Seniors could my elderly father have high or low blood pressure, What is the difference between the two?

You ask what is the difference. High blood pressure is pushing the blood through your blood vessels faster than the vessels can accommodate it..Like turning on water @ full pressure and trying to make it all go thru a 1/4 in garden hose..Low BP is not enough blood is being pushed thru the blood vessels so it would be like turning on that same faucet and pushing the water thru a 6 in garden hose..sort of trickles thru. He is probably fainting due to low BP as not enough blood is getting to his brain, {his damaged heart is not pumping hard enough to get the blood thru}. But his cardiologist needs to know. Call for an appt tomorrow. If you don't have a BP cuff, get one from your local pharmacy, take his BP morning and night, write it down and see if it changes and how much it changes. this would be a great help to the Dr.

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something could have gotten misalligned in his inner ear, like even getting a lot of water in there, and it could make him dizzy and a kind of vertigo. In that case he would have to see an ear/nose/throat doctor. Therapy with the head and neck would put those inner ear crystals back in place.

Also a vision problem where one eye is seeing darker than the other could play havoc with the brain and give him vertigo so bad that he couldn't stand up. It could have to do with cataracts so he should see his Ophthalmologist for a checkup. Sometimes cataracts comes on in quick time (like losing vision over just a couple of months' time)k.

He should also get his blood tested to see what he's lacking if anything and while he's there have his blood pressure tested. This would be done at his physician's office and done by the nurses. He would get a follow-up appointment so the results could be read to him and any prescription made at that time. If a person has low blood pressure he could faint and go into a coma so have him get this checked out ASAP.

I'm not sure what a HMO does but it shouldn't cost him a mint. But these are necessary things he needs to do (see those doctors).

Lots of people as they age have a high blood pressure problem (eating lots of meat over the years produces fat which sticks to the walls of arteries). He could be needing some cleaning or depending on his age well things start to wear out. If he can't afford to pay his part then his family should pitch in. After all he did pay for them as they were growing up and now it's his time of need. Somebody needs to drive him to those appointments or call the county and see if they can take him in one of their disability busses. It would be inconvenient but it would get him there and back. I don't know the cost.

I haven't had an experience like you describe,I've been on B/P meds for 9 1/2 years. Basically well controlled. There have been occasions when I just didn't feel right, would monitor my b/p and find it high. Usually I would take .5mg of lorazepam and kick back in the lounger, it would come down shortly. My doc has changed my meds about4 times since I began, each time it would settle into a usual 120/70 or close. This last time, I didn't respond quickly and was feeling arrhythmia's, was referred to a cardiologist. I wore a Holter monitor and had some scan, can't remember now what it was called. the cardiologist found nothing alarming. After all that, the arrhythmia's and spikes all seemed to settle down. maybe reassurance had something to do with it. I told my doctors I am not a neurotic, but believe in being proactive. Don't want to find serious problems only after a cardiac event. Be sure you document your time line and remember everything about your experience. I believe you will b e fine, but reassurance is a wonderful thing.

I will answer you Q as best as I can based on my own experience. I have an occasional faint due to very low blood pressure this is called syncope. At one time my blood pressure was completely out of control (high) and I was on 7 blood pressure pills a day. I had to drop back a lot on the medication to about 2 or 3 per day. It seems to me both your parents are suffering from low blood pressure.

Vertigo--- Have had that for many years as well. Have never fainted from vertigo but do occasionally need to take Antivert to get the world to slow down. The results of vertigo are a nightmare. I have nausea and vomiting when I have Vertigo and yes I know I will have this as long as I live. I also have slight vertigo from ear infection.

He does need to see a doctor about the blood pressure and have a diabetes checkup. If he doesn't have them he needs Antivert for the vertigo!

Good Luck to you and your parents!

My focus in life has not been money but in healing myself. Your father could be having low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). Instead of putting down the doctors why not take responsibility for your own health.

Vertigo somes from having to many things on the mind at once. You quickly rather than gracefully get up fron your chair & go to do everything. He needs to stop & think before he gets up & slowly know one place at a time, that he wants to go to such as the bathroom, then the kitchen, then the phone.

He has to make sure he has food planned out & eats at a certain time. So if he gets up before 9 then he needs to eat before 9 & have a protein & 2 carbs. He also needs to know his reactions to foods cause he may have developed an inability to handle certain foods right now.

There is so much that can be learned & it's sad that people with money don't look within & take pills which are for the drug companies to mess people up even more. It's best that he learn how to take care of his own health. It's a lot of work but I have done it & it is worth it.

He needs to be evaluated by a doctor! Low blood pressure can be responsible for the fainting, but maybe that isn't the reason.

Don't try to guess, get him to a doctor so he may be given the proper treatment.

And buy a good B/P machine, every home should have one.

High and low blood pressure can make a person faint . Take him to the doctor and get him sorted out, or he will keep falling.

That follows from vertigo I mean get him to a doctor but don't just wildly speculate and then try to ad hoc cure things.