to sleep
 
Thanks for the long & informative post! I've rung my friend whose husband is a consultant and he says it is a bit low and that I really should see GP as the 92 one is the one that worries as it means that blood not flowing quickly enough "& your brain cant have a break from blood!". I have decided on an action plan to see if I can raise it by taking muti vits (contrary to LL advice) & iron suppliment plus drink at least two marigold stocks a day (salt). I havent been stressed (had a week off!!) but the 3 weeks on one off cycle may be to blame as I am often anemic when my cycle is like that and that may well be to blame! Yesterday was also hot (I got sunburnt!!) I am loathe to include food (LL is an abstinent plan and I know people find it VERY hard to get back on after coming off) so will try to add milk for a week but know there is no way I will manage two litres a day but will at least up it! Milky coffee here I come (Yuck!). I'm also going to get a BP monitor to keep an eye on it & if it goes down again will go to GP. It is a bit worrying and I trust the doctor friend so will by no means ignore it - mu brain has enough trouble functioning right now without poor blood supply!!! Will keep you updated & thanks all for the advice!
 
ISOM,

How are you getting on?

I also suffer with low BP but this is normal for me. My BP was low when I last had it done with my nurse. She was concerned as like you I have been feeling dizzy (especially when I get up to quickly or over exercise) My lowest bp was last year when I was anorexic and it was 52/42 or there abouts, I felt awful.

I have found that as the weeks have passed on LL mine has dropped, tiredness has increased etc. I have pernicious anemia (sorry can't spell that) and have regular B12 injections to compensate. I noted that you are anemic when you are on which I belive may have something to do with it as although the packs contain the rda of iron and b12 and other vits/mins when you are on and are prone to anemia you obviously lose more than you are getting in and without a supplement or foods rich in these properties you cannot boost the amount you get from the packs.

I got a bp machine from Lloyds Pharmacy and regularly check it, you will probably find a difference between your lying and standing bp too.

I would go to the gp if you are concerned and raise it with your LLC but be aware that if they have concerns you could be taken off the programme.

Keep us posted xx
 
Hi ISOM, My BP went down too(a bit lower than yours) and was helped back up within a couple of days by increasing water intake (to about 6 litres from 4 1/2). I also had a couple of marigold drinks a day and took it easy. I gather it's not especially worrying (medically) to have a BP at these levels but if you feel dizzy and tired it's not much fun. I know it's hard to believe you may need more water when we drink the amount we do! But if you're working hard in the sun, then it's not surprising your requirements may rise sharply. It's good to be active but there are times when you're on 500 cals/day when your body wants a bit of a rest and lets you know. I made sure I has at least an extra hour of sleep a night whilst SSing and have carried on as I felt so much better having enough sleep! This is an extreme diet so it's not surprising that our bodies protest at times. Hope you feel better soon
 
Thanks all. I am concerned about it because this is such an extreme diet! I got a Bp monitor from argos which does BP pulse and seems that its gone up again. Had my mik and its bizarre how gross it feels in your mouth after not having any for ages. I had it with my pack & a milky coffee and its knocked me straight out of ketosis! Only had it at 3pm & by 6 out I was, not a pink strip in sight! Trying to think positive and that (a) It's for my health (b) It's only for a week but struggling althogh have no choce really! Had a MAJoR battle re the chicken etc but managed to resist. Just don't want to go there & risk not being able to not eat again. Apparently milk builds up less glycogen stores so will be easier to go back into ketosis. I really hope so because I have NO time to be ill in the next two weeks as its one of our busiest times of year...In view of my poor weight (but not fat!) losses am also hoping this will kick start my body as it doesent seem to be appreciating the lack of cals, even though the fat is going which I guess is the main thing! Will keep you updated and thanks for the lovely posts! These things are a worry arent they eh!
 
Evening ISOM ,how's the vegging & fainting going?

I got into trouble with H today for sneaking off to VP when I should have been sorting school clothes & supervising flute practise...oops bad mummy.

what was a coincidence was that at one point I straightened up from some brassica-cuddling when I came over V dizzy.I frequently have a brief mild wooziness for a sec or two but this was unpleasant. I couldn't shake it off & for a few seconds thought I was going to crumple. Leant foreward til it passed. Didn't happen again,but I had extra water just in case.
As I stood there wobbling on the spot I thought...Wonder how poor old ISOM is getting on with her postural hypotension?
Hopefully yours is better now that you've successfully sent it down the internet to me!
 
Hi Jane, sorry will pm tomorrow! BP Now gone up to 104/56 with pulse of 52 so feel much happier with that although must find a site for normal pulse ratings & BP's! Was very good at allotment (see blog) and no digging. Actually only watered & made people tea!! Trying not to be gutted about being out of ketosis!
Just found this is anyone intersted!
Blood Pressure Chart - Normal Blood Pressure Range
Will at least sleep better tonight! Will update on effect of "milk week" as the week progresses (if anyone intersted!)
 
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knocked out fketosis by milk.what bad luck!

chicken wouldn't have done it ,but when on LL do as the LL powers say.

actually re the ketosis.As I under stand it there are various levels of carb metabolism & storage.
if you beging from the ketosis stage.yyou have no stored body glycogen & are running on the ( limited) glucose in the shakes for processes that require sugar, & the products of fat breakdown = ketones for all the rest. good that's straightforeward.
Now if you increase your carb/sugar intake a bit,( by drinking the LL recommended milk) you will have enough to provide a fuel source for those processes that prefer to use sugar but can use ketones.Thus no need to make any more & you're out of ketosis. This can be a v finely balanced thing, & if the sugar supply is only raised just above your ketosis threshold you may not have enough sugar spare to lay down any glycogen stores.

Sorry if i'm labouring the point, ( it took me a while to get my head round all this) but it seems to me that this is a v different situation from the 'out of ketosis' caused by a big mac with Extra fries & a couple of mcflurries for pudding, after which you'll have enough sugar on board to render you comaose...er sorry meant to say for you body to spend al night making glycogen etc.

In the milk scenario you will go back into ketosis the moment you stop taking the little extra, you may get a bit of a bad head briefly but it should in oter respects be a quick & seemles transition.
After the MacD blowout you've got major problems. A blood sugar that's rocketed & then plummeted to produce sugar cravings by breakfast time.,glycogen stores replenished & requiring days of carb free living to depleter it before you can re-enter ketosis.

hope that helps.

PS if there are any nutritionist/biochemists out there could you please tell me if my understanding as posted above is rubbish. if it is ,than the sooner i get my deluded brain round the correct explanation the better!
 
hehe! technical woman you!! 102/56 with 55 pulse...so going up at least! Milk is taking some getting used to! Really ddnt want to eat chicken as its FOOD where is milk is DRINK! I knew if I ate that going back to not eating would be exceltionally hard! Trust me the lemon chicken is calling me from over the road but it's just NOT worth it! I have done so well to date that I dont want to muck it up by cheating 3 months in, no matter how much I want to! Psychologically the damage could be untold & I'd find it so hard to get back on track, as I know friends have when they have eaten. Also take away the focus of why I am doing this (ie abstenance) and while I am hungry I just dont want to risk it, even if chicken didnt take me out! Only a few days to go! Will see how it as as the week goes on! Hopefully the iron suppliment will also start to kick in!
 
Glad to hear u r heading back up BP wise! I agree the milk is yucky if drunk in quantity. In my milk week I had a couple of skinny lattes from Cafe Nero, adn that was all I could manage. (mind you now you could stick me under the udders and I'd be happy LOL).

I have occasional dizzy spells too, sometimes a bit scary. I dont really have BP issues, as pre LL my BP was high side of normal, and is now mid-range. I find standing up too fast, from sitting or lying causes bad wobbles, and I have thought I might faint. Luckily I haven't. The scariest wobbles are the ones that come on when there is seemingly no reason, such as sitting still then coming over "all funny". It is an extreme diet and I suppose we are all adjusting to it as we go along??
 
well it's afunny old world, & it'll certainly teach me to come a read threads about hypotensoin, add my penn'orth & go away thinking ' Glad i never got any of that in 5th months of SSing.'

Well today i've been lght headed & woozy all day.Not actually feeling faint,but rather week & trembly.

Pretty certain It's hypotenson. Might have caught it from here but suspect I Seriously over did it with the wheelbarrow/top soil/compost/digging etc yesterday & to a lesser extent the day before. Glad there was noone around to take my BP! if it was as limp as I felt & the info got into the hands of an anti-VLCD type i could have been warned off the diet stat. ( as the americans say)

So I thouhgt I'd comeback on here to register my complaint....er no meant to say hope that the symptoms are better today, & to tell every one to be careful of low-BP in the warm weather.
 
Oh dear J, these internet lurgies!! You did do alot of digging and its quite warm at the moment! Digging burns 500 cals an hour (I banned myself last week!) so just go gently and bear in mind that you sweat more too. Despite drinking over 3 litres of fluid my body stat test said I was a bit dehydrated which was incredible!! My BP has gone back up again thank goodness but I will definately take it as a lesson in going gently, esp in the heat...stll need to keep an eye on it though! hOPE YOU FEEL MORE LIKE "YOU" SOON! (aoops sorry caps!)
 
Hi ISOM,
Glad to hear you're back on track. I've been too busy over the past few days to sign in and was wondering how you were getting on.
I must say - well done you for avoiding that chicken that was calling to you ....
 
Hello ISOM,How's the BP holding up in this weather?
I was back to normal by weds. Going to keep an eye on things this W/E & sitting down & catchibng up on papaer work during the hottest part of the day.
H has a hammock & retreats to it to listen to the cricket but I don't get in v often as it tends to get invasded by children. ( it's a family sized hammock)
 
109/65 and havent had a pack yet! J am SOOOOO jealous of the hammock! Sounds sheet bliss! My lottie neighbor delivered table and chairs for me yesterday so will have great fun putting those up! Must get on as need to be there for 10 so mate can help me with the herb trough! WIll try & post photos on blog later!
 
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