Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

Cyanosis low blood pressure

I have poor circulation and quite low blood pressure. These days I find more often than not, I go blue around the lips and face. This seems to happen periodically. I don't feel ill but last time it happened, noone told me I was going blue and though the weather was reasonably nice, everyone was in short sleeves, I became so cold I was on the verge of hypothermia. It took a warm bath to make me look any where near normal as my face was so blue my hubby couldnt believe what he saw when I arrived home. This hasn't happened to this extreme since as people I am with are aware of my embarrasement & tell me before I get too bad. I have noticed that my left foot also goes blueish and is certainly a different colour to my right sometimes. I have bought a pulse oximeter. On resting in the day I sometimes monitor myself. I go from 98% & gradually go down to 90% and then back up. Is this normal, any suggestions as to what it could be causing my blueness. I am going for an Echocardiogram soon but I feel as I am wasting everyones time as I do feel generally well and I am healthy normally.
18 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
Avatar universal
I noticed this occurs years ago,but do they ever find anything wrong with u? Trust me you're not the only one thats gone through the afflig and confusions. I'm going through it right now. I have very low bp's 80s/40s, chest pains, n yes even turned blue and dusky. did ekg (abnml), echo (nml), 30 days holter monitor.most were nml. That was 3 yrs ago. recently had a cyanotic/ presyncope episode at work 2 weeks ago and went back to pcp. Now im going to go back to cardiologist.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
A related discussion, cyanosis problems was started.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Remember, squeaky wheels get the grease. Keep close tabs on your symptoms - when they happen, what you were doing right before they happened. Keep bugging these docs and eventually you may get some answers instead of the bounce-off. This has to be extremely frustrating. Cyanosis is NOT normal.

Good luck.
Helpful - 0
251132 tn?1198078822
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Cyanosis is a bluish color of the skin and mucous membranes most easily seen in the lips, fingernails, and ear lobes.  This is often seen when the person
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Well, I received a letter today from the Vascular Surgeon who says she can find no cause for my symptoms and that should I develop any further problems, to return to my GP. I very rarely go to the GP, so it is not something I make a habit of. It must be normal to go blue/grey and look a real sight for sore eyes. I am sure I have never heard of this happening to anyone.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I had an Echo Cardiogram last Thursday. The Cardiologist was very nice, he has refered me back to the Vasco surgeon with a view to further investigation. He hasnt suggested any other tests at all. He scanned my heart and we watched it pumping away from all kinds of different angles. He says it is absolutely healthy and whatever the problem, it was not the heart. This has lifted a huge great weight off my shoulders but I now have to wait to see what my VS has to say. I am still no wiser to what the problem is. I think it is circulation of the oxygen at various temperatures... but I am no medic and I am guessing
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Did the cardiologist say anything about doing a Holter Monitor (24 hour) on you? This is applied with leads to your chest and it takes a recording of your heart for a full 24 hours. Also, please realize that an EKG is just a snapshot of your heart for the period of time the leads are applied. Cyanosis is NOT normal.

What did the cardiologist say? Is he just washing his hands of you or did he recommend further testing? What about a stress test? MRI? CT scan? Pacemaker? Any of that stuff?

They found a tiny hole in my husband's aunt's heart about ten years ago (when she was in her 60's) that was congenital (there from birth). These things can theoretically cause cyanosis.

Just remember: cyanosis is NOT normal. Do some research. Keep pushing those docs. If they realize you're just not going to roll over and take whatever they say as gospel, they may be challenged enough to actually DO something :-).
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Well, Cardiogram over and done with... I have a healthy heart (thank goodness) but now I am baffled. The cardiologist does not think I have Raynauds either, he says it is something but now it is back to the drawing board. I still thinking it is my O2 Saturation levels but where do I go from here???? Any suggestions of any tests the professionals might do ... If I am this bad in Summer, even indoors, what am I going to look like in the winter...Does any one know of anything I could take to prevent my blue/greyness happening???
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Thank you everyone for your valuable comments. bactitech, thanks for yours. I will mention this to my cardiologist as there is a congenital factor that I know very little about in the maternal side of the family. In the paternal side there is heart probs. Dad and his mum both died of heart attack this is why I went to docs. Going blue in the incident that pushed me to going to see Doc was scary but I didnt have any pain anywhere... Just really cold and on the verge of Hyopthermia in a very mild short sleeve shirt weathered day...Weird. The Vascular Surgeon has never come across this before and I think she is well baffled. She has done all the stethascope stuff and says heart sounds healthy and no whooshies or anything like that, hence reason to send me to cardiologist.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
A few years ago I experienced light headedness. My BP has always been on the low side, but it was really low that day. My family doc wanted to order a tilt-table test. I believe that's where they put you on a table in different positions and they take your BP in different positions to see the effects. However, insurance would only allow a cardiologist to order this test.

By the time I went to the cardiologist, my BP was a lot better although never really high. He told me he could try lot of drugs, or I could make sure I was well-hydrated and try salt tablets to keep my BP up. I opted for the latter, but never took the tablets for very long.

However, I NEVER had a problem with cyanosis. That, in and of itself, indicates you really need to be evaluated for possible heart problems.

A friend of mine from high school dropped over dead in the middle of class back in 1966. It turned out that she had some sort of congenital cardiac problem. Back then, there weren't as many options as there are now. I'm not sure if her family even realized there was a problem. Looking back to my pre-medically aware days, I realized that she was always pale and blue-lipped. You really need to have this checked out by a cardiologist.

I'm glad you have discussed Raynaud's already. Probably would be worth mentioning to your heart doc also, just to be sure.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
My BP is sometimes as low as 81/60 and as high as 113/70. White coat syndrome takes it to 124 over something... It goes up and down like a yo yo but I have  not done any obs when the blueness sets in...I never have any equipment with me when it happens and when I get to it, I have returned to normal...Quite funny really, always the case.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I have read that dehydration can cause low blood pressure - I have been in theis situation myself - been told I had the pressure of a 20 year old when I'm nearly 40 - I felt to terrible at the time - woozy etc - I took it as something being wrong at the time. Had been rather sick and was quite dehydrated. I dunno if this would cause the blueness though. It's also my experience that being very unfit leads to somewhat unpredicatable pulse rate and bloo pressure - up and down and all over the place - after regaining some fitness it settled down to a more steady pattern. Are you healthy and FIT or just healthy? 90% O2 sounds pretty serious and worth persuing to a conclusion. I wouldn't let the doc fob you off. all the best.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I know that you are realy concerned about this matter but the important thing is that you are following it up, you should not feel that you are wasting anybody's time. After all that is why the professional are there. So go on have your echocardiogram, You will feel much better once you find out what happened there. There is also a possibility that your low Bp was just a faulty reading especially if there were no associated signs. Don't worry too much as you are doing the right thing. Good luck
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I think that 80/60 could have been a one off. I was quite sick the day after with the worse headache I ahe ever had. It took a few days for BP to return to my normal. My BP is never normally above 100 systolic unless I have exercised. I am really wondering what to expect with this Echocardiogram I am booked in for and why the rise and fall in my saturation levels, what does that mean? I am a first aider in an organisation and I know what a low level should mean but as I said, I feel no ill effects from my going blue and this level of 90% is periodic. I think it is probably just normal or could there really be an underlying cause. Just worried that I am wasting the professionals time as although these episodes are becoming more regular these days it will be sods law that the incident won't happen whilst I am being examined...I am in my early 40's, fit and healthy as a rule.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
It's good that things have returned to normal. At least it will help you get your mind off it. A bp of 80/60 is quite low and it is extremely difficult to tell why that has happened from here. It is not uncommon in young ladies especially in thier late teens to early twenties but 80/60 is still low.
Regarding the blueness your doc will have to have a chat with you and examine you and then he will be able to tell you more about that
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Have asked re Raynauds... Dr says not as it would be white and numb at first then painful and tingle as blood comes back. I have friends that have this. I don't have any symptoms that I am changing colour. I don't even know it is happening. It is weird. I will bring that up again tho when I see Dr again
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4687

http://www.lef.org/protocols/prtcl-128.shtml

Be sure to ask your doc about Raynaud's Syndrome.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
first I would like to ask what your average B.P. is, coming to the blueness the cause should lie in somewhere in the chest either to do with your lungs, or the heart. My suggestion is that you go back to your doc, after you've ruled out these two sources then you take it from there
Helpful - 0

You are reading content posted in the Respiratory Disorders Forum

Popular Resources
Find out what causes asthma, and how to take control of your symptoms.
Healing home remedies for common ailments
Tricks to help you quit for good.
Is your area one of the dirtiest-air cities in the nation?
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.