Mark,
I do have one of those machines and have been bringing up to my doctor that my blood pressures seem high after I run. They are in the 200's. I had a stress test and my highest pressure was 220/54. They said that was OK. They also said that my VO2 level was low and that I was just out of shape. When asked how I can build up any endurance with the headaches and shortness of breath they said that to just take it slow. 3 years later I am still taking it slow but still can't build up any endurance.

One of the suggestions was that the brain autonomic system is not responding to the increased in blood flow etc. when I am running or lifting weights. They said there is nothing they can do for that. I just had some blood work done and my CO2 level was marked high but doctor said it wasn't high enough to be causing me any problems.

Thanks for your reply and I will keep checking the blood pressures and heart rates - maybe something will show up.

A BP of 220/54 does not sound right. The 220 is extremely high. The 54 is extremely low. What was your starting BP? How was your head ache at that high BP?

What is your normal resting BP?

Mine is about 115/65 to 120/75, give or take.

When my BP spikes, it can hit 195/155.

I was asking what your BP is when you have a head ache as compared to resting. That will help you understand if your head ache is BP caused.

If the diastolic was accurate at 54, it says that your vessels stretch and dilate well. That is usually a sign of good vascular health. This vascular dilating can cause head aches.

MdotDdot's comment about a calcium channel blocker to stabilize vascular size may be worth a question to your Doctor.

Maybe you need to exercise more often so your fluid pressure in your brain normalizes to the BP effects.

I exercise and a lower heart rate and BP for 45 minutes or more. I don't know my pulse or BP but my respirations are probably around 25 to 30 per minute.

Since my accident my BP pressures have been running around 136/65 or higher. When I was in ICU my pressures were running very high. My heart rate NOW is always in the 50's.

Before my accident my pressures were in the 110/70 range and my heart rate was in the 60's, low 70's (All of these numbers are at rest). Until I am constantly in the 140's my doctor will not put me on medicine. I told him I would really like to see my systolic pressure <130.

On my stress test my starting blood pressure was 133/70 and I was told they expect the systolic number to go up and the diastolic to go down as mine did. So they said everything was fine. It took me a week to recover from the stress test. I felt like I got hit by a truck.

You wrote: "Maybe you need to exercise more often so your fluid pressure in your brain normalizes to the BP effects. "

I would if I didn't feel like someone was hitting me in the head with a hammer

I see a new neurologist in 3 weeks and I will bring up the calcium channel blocker. Maybe start out on a small dose to see if it helps.

Thanks again for your reply Mark - hope all is going good for you.

SIB

Look up adrenal cortical hyperfunction. You might find something to take to your doctor. Look at how epinephrine and norepinephrine are supposed to function. These important functions can be disrupted by a brain injury. Norepinephrine can cause an increase in blood pressure.

There is a class of drugs called SNRI's. Selective Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors. I don't know if they help with this kind of problem but it shows that they can manipulate norepinephrine.

Adrenal Cortical Hyperfunction can cause emotional outbursts (lability) and other stress reactions. I believe it is the cause of my 195/155 BP during stress situations that overwhelm me. These are usually brought on by too much auditory and/or visual stimulation.

I have propanolol (a beta blocker) in the cabinet as a back-up in case I have a difficulty getting my body to relax and recover.

Mark,
Thanks for the information. I will head out to the WWW to see what I can find. Is there a blood test that they could do to test these levels? (epinephrine and norepinephrine)

I don't seem to be able to handle stress like I use to. It seems the littlest thing can set me off or I will have the reverse reaction. Something I should be upset about I have no emotions towards it. Weird. This really hasn't helped personal relationships either.

Thanks again and will let you know what the Doc has to say

Google search the neuroscience corporation (also known as neurorelief). They, by way of saliva and urine, test you neurotransmitters and adrenal function. Personally, I had mine tested and it showed that I had crashed my adrenal glands -from all of the stress of going through pcs- and that a number of neurotransmitters were out of balance. They are now putting me on natural adrenal support therapy and a couple of amino acids - precursors to the neurotransmitters - to try and get things back into balance. FYI: you don't go directly to them for this, they refer you to a practitioner in your area that has an account set up with them - you can search for one on the internet. If you can't find one in your area, you can print out information to deliver to your current doc and try and go through him/her. Also, if your adrenals have crashed, I would highly recommend not going on any conventional medication - such as pregnalone or prednisone - these drugs are the worst drugs on the market and cause more harm than good to your body. Definitely try the natural way first with this one.

Disclaimer: I haven't used the amino acid or the adrenal support stuff yet, so I'm not sure how its going to work out. I'll definitely let you know in a month how things are going though. This is all very new science right now, but does show some promise as a therapy.

Hi..haven't been to this board in months and doing well. Your question got my attention as working out was an important part of my recovery measurement - that is, can I work out the same way I did before?

After several failed attempts on my own to get back to working out, I finally signed on with an agency that helped me surrender to what I needed to do. And that was basically, start over and go slow. Like a stroke victim that needs to relearn certain things, I found my brain needed to relearn how to cope with workouts again (increased vascular activity and balance were the big issues for me). I started VERY slowly with cardio and weights, increased VERY slowly and always stopped at any sign of headache. It took several months, but I am now pretty much back to the level I was at before.

I can't stress enough that you have to surrender to healing and coming back slowly to things you did before. Every time you push to hard, you start over. That was a tough lesson for me. Even now, I have to watch it - just like most of the posters on this board. Good luck.

That is exactly where I am at...can I do the things now as before. Exercising is the last piece of the puzzle but seems to be the hardest piece to make fit. Like you said, if I push to far I can be set back days - if I don't push myself I feel that I am not getting any benefit from the exercise. Which then just triggers my frustration level.

Got a call earlier this week and the new neurologist can see me sooner. Really don't think he is going to have anymore insight but will try one more, then I am done with doctors.

Just wanted to let you know that doctor wanted to test cortisol levels and mine came back low. He said that could be why I was struggling to exercise. Anyway need to go back and have another test and then decide from there.

Have not really been feeling very well with fatigue, nausea, lightheaded that is why he wanted some more blood work. Also my vitamin d has dropped again so looking to add a higher dose.

Just a note to say how very, very much I admire those of you trying to continue work out regimen following TBI's. My hat is off, and I salute you. I wish I had more to offer, but I gather that jiggling the brain about following tbi, even remotely, can cause pain. Running, therefore, sounds risky for H/A. Congratulations to all of you! billie