Normal blood pressure, can feel heartbeat all over body

[tedstark]

What could explain why someone with normal blood pressure can feel their pulse all over their body? I sense it in my feet and legs, I can hear it loudly when lying down, it pounds in my neck, sometimes my hands visible shake with every beat...

If it's not high blood pressure, then what causes this?

 

[sb4]

Yes I have this too, its like the heart is pumping with excess force but the heart rate and BP can be normal. @pattismith I think posted an interesting idea where it could be the neuropathy is causing the nerves along the blood vessels(?) to be more sensitive.

I don't think this is the case in me as not only can I see my body visibily pulsating when it's at its worst; it also makes sense that since I have blood pooling in my feet and other POTS symptoms indicating blood is having difficulty been pumped in my body, that my heart is indeed pumping harder/trying harder to get the blood around.

An idea I have is that the blood pressure / force may be higher closer to the heart and lower the further away as it is struggling for whatever reason to get around. Meaning if you took BP from your arm it evens out to being more or less normal.

This is why you can feel it hard in your chest neck and abdomen. Actually come to think about it, I am not sure this is correct as I remember even doctors commenting that I have a strong pulse when taking it at the wrist yet my BP is still normal.

 

[Aspen]

I have this too, several times a day and usually when lying down (although I’m mostly bedbound so I don’t have a lot to compare it to). My blood pressure is normal while resting but all over the map if I’m sitting or standing. My POTS symptoms are pretty extreme. I‘m kind of obsessed with figuring these symptoms out right now, haha! Tried increasing salt and using compression stockings for POTS, but they made everything worse.

An idea I have is that the blood pressure / force may be higher closer to the heart and lower the further away as it is struggling for whatever reason to get around. Meaning if you took BP from your arm it evens out to being more or less normal.

Does this suggest that it’s possible to measure BP with the cuff on a leg?

 

[sb4]

Does this suggest that it’s possible to measure BP with the cuff on a leg?

Yeah you can measure BP with a leg cuff. Not sure if you can just use an arm one or if you need a special one.

I think my idea is probably wrong however as when I thought about it a bit more, I can even feel and see heavy pounding in my wrist. Which shouldn't be happening if my theory was right and BP normal.

It is quiet a mystery why we have such forceful, visible, heavy heart pounding yet it doesn't show up on BP.

Here is another idea I just pulled out of the air. So the BP machines work by pumping the cuff full of air and then measuring how much comes out with each beat, right? What if the reason the BP is normal is because our heart is pumping extra hard to maintain normal BP thanks to some other issue. Maybe we have too much vasodialation or leaky vessels or low blood volume or something else which if our heart didn't pump very hard our BP would read low,
I am imagining something like the blood pumping through the arteries HARD, but then disappating out through leaky capilaries. The increase BP in the arteries is offset by the decrease in the capilaries. Or not that but something vaguely like that. No idea if that is even possible but if somebody knows a little about this I would like to hear their opinion.

 

[sb4]

To add on to the above.

Maybe low blood volume means the heart is pounding and the blood is flowing through our arteries with high force to compensate, however because the blood volume is lower, there is less pushing air out of the cuff.

Does anyone know what blood pressure is supposed to be a measure of? Is it the pressure that blood is exerting on the arteries?

 

[Aspen]

No idea if that is even possible but if somebody knows a little about this I would like to hear their opinion.

Me too! I’m soaking it all in.

 

[Jjnz]

Sometimes my head literally shakes yet BP 120/80
I e also seen 160/100 and not been able to feel my pulse the same way.
I've often wondered about fluid around the heart or lungs transferring this force mechanically to the rest of the body.

 

[Aspen]

To add on to the above.

Maybe low blood volume means the heart is pounding and the blood is flowing through our arteries with high force to compensate, however because the blood volume is lower, there is less pushing air out of the cuff.

Does anyone know what blood pressure is supposed to be a measure of? Is it the pressure that blood is exerting on the arteries?

I’ve been trying to learn about this lately too. https://www.healthpartners.com/blog/which-numbers-mean-high-blood-pressure/ says “The top number of your blood pressure reading tells you the force of the blood against artery walls when your heart beats. It is called systolic pressure. The bottom number tells you what your blood pressure is when your heart is at rest between heartbeats. It is called diastolic pressure.”

No idea how this relates to the heavy beating though, seems to be a totally separate phenomenon. I might do some extra googling one day, unless someone else has already figured it out?

 

[sb4]

@Aspen Artieries have muscles in them that pump the blood. Perhaps these muscles are working harder? Although that would explain the thumping in the chest.

If there is a lower blood volume, then that would mean less pressure exerted on the artery walls. So if your heart is pumping the blood significantly harder, this could explain the pounding sensation and explain why BP isn't low (if blood volume was normal and the heart was pumping hard then BP would be high).

Indeed some people with POTS have low BP, perhaps these people don't experience thumping hearts. Though come to think of it, when I was in hospital I had my BP checked at regular intervals and it fluctuated from low to high. I had pounding the entire time but cant remember if it was worse when BP was high or not.

I am not too satisfied with this low blood volume explaination I have made up as water and salt do nothing for my symptoms, indeed I have an aversion to salt. Perhaps my body is removing the excess water or maybe I dont have low blood volume at all.

 

[Aspen]

@sb4 My BP fluctuates wildly too, I try to check it regularly to get a sense of pattern. But it seems to me I mostly get the pounding when it’s normal, when I’ve settled down in bed after sitting up for a bit or heading for a bathroom break. Salt doesn’t help my POTS much either, so I don’t think my version of POTS is caused by low blood volume. I have a lot of questions about POTS, just getting more sensitized to it over the last few months.

 

[gbells]

What could explain why someone with normal blood pressure can feel their pulse all over their body? I sense it in my feet and legs, I can hear it loudly when lying down, it pounds in my neck, sometimes my hands visible shake with every beat...

If it's not high blood pressure, then what causes this?

ME patients often have problems with anxiety and hypersensitivity due to inflammation. Curcumin lowers inflammation, lavender oil diluted in water (1-2 drops) is antianxiety, meditation (headspace.org) and light exercise can help lower stress.

 

[kewia]

@Aspen Artieries have muscles in them that pump the blood. Perhaps these muscles are working harder? Although that would explain the thumping in the chest.

If there is a lower blood volume, then that would mean less pressure exerted on the artery walls. So if your heart is pumping the blood significantly harder, this could explain the pounding sensation and explain why BP isn't low (if blood volume was normal and the heart was pumping hard then BP would be high).

My assumption especially related to my current situation is, that chronic infections/automimmune disorder can manipulate the smooth muscles of arteries.
In my situation, they are constricted in direction to periphery leading to cold hands and cold feets.
At the same time the heart tries to balance the decreased blood circulation in the periphery by pumping harder either over pulse or amplitude which leads sometimes to high BP near of the heart but to low pressure in the periphery.

I think the sum of blood volume in the vessels is normal or too high because blood-letting always improved my symptoms.

 

[gbells]

My assumption especially related to my current situation is, that chronic infections/automimmune disorder can manipulate the smooth muscles of arteries.
In my situation, they are constricted in direction to periphery leading to cold hands and cold feets.
At the same time the heart tries to balance the decreased blood circulation in the periphery by pumping harder either over pulse or amplitude which leads sometimes to high BP near of the heart but to low pressure in the periphery.

I think the sum of blood volume in the vessels is normal or too high because blood-letting always improved my symptoms.

Arteries (supply to areas) don't rely on muscle action, that's veins (return from areas). Check your blood pressure. You'll need to consult a MD if it's abnormal.

 

[kewia]

Arteries (supply to areas) don't rely on muscle action, that's veins (return from areas).

Arteries have a smooth muscle layer which can get tightened also known as vasoconstriction.

Check your blood pressure. You'll need to consult a MD if it's abnormal.

Thanks, I already did this, and now I'm treated with beta blocker which doesn't help at all. I seek other experts, but it follows the simple principle: in 90 % the cause of high blood pressure can't be concluded.

Maybe you know better experts than me, but this is how it is.

Further, the most obvious cause are psychological disorders because vasoconstriction is ruled by the sympathetic, therefore it must be psycho pathological

 

[gbells]

Further, the most obvious cause are psychological disorders because vasoconstriction is ruled by the sympathetic, therefore it must be psycho pathological

That's why I recommended exercise and meditation.

 

[kewia]

That's why I recommended exercise and meditation.

I appreciate your effort to help, but afaict it would only help temporally, you can't meditate 24h around. After you finished, your symptoms get back immediately.
Exercise can help, but very, very carefully with the same cons of meditation.

But of course there other experiences. Did you improved ME from 2 to 6 with meditation, it would interest me?

 

[gbells]

I appreciate your effort to help, but afaict it would only help temporally, you can't meditate 24h around. After you finished, your symptoms get back immediately.
Exercise can help, but very, very carefully with the same cons of meditation.

But of course there other experiences. Did you improved ME from 2 to 6 with meditation, it would interest me?

As you get acclimated to meditation allows you to maintain the state during the day automatically.

No meditation did not improve my ME, though it reduced chronic pain 50%, that was immunotherapy plus some energy supplements. I'm not sure what the final ME level will be yet.

 

[Booble]

Over the years I've had some doctors that say, "holy sh-t, are you excited to see me?" when feeling my pounding heart. Others have said, "You have thin cavity walls/structure so the pulsing is closer to the surface."

 

[deb74]

My doctor diagnosed me with heart valve disease a couple of years ago. He that it was linked to having ME. I get heart palpitations all over my body which I think is probably caused by the problem with my heart but I haven't talked to my doctor about it yet.

 

[gregh286]

I do get this but it can happen after a reaction to something...pizza...cigarette etc.

Aerobic threshold drops dramatically and HR rises. True BP stay same.

I still of belief its a form of histotoxic hypoxia and cells not upating oxygen although serum is saturated well.
Basically breakdown in oxhpos complex IV.
HR needs to raise to compensate for drop in aerobic metabolic rate and ANS knows heart has to stay #1 priority. Vo2 max would be dire in this case.

Activating the complex iv some had good.success.on other threads with ala and skullcap.