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At various times in the past, we've discussed the possibility of seasonal influences on our MC symptoms. Most years, there seems to be a surge in symptoms during the fall of the year, for example. Some have speculated that classic allergies may be a factor in this trend, but, of course, it's difficult to reach any solid conclusions, since not everyone is affected, and the pattern is often irregular. I have a hunch that mast cells are involved in this, but that's just a guess, of course.
Over the past couple of years, I've noticed another type of seasonal issue - blood pressure cycles that are seasonally dependent. BP is always variable, and often somewhat erratic, with frequent unexplained excursions. During the fall, my BP tends to become somewhat more erratic than usual, with frequent random minor to occasionally moderate upward excursions. This usually rocks along until the late-December to February time frame, and at that point, the overall trend is higher, and some of the excursions occasionally become somewhat worrisome.
Last year, for example, apparently assisted by an adverse drug interaction caused by taking an antihistamine, while under the long-term influence of an irreversible MAOI, my BP had some major spikes, and I ended up with a serious bleeding problem, which required the removal of my colon, to stop the bleeding.
Maybe it wasn't related, but it sure looks suspicious to me, since the bleeding occurred about a week after a major BP spike, (that prompted me to go to the ER). And, of course, even though I had lost a lot of blood, (internal bleeding), before I noticed the problem, my BP was still quite high, when I checked it, so it was probably dangerously high, when the bleeding started.Anyway, this year, the same cyclic pattern occurred. Of course, thanks to a TIA-like event last May, which resulted in marking me as a stroke risk, I'm now taking BP meds, so this year, the BP excursions weren't as severe as they were last year, but still very obvious. The time frame was the same, also, and during the past couple of weeks, my BP levels are finally beginning to settle back down into my normal range.
The reason why I'm so aware of my BP, is because my doctor recommended that I occasionally monitor it, a year or so ago, and now, since I'm taking BP meds, even though I didn't normally have high BP, I have to check it before taking my pills, to make sure that I don't take them if the pressure is already too low.
Before I started taking BP meds, my systolic BP usually checked in the 120 to 130 mmHg range, (though it was sometimes higher, during the fall and winter). Now, (since I've been taking the pills), it normally checks in the 110 to 120 range. Up until a week or so ago, though, it wasn't uncommon for it to range up around 140, and occasionally up to 160, during the previous couple of months.
For me, this coincides with the fall hay fever season, and the worst period, (late-December to February), coincides with the mountain cedar pollen season. Molds are also usually high, during this time of year, and I'm very sensitive to molds. And yet, any doctor will tell you that hayfever/pollen has nothing to do with BP. Antihistamines can raise BP, of course, but I haven't taken any antihistamines since the drug interaction that sent me to the ER, over a year ago.
So, could this be caused by something weird going on with my mast cells? I've noticed that during the times of the year when my BP tends to be elevated, I tend to have unexplained episodes of D, also. I can't find any data that suggest a connection that could cause such marked BP excursions, and yet it seems to be happening on an annual cycle.
Any thoughts?
Tex
