Good points, @clark711. Adding diastolic pressure and pulse pressure to your symptoms prompts me to ask what your doctors have told you about the possibility of atrial fibrillation or hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Have they tested you for hormonal effects precipitated by the brain, kidneys, or adrenal glands? What made you think that your diastolic pressure is a primary cause of your rising systolic pressure?

Rather than parsing the impact of your symptoms, I'll suggest that you discuss them in detail with your cardiologist AND a nephrologist (possibly assisted by an endocrinologist). They will be fascinated by your status as well as your analysis, and they should have good answers or better questions to seek answers for.

In my case, Cardiology and Internal Medicine mistreated me for a number of years before my new HMO sent me to a nephrologist, and she brought in an endocrinologist. They put me on Lisinopril (a common kidney-related medication) at four times the dosage of your Lisinopril. I take this medication on my way to bed for the night, so it is available when my kidneys are most active as I sleep and doesn't interfere with conscious physical activity (no dizziness).

In over 20 years of treatment for hypertension, I learned that the medical manual way of treating it starts with the fewest and simplest guesses about its cause, then adds more and more questions at each rising level of inquiry. Perhaps you and your medical team need good data on a number of factors not previously studied. I also learned that inferences and imputations (sometimes called suspicions) are no match for direct, focused, objective medical tests -- laboratory as well as dynamic and imaging. Without those, my heroic medical team might never have diagnosed my very rare situation:

1) Hypertension caused by shortage of potassium, not hypokalemia (low potassium) caused by hypertension; and

2) Genetic kidney mutation that refuses to recover potassium that the kidney strains out of the blood.

You deserve praise for pursuing good answers to your symptoms, and I hope you will give us the benefit of what you learn in the days ahead. We'll all be appreciative and supportive. Martin

This morning my BP was 117/67 after waking. Very good.
Yesterday morning my BP was 151/96 after waking. Kinda bad.

Pulse rate about the same. No morning medicine, exercise, wine, for those first readings. I woke up in good spirits, good night's sleep, good day before, on both occasions. Yet there was a big difference in BP. I wish I knew why.

Why do I believe that Diastolic BP is the problem ? Because it apparently "leads" my BP up or down. The differential pressure between DP and SP (pulse pressure as doctors term it) is about the same, and normal, which would say to me that artery/arteriole tightness is not a problem. If it were, then my pulse pressure would increase with higher BPs, my SP would go up, but the DP could stay about the same.

That is also the reason why I don't think my Lisinopril is helpful, since its purpose is to make the arteries and arterioles less rigid.

No, I have not sought help in depth. My doctor just basically treats the prescribed way. I go into his office, take my BP, he says it's better or worse, and adjusts Lisinopril accordingly. And the nurse is always jabbering, asking questions, when she takes my BP.

But I have learned a lot about my daily cycle of BP, and have significant data on the numbers, since my last doctor visit. The next time I see him, I will ask more in depth. My BP problem is obviously more complex than either a) clogged arteries or b) rigid arteries.

Martin, thanks much for your comments. They are very helpful.

By the way, I forgot to include the link about the benefit of higher CO2 in arterial blood. I Googled this morning, found the link but also found other links which apparently stated that BP goes up with higher CO2.

This is the "CO2 is good" link, which includes this comment -- 'Since CO2 is the most potent vasodilator' Wait, the forum won't let me post links. The website is normalbreathing dot com. The tab is CO2 Effects.

Another question - Does anyone from Mayo itself check the discussions on this forum, or is just us civilians ?

Thanks --- Have a great day, low BP included.

Clark

Hi Clark,
Mayo Clinic Connect is an online community where you can share your experiences and find support from people like you. You can read more about Connect and how it is managed and monitored here:
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/about-this-community/
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/about-our-moderators-and-mentors/