Hypertension, I has it

[viscousmemories]

It's just borderline really, diastolic of 90. I went to the doctor last week because I had been sick and coughing for two weeks and although they thought the cough would blow over (which it mostly has) they scheduled a follow-up for this week 'cause of the 90 diastolic. Turns out it was high when I went in for back pain in March, too, so with three readings spaced apart they've decided to start treating it like real hypertension. That is, I have to modify my diet and go back for a full physical, blood work, ekg, etc. in a couple months. If I haven't got it under control by then they want to start giving me drugs.

I guess this is just "Member News" (if that), but I figured I'd start a thread in case anyone wants to share tips or tricks for dealing with hypertension in their life.

[Qingdai]

Stress reduction and exercise in general.

Also in my case Chinese herbs, but no diagnosis over the webs.

[Dingfod]

I'm on medication for "borderline" hypertension. However, even on medication it's still too high according the the so-called experts. In the past, strict adherence to a low carb diet and losing 25 or 30 pounds made the problem go away. So, I expect to make it go away again in a few months.

[fragment]

Any history in your family?

[Deadlokd]

Just did a huge section on hypertension in Pharmacology. Whatever the exact diagnosis as to the cause the treatment is easy. First one, as Qingdai already said is stress reduction and a change in diet. Reduce fats and salt. The rest is up to your GP.

[Demimonde]

Contra was just diagnosed too. He picked up a blood pressure cuff at the drugstore at his Doc's recommendation and has been recording the results in his iPhone several times a day. That was he can keep tabs on what he's doing that works or doesn't.

The first thing we realized was that his coffee intake was spiking the pressure. So we have become a decaf house.

Next was smoking and he has worked hard to cut back.

Exercise helped amazingly well. After waking up it would be between nintey and a hundred. A thirty minute power walk later it would be in the high to mid eighties. After a couple weeks of walking morning and night it has gone down as low as 79 which is great!

Stress is a biggie as well and certain times and certain classes get him really biggigitty. So he is learning quick relaxation techniques for before and during those stressfull ments.

Those cuffs run about $20 and are easy to learn to use, I really recommend you get one.

Hope everything works well for you!

[Ymir's blood]

Pets?

[LadyShea]

Everyone I personally know with hypertension (like my mom and my MIL) is a huge stressball just in general. Like they live with a higher than normal baseline of stressedness or worry all the time. As I tend towards that (being a stressball) by nature, I have to consciously keep it in check, and frequently examine things and find perspective and actively seek stress reduction.

Stress relievers are a must, IMO, and you might even find something fun and interesting to do for it...Tai Chi or Yoga, a new hobby, volunteer work, writing, music, hiking, biking. I found hypnosis beneficial for the limited application I used it for. Some people have told me the real benefit of therapy is unloading and learning coping strategies. I know you work out, or have in the past, does it help?

[Doctor X]

Can I have your stereo?

"Lose 20 pounds, lose a pill" is a good rule of thumb. Sadly, few can do that. However, losing 20 pounds is always a good idea unless you are Amy Winehouse and the crack is causing the hypertension.

--J.D.

[fragment]

omg is vm amy winehouse?

Good luck with managing it and looking after yourself, vm.

[Kyuss Apollo]

Walking and liposuction is the fastest way to take off 20 pounds. And no pies.

[viscousmemories]

Any history in your family?

I'm not sure actually, and my Mom isn't sure either. I'll have to ask my siblings.

I know you work out, or have in the past, does it help?
I haven't been working out much this year and ironically I've been eating a lot more red meat than usual due to my natural/organic foods kick.

[LadyShea]

Since it's borderline, you might be able to get it under control rather quickly just by minor changes in your diet and increasing your exercise.

[seebs]

Me too! I'm on pills, but next up is stress reduction and exercise. Actually, I'm doing the exercise at least some already.

[teasasue]

I would go with watching what you eat and excersize and try to keep the stress down. I wish you luck for that if you are anything like me.

[The Lone Ranger]

Hypertension runs in my family, and my b.p. will go up to dangerous levels rather quickly if I'm not careful about my diet and exercising.

[Sock Puppet]

You might want to avoid trying to reason with mick, then.

[The Lone Ranger]

Coincidentally, I just got back from a check-up. I had gone in because when I checked my blood pressure last week, it was alarmingly high.

So, they gave me a full workup. They took my blood pressure, did an EKG (which was kind of neat; I've given other people EKGs, but this was the first time I'd had one done on me), took a urine sample, checked my heart sounds and the blood flow in the carotid arteries, checked for retinal degeneration -- the whole nine yards.

The doctor said that he wanted to schedule a follow-up so he could get some blood samples, but I told him there was no problem with getting the blood now. I had anticipated that he might want to do blood work and had thus avoided eating or drinking anything since the night before. He was a bit surprised at this, so I explained what I do for a living and that I'm well-aware of why it's important that the patient be fasting.


Anyway, except for the blood pressure, he certified me to be in excellent shape. I'm active, I get lots of exercise, I never touch alcohol or cigarettes and almost never drink caffeinated beverages. There are no signs of kidney or eye damage, and my heart looks and sounds good. And yet I have dangerously high blood pressure (thanks, Mom). As he pointed out, except for the b.p., I'm practically a physician's dream patient.

I'm hoping I can bring the blood pressure down "naturally" by stepping up my exercise routine. (It wouldn't hurt me to lose a bit of weight anyway.) But in the meantime, he gave me a couple weeks' worth of pills to bring the pressure down. It's a combination treatment: a vasodilator coupled with a diuretic (oh joy).

So, I'll be going back for further evaluation.


Cheers,

Michael

[The Lone Ranger]

I should point out, by the way, that this is why hypertension is called the "Silent Killer." Even people who are otherwise in excellent shape can have dangerously high blood pressure, and there are no overt symptoms. But it greatly increases your chances of having a stroke, among other things.


So it's a really good idea to get your blood pressure checked every now and again, even if you have no reason to think you might have high blood pressure.


Cheers,

Michael

[Qingdai]

Also if you're pregnant it's important to check the blood pressure, it's a big reason why prenatal visits are so important.

They gave me magnesium (IV) to keep my blood pressure down, I bet foods that have magnesium in high concentrations wouldn't be a bad addition.

[Dragar]

Funnily, my father has hypotension. He can get a bit dizzy standing up suddenly.

I suspect (without very good evidence) I have inherited something of this.

[The Lone Ranger]

I'm just-about the calmest, most laid-back person I know, and I get plenty of exercise, and I eat well (lots of fruits and veggies, hardly ever use salt, etc.), but I still have to worry about my blood pressure. Doesn't seem fair, somehow.


Still, I was in for a follow-up visit today and the results are encouraging. After just four days on the medication, my b.p. is down to the high-normal range. So the physician and I are both hopeful that we can bring it down further. He wants to keep me on medication for another two weeks, and then we'll do a re-evaluation.

I'm stepping up my exercise routine and I've lost 3 pounds in just the past few days, so we're hopeful that with careful attention to diet and exercise, I can get off the pills.


Cheers,

Michael

[seebs]

My doctor's biggest recommendation has been that I should lose weight to get my blood pressure down. I'm down about 18 pounds since I started, give or take.

[Clutch Munny]

And yet I have dangerously high blood pressure (thanks, Mom).

This reminds me of a famous family moment at a barbeque some years back at which one of my cousins asked another cousin about his health. At which this other cousin, who had spilled a few cold ones by this point, looked daggers at my uncle and said he'd been to the doctor not long before. "Thanks, Dad," he said. "Diabetes, and a two-inch dick!"

[The Lone Ranger]

Now my pressure is down to almost borderline hypotension. I've noticed over the past couple of days that if I stand up too quickly, I feel a bit faint for a few seconds. That hasn't happened in quite some time.

I'm continuing to monitor it, and if it continues to fall, I may have to call the doctor. (I'm supposed to go back for an evaluation on the 28th anyway.) I've also lost a few more pounds with the increased exercise, so that's good, and I've noticed that my stamina has improved. (I can run further before I start to feel winded, you perverts.) Hopefully, the boosted exercise routine will allow me to be weaned off the pills.


Cheers,

Michael

[Contrapposto]

Now my pressure is down to almost borderline hypotension. I've noticed over the past couple of days that if I stand up too quickly, I feel a bit faint for a few seconds. That hasn't happened in quite some time.

I'm continuing to monitor it, and if it continues to fall, I may have to call the doctor. (I'm supposed to go back for an evaluation on the 28th anyway.) I've also lost a few more pounds with the increased exercise, so that's good, and I've noticed that my stamina has improved. (I can run further before I start to feel winded, you perverts.) Hopefully, the boosted exercise routine will allow me to be weaned off the pills.


Cheers,

Michael

I can relate. Especially the part regarding feeling faint for a few seconds when standing up or turning too quickly. I am taking a diaretic as a supplement to my primary medication, bystolic, it has that as one of the listed side effects but in most cases your body will adjust to it eventually. Also, I started running again upon my diagnosis. I couldn't make it half a mile before having to walk a bit. I ran two miles non-stop yesterday and then walked another two (I know this might not sound like much to some). I have gotten my blood pressure down to between 140/90 (high) to 135/80 (alot better than 158/110 when I was diagnosed).

I'll be cheering you on LR so keep it up.

[Demimonde]

Vm you mentioned diatary changes in the op. I have been trying to find info more targeted than the general heart healthy stuff. Any recommendations?

[viscousmemories]

My doctor recommended the "DASH" diet. Here's a couple resources:

http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/hbp/dash/new_dash.pdf (pdf)

DASH Diet for High Blood Pressure: What You Eat (http://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/dash-diet)

[Qingdai]

The Dash is a quite reasonable diet, although the emphasis on dairy can be problematic for those of us with lactose intolerance. That's the only critique I have of that diet.

[The Lone Ranger]

It's amazing how quickly things can go south if you let yourself fall out of a regular exercise routine. Knowing how vulnerable I am to high blood pressure, I do check my pressure every now and again. But it's amazing how much (and how rapidly) it shoots up if I don't take proper care of myself.

The past year, being very busy with a new teaching position, I've neglected to get as much exercise as I should. I kept meaning to get in more exercise when I had more time on my hands. When you spend all day either standing in front of a lectern or sitting at a desk grading tests/reading papers/writing lessons and don't usually get home until after dark, it's far too easy to conclude that you just don't have time to exercise.

So seeing how I've gained a few extra pounds over the past year, and seeing how much my blood pressure has gone up in that time has probably -- ironically -- been a good thing.


Over the past three weeks, I've forced myself to find the time for exercise every night. I run 3 miles each evening along a dirt road behind my house. It's rather nice, actually, as I'm running through a mostly-wooded area and past several ponds. So I get to listen to the frogs, owls, and other night critters and to watch the stars overhead. Sometimes I'll see a raccoon, cottontail, or opossum.

And even in that short time, I've noticed a definite improvement in my stamina. When I reach the point that I can run the entire 3 miles easily (just a couple of years ago, I could run that distance without even breathing hard), I'll start adding ankle/wrist weights, to increase the workout.

I've had to tighten my belt to its lowest notch, and over the past couple of evenings, I've found that I have to pull my running shorts up every now and then, because they slip down off my waist and down onto my hips. (I'm no hip-hopper; I don't want my underwear showing.) These shorts are size "medium" (32 - 34 waist), and I think I'll have to buy some size "small" shorts soon. I'm not disappointed by that.

And as of yesterday, I'm back to my "fighting weight" -- that is, my weight when I fought in my last karate tournament -- and still losing weight.


So, even if it weren't for the whole hypertension thing, getting back into a regular exercise routine has definitely been a good thing.

Cheers,

Michael

[The Lone Ranger]

Welp, I'm just back from my latest check-up. The pressure is consistently staying at around 110/70, which is definitely good. The doctor halved my dosage, but wants to keep me on medication for awhile. He gave me a 3 months' prescription, and I'm to come back for reevaluation when the prescription runs out.

He also suggested that I should be careful not to lose too much more weight, as I'm down to the point that if I lose too much more, I'll start losing muscle mass. Technically, according to the BMI (body mass index), I'm "overweight," but I have relatively short arms and legs, and thus a relatively long torso for my height. Between that and my fairly muscular build, I can afford to lose a little more weight, but not too much. As he pointed out, if I weighed what the official BMI charts say I should, I'd look "skeletal."

I still have to be careful when standing up. If I stand too quickly, the drop in b.p. makes me feel woozy, which is no fun at all. I hope my body adjusts to that soon and it goes away.


So, things are looking good, it seems.


Cheers,

Michael

[Dingfod]

Last year, after getting my blood test results back, my doctor told me I was a non-textbook case because other than high blood pressure I have no other signs of problems with being obese. Well, once again, new doctor, new blood tests, same story, no other problems.

1. I am not diabetic: fasting blood glucose = 74 (<100 is good, 72 is mean normal)
2. I do not have high cholesterol: HDL [good] cholesterol = 50 (40-59 is medium)
LDL [bad] cholesterol = 131 (130-159 is borderline high)
HDL:LDL ratio = 0.38 (0.30 or higher is okay, 0.40 or higher is better)
3. I do not have a fatty liver: Triglycerides = 124 (<150 is good, under 200 is okay)
4. I have no problem with my thyroid: TSH (thyroid indicator) = 0.4 (in normal range)

Stupid blood pressure.

[Qingdai]

Huh, your statistics are better than mine, at last check.
My fasting blood sugar is 103, my cholesterol is 210 (with LDL being high at 131), which put me in the high cholesterol range according to the lab work I received. Stupid failure of a body.

My blood pressure was OK, although I should check after I have to talk to my mother next.

[Doctor X]

Dibs on your stereos. . . .

--J.D.

P.S. The good news is loss of body fat does seem to correlate with better blood pressure control--based on the super-scientific evidence that like lots of hypertension specialists have noticed that that the few patients who actually DO lose weight, QUIT SMOKING, and start exercising--a Truly Miraculous Triad--tend to become better controlled.

More seriously, truncal obesity does correlate with the "Metabolic Syndrome" which is a fancy and billable term for "fat-fuck with complications like diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, and a love of NASCAR and bad beer."

--J.D.

[The Lone Ranger]

I went in for my 6-month evaluation last Tuesday. Based on my numbers, he suggested I go off the pills entirely, to see what happens. As of today, my b.p. is 116/74, with a resting pulse of 51. So it looks like I can stay off the pills.

You know those charts they have on the wall at the gym? The ones that show normal resting heart rates for people of various ages, along with "target" heart rates for various levels of exercise? I take some amusement/pride in that I have to get on the machines and work for awhile just to get my heart rate up to "normal."

Fortunately for me, I enjoy exercise and I'm not at all a "couch potato" by nature. And I tend to eat well, both out of habit and preference -- lots of fruit & veggies, very little fat or salt. So hopefully, I'll be able to keep my b.p. down without pharmaceuticals.

Cheers,

Michael

[livius drusus]

Wow, those are some great stats. You've got the resting pulse of a guru/ninja. Congratulations! :cheer:

[Clutch Munny]

Congratulations on finding a lifestyle solution rather than a pharmaceutical solution, Michael!

[viscousmemories]

I used to put table salt on everything, but since the diagnosis of high bp I stopped using it almost entirely. I don't know if that did it, but the last couple times I was checked my bp was back down into the normal range.

[Demimonde]

:cheer: That is great news vm!

[Doctor X]

It might depending on how severe your HTN was/is and what medication you are taking. Salt promotes water retention. More water in you, higher the blood pressure. This is why a first-line therapy is a simple diuretic.

Now, if you are on medication your reduction of salt may just be coincidence in that the medications' effects are larger than the modest reduction. That may prove the case; however, why mess with success?

--J.D.

[Doctor X]

I went in for my 6-month evaluation last Tuesday. Based on my numbers, he suggested I go off the pills entirely, to see what happens. As of today, my b.p. is 116/74, with a resting pulse of 51. So it looks like I can stay off the pills.

Awesome!





I am not returning your stereo . . . :nope:

--J.D.

[viscousmemories]

I declined the pharmaceutical solution in favor of a lifestyle solution, so I'm not taking any medication for it.

[Doctor X]

I declined the pharmaceutical solution in favor of a lifestyle solution, so I'm not taking any medication for it.

Then http://www.millan.net/minimations/smileys/congratulationss.gif (http://www.millan.net) are in order.

Would suggest you continue doing what you are doing.

--J.D.

[viscousmemories]

I went to a funeral yesterday for a co-worker who was about six months older than me. I attended her 40th birthday party a couple years ago; she's survived by her husband and three children ages 14, 11 & 5. She was on medication for high blood pressure so that's the suspected cause, but they won't know if it was a heart attack or stroke until the autopsy.

[mulebear]

Very sorry to hear that, VM.

[Doctor X]

Nothing significant I can add other than condolences.

--J.D.

[ceptimus]

My condolences too, vm.

I was surprised to read that the funeral was before the autopsy. Presumably the autopsy was first and it is only the results of the autopsy that come later? But even that is surprising to me - I thought that autopsy results would normally be known (at least to the next of kin) prior to the funeral.

[viscousmemories]

Hmm, that's a good point. Maybe the results are known but the family opted not to release them.

[Doctor X]

The actual autopsy takes less than a day to perform. Analysis of all of the specimens taken, toxicology, et cetera can take a lot longer depending on what is found.

--J.D.

[The Lone Ranger]

I went in for my one-year check-up and a general physical today.

That was the first time I've ever had a prostate exam, which was not the most enjoyable experience ever. He also did the standard hernia test, testicular exam, listened to my heart, my lungs, and to the blood flow in my carotid arteries.

All of which were excellent. He claims I have the heart, lungs and arteries of a much younger person, and my BP was 112/60. My resting heart rate is generally 48 - 52.

So, all seems well. The bloodwork results will be back in a few days, but he doesn't anticipate any concerns, as all my numbers were good last time, and there's certainly no reason to suspect that they would have changed for the worse.


Good news all around, it seems.

[thedoc]

Just wanted to let people know that high blood pressure is not the only sign of heart problems, Mine was always around 110 over 65 and a few years ago I went to the Dr. for a cold that wouldn't go away. It was Pneumonia but the chest x-ray showed an enlarged heart, and that started a real adventure. There is a lot of scar tissue which indicated an infection at some time in the past, which now results in an enlarged Left ventrical, which pulled the Mitral valve out of line, but that is OK now with medication. So now I'm on medication for congestive heart failure, and most heart medication seems to have the side effect of lowering the blood pressure, just what I didn't need. I've had nurses take my blood pressure, look at the numbers, and start to take it again as if they must have made a mistake. One of my first cardiologists was sure I needed surgery to fix the valve, I skipped that but I've had a catheterization, biopsy, and recently an ablation to correct extra heart beats. So just because your blood presure is normal or low, cholesterol, and sugar is normal, and you are low risk there is always the chance.