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High Blood Pressure ... got to change some things now ... any advice?

Melensdad

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Doc finally gave me the bad news and said I officially have High Blood Pressure.

For the past couple of years my PB has been in the "High/Normal" range so this really is not much of a surprise to find out that it has crept up.

Got to go on a low salt diet. Of course before I found that out I started today's dinner ... corned beef, potatoes and cabbage. About the highest sodium mean I can think of :doh:

Looks like I need to cut back on caffeine too. I love my espresso in the mornings.

There seems to be some confusion about tobacco. I see every recommendation saying eliminate cigarettes ... which I have NEVER smoked, then talks about lung disease, lung cancer, etc. But what about cigars which are not inhaled? Is it the nicotine that is the problem or is it the smoke and the chemicals in the smoke that get into the lungs from cigarettes that is the problem? In any case it will be easy to back down on the cigar habit.

Told Melen, she totally freaked out. Sent me about a dozen links to websites ... each one seemed to contradict the next :mellow:

Going to have to start my walking again, which will aggravate the foot injury I am nursing. Might have to find an different exercise that I actually will do to replace the walking.

Anyone else here have High Blood Pressure?

FWIW, I'm 6' tall, weigh about 198lbs and 55, almost 56 years old.
 

Jim_S

Gone But Not Forgotten
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I'm 6' 5" 250 and 69. I was diagnosed 15 years ago.

Diet controlled it for a few years then had to go on meds.

Cut the salt, cut the caffine, don't know about cigars though :)

Watch Chinese and Mexican food. Lots of salt. Once your body is used to low salt foods that are oversalted will almost knock you down with the salt taste.

Good luck!

Jim
 

tiredretired

The Old Salt
SUPER Site Supporter
I feel your pain Bob. I have been diagnosed with HBP for about 5 years now.

One of the quickest, easiest and cheapest things to do is go to the supermarket and get the Morton's Salt Substitute. It tastes just like salt and you can go back to putting salt on the things you love. You will find it hidden in the spice section, generally.

Welcome to the club.

mortons.jpeg
 

Jim_S

Gone But Not Forgotten
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You need to get a blood pressure cuff you can operate yourself. I have one that straps on my wrist. Take it to the Docs next trip and make sure it is accurate.

Jim
 

tiredretired

The Old Salt
SUPER Site Supporter
You need to get a blood pressure cuff you can operate yourself. I have one that straps on my wrist. Take it to the Docs next trip and make sure it is accurate.

Jim

Yup, my wife checks mine. We have the type that wraps around the bicep. I want one of the bluetooth ones that automatically downloads the results to Samsung Health but not gonna spend the money.
 

pirate_girl

legendary ⚓
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I have an OMRON wrist b/p which I take to work with me, along with the old kit which I've had for years.
They're fairly inexpensive at Walgreens.

I prefer taking mine and others the old fashion way, but the wrist cuffs are also fairly accurate.
Just remember to keep the face toward you and hold it steady next to your chest with the wrist type.

That said, my blood pressure rarely is high.
I do take a low dose beta blocker for MVP which can sometimes make it go low.
When that happens, I cut the pill in half, or skip a dose for that day.
 

XeVfTEUtaAqJHTqq

Master of Distraction
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Diet and exercise. My BP correlates to my weight. Unfortunately, I have a hard time keeping my weight where it needs to be so I just take the drugs when needed.

I just use a Harbor Freight BP wrist cuff and it seems to work pretty good. Had it for a few years now.
 

XeVfTEUtaAqJHTqq

Master of Distraction
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I wouldn't stress that much about the accuracy of the cuff - the consistency is more important. Just figure out your baseline and then you will know when it is higher or lower than normal. I can feel when my BP is too high or too low.

I have to watch when my weight gets lower than 205 - I start getting hypotension if I take too much bp meds.
 

FrancSevin

Proudly Deplorable
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I have an OMRON wrist b/p which I take to work with me, along with the old kit which I've had for years.
They're fairly inexpensive at Walgreens.

I prefer taking mine and others the old fashion way, but the wrist cuffs are also fairly accurate.
Just remember to keep the face toward you and hold it steady next to your chest with the wrist type.

That said, my blood pressure rarely is high.
I do take a low dose beta blocker for MVP which can sometimes make it go low.
When that happens, I cut the pill in half, or skip a dose for that day.


I've taken mine since I became a Paramedic 35 years ago. I had hypertension at age 28.

Yes a beta blocker helps but my doc came in one day when I was 38 and told me it was hopeless. Nothing we tried lowered my BP. I was 180/110. His advice, quit my corporate job or plan to be dead by 45.


I did but it has taken more than that. Exforge seemed to work but was expensive. However, a diet change helped immensely. No processed foods, Hydro fats and only lean fresh meats. Almost no bacon sausage or cured meats. (No bacon is insane).

Mom was low sodium so I have not desire for salties. Low sodium was easy for me. I have a box with the umbrella girl about 20 years old. I buy Cane sugar at one lb,,,; lasts for years.

I do eat butter(never margarine) and dairy and now find the Beet supplements help. So does a conscious ability to lower you BP with concentration. Gotta have the Spigmonometer to do that

I can get mine down to 120/88 now. Normal rest is 130 over 96. Not good but my head won't explode. I'll be 70 in a few months. 195 Lbs from 230. Active as a teen most days.

I cook, clean, handy about the house, mostly sober. And if I ever grow up I'll be a great catch for some gal. It's a work in progress.

But BP is the silent killer. Kidneys suffer the most but the heart and the brain and other organs suffer as well. Get the BP down. Whatever it takes.
 

Snowtrac Nome

member formerly known as dds
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im on meds still couldn't get it low enough to pass my physical for my cdl it was so high this spring that I got dizzy they have me on meds and I still running high gave up on tabacco and salt limited coffee and got a passing score tabacco would be the number 1 thing to get it down.
 

EastTexFrank

Well-known member
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I was diagnosed with high BP when i was about 62, over 7-years ago. I've been on meds ever since. The only problem is that they sometimes work too well. I check my BP at least twice a day and sometimes have to skip a couple of days of meds when it consistently drops too low.

The diet thing never seemed to affect mine all that much and neither did nicotine or alcohol ... thank God. I thought that the salt affect had been discredited years ago. There is so much contrary information out there that it is difficult to get a handle on the truth sometimes.

My advice would be, if the doc prescribes meds to control it, take them and experiment with lifestyle changes. They may need to be fine tuned to your particular case. Check your BP at least twice a day and once you have it under control, get on with your life. High BP is only a killer when it is undiagnosed and untreated. Once you know about it, it becomes another one of life's inconveniences. Pop a pill and live forever.
 

Melensdad

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TOBACCO: OK well for the record, I have never smoked a cigarette. Never smoked pot. I smoke about 4, sometimes 5 cigars a week. Never inhale. But clearly in a room where 2nd hand smoke can be an issue.

ALCOHOL: I drink a small amount of bourbon almost every night. If we are traveling I will typically have no alcohol at all (the Spain trip was an exception because they serve wine instead of water)

CAFFEINE: This might be my downfall, I have 1 to 2 shots of straight espresso in the morning BEFORE filling up a mug of coffee. Its not terribly uncommon for me to have another shot of expresso during the day. If I go to the cigar lounge there is a cup of coffee next to my chair, most typically refilled 2 or 3 times. I just love coffee.

SODIUM: While I like salt, I don't load it onto my food. My guess is that most of the sodium I get in my system comes from pre-packaged, canned, prepared foods and not from my cooking, nor from my wife's cooking ... not that we eat salt free food, we don't but we don't really load our food with salt. But I will be grabbing a canister of Morton's Fake Salt Tasting Substitute

BLOOD PRESSURE METER: I went to the local CVS/Target store. They used to carry Omron. Apparently no longer do so. I bought a QARDIO unit that connects to my iPhone. They had another brand, can't recall its name. But when I was talking with the pharmacist about them she directed me to this unit because it said it was clinically calibrated on the box, the other brand did not say.

The company also makes a scale that works with the blood pressure cuff & the iPhone and I'm considering getting one of those things too. The iPhone App then combines all the data and has tracking features, etc.

Link to what I bought => https://www.getqardio.com
 

Melensdad

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FWIW, I have my BPM set to take my blood pressure 2 times, with a 30 second interval between the 2 readings. It then gives me an average of the 2 times.

This morning I got up, took my assorted old-man medicines, took Walter out to do her business, and then took my BP. The elapsed time between taking my BP pill and taking my BP was probably 10 minutes so I seriously doubt that the medicine had time to get into my blood system. This would have been my 3rd pill as I took 1 Tuesday morning, and 1 immediately after picking up the prescription at the pharmacy early Monday afternoon. Not sure how long it takes for these to actually work, some meds need to build up over time, others show results an hour after consumption.

BP this morning 139/90, which is the lowest its been. It was 165/95 on Monday at the doctor's office.
 

XeVfTEUtaAqJHTqq

Master of Distraction
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The meds can work pretty fast. You should see a difference within an hour some times less.
 

Doc

Bottoms Up
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My doc recently changed my BP meds. He said to give them a week to 10 days for them to settle in. My BP came down slowly, and settled in at 130/82. But it did take some time.
 

Melensdad

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Lisinopril is the medication that I have been given.

I gather it does have some very immediate effect. But according to WebMD (just looked it up): For the treatment of high blood pressure, it may take 2 to 4 weeks before you get the full benefit of this medication.

Honestly I think I've begun to freak myself out over this. I never thought High Blood Pressure was a big deal. Now I've got it and so I looked up the effects ... words like STROKE are not good things to see! I've had a couple relatives (Grandfather, Uncle, etc) who have had a stroke and that is not a fun thing.

So now I'm thinking about buying a Body Mass Indicator 'smart' scale that takes your pulse, checks your BMI, etc. Looking at getting a new "FitBit" or maybe biting the bullet and buying a butt ugly Apple watch for its O2 and fitness sensors.

Hell I even made a cup of de-fucking-caffinated Green Tea this morning ... but I have not had the courage to actually drink that.
 

Melensdad

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I know I can take my BP too often, which will make me insane, because I'll end up monitoring every up and down, but just for the fun of it I took it again now.

Its been 3.5 hours since I took the BP medicine.
Its been 3 hours since my shot of espresso.
Its been 90 minutes since I finished my cup of coffee (just 1) and my bagel with Lox & cream cheese.

BP just came in at 144/95 with a pulse of 58. I had readings of roughly 140/90 pretty consistently over the past 2 years.


I'm sure the sodium in the Lox is high enough to make a healthy person's BP go up but damn I like that stuff. This was the last of the Lox I had in the fridge so I guess I won't be buying much of that stuff in the future.

Guess its time to actually drink the Green Tea :sick:
 

Doc

Bottoms Up
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I was told to randomly check my BP at different times of day (over a month or so, not all the same day) as your BP will change, don't let that surprise you or freak you out. That can impact your BP also.
 

EastTexFrank

Well-known member
GOLD Site Supporter
Monitor it but don't obsess about it. It's been diagnosed and is being treated. Take your medication and call me in a month. :biggrin:

A couple of years ago I went to the wrist monitor mainly because it was more convenient when traveling. I have no idea just how accurate it is in absolute terms but it is really "trends" that you are looking for. I really like that model that you found. I may have to check it out. The only drawback that I can see is that I have to use my iPhone and I don't know where it is half the time.

Here's what I have found. We're not big salt users and don't eat a lot of processed food but I found that salt had very little affect on my BP possibly because of the small amount that we use. I used to be a cigar smoker but having kept a BP log for years I don't see the use of tobacco made any difference to my BP. I have one Scotch, OK sometimes two, most nights but recently went a month without any alcohol what-so-ever and again, no difference. Again, this might just be me and the small amount of these things that we use might not be enough to have any detrimental effect.

Coffee??? I'm not giving up my coffee. I drink at least two cups in the morning, at least one during the day and another in the evening. That's at a minimum. Again, I've never seen it having any huge affect. It may be that my medication just works really well for me.

When I was first diagnosed with high BP, I cut out all the usual culprits but re-introduced them to my life one at a time and monitored any change. There was none. I think that the key, as in most things, is moderation ... and a med that works for you.
 

Melensdad

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Monitor it but don't obsess about it.
...

I really like that model that you found. I may have to check it out. The only drawback that I can see is that I have to use my iPhone

...

Here's what I have found. We're not big salt users and don't eat a lot of processed food but I found that salt had very little affect on my BP possibly because of the small amount that we use. I used to be a cigar smoker but having kept a BP log for years I don't see the use of tobacco made any difference to my BP. I have one Scotch, OK sometimes two, most nights but recently went a month without any alcohol what-so-ever and again, no difference.

...

Coffee??? I'm not giving up my coffee.

...

When I was first diagnosed with high BP, I cut out all the usual culprits but re-introduced them to my life one at a time and monitored any change. There was none. I think that the key, as in most things, is moderation ... and a med that works for you.
Well right now I'm in the obsessed stage but I realize that I am overreacting to this.

...

I like it too, but it was 1 of 2 wireless models they had in the store. And the only brand that had "clinically certified" on the box.

But if I had to do it again I'd probably buy the WITHINGS model. It is basically the same thing but that company has more devices that work with their smartphone "apps" than this company has. I looked up the one I bought on Amazon ... same price as the WITHINGS ... also similar star ratings. The WITHINGS scale is considered one of the best, the scale from the company I got is pretty marginal. I'd prefer all appliances working with the same "app" but that is not really a big deal because the iPhone has a "Health" app that gathers info from all these 3rd party apps.

...

My daughter sent me a bunch of links, several of them said that MODERATE alcohol, 1 to 2 drinks per day, is not a problem and 1 drink a day could be beneficial. All the tobacco stuff seemed to refer to cigarettes, not cigars. We will see what effect Salt has, I just bought some Salt Substitute.

...

I don't see giving up my coffee. But I can cut back.
 

FrancSevin

Proudly Deplorable
GOLD Site Supporter
Well right now I'm in the obsessed stage but I realize that I am overreacting to this.

...

I like it too, but it was 1 of 2 wireless models they had in the store. And the only brand that had "clinically certified" on the box.

But if I had to do it again I'd probably buy the WITHINGS model. It is basically the same thing but that company has more devices that work with their smartphone "apps" than this company has. I looked up the one I bought on Amazon ... same price as the WITHINGS ... also similar star ratings. The WITHINGS scale is considered one of the best, the scale from the company I got is pretty marginal. I'd prefer all appliances working with the same "app" but that is not really a big deal because the iPhone has a "Health" app that gathers info from all these 3rd party apps.

...

My daughter sent me a bunch of links, several of them said that MODERATE alcohol, 1 to 2 drinks per day, is not a problem and 1 drink a day could be beneficial. All the tobacco stuff seemed to refer to cigarettes, not cigars. We will see what effect Salt has, I just bought some Salt Substitute.

...

I don't see giving up my coffee. But I can cut back.
Don't give up coffee. It has at least as many benefits as any possible harm. And suddenly stopping caffeine could present new issues.

If you are taking your BP twice in a short time, I suggest doing both arms. You should do that anyway because a major difference between the two may indicate another problem.

139/90 is quite survivable, assuming that is your "at rest" values. 140 over 80 would be better. Get that lower number down.

Also take a brisk walk (about three blocks out and back) and then see the difference. That would give you a "dynamic" value which is an indication of overall health and fitness. The lower number shouldn't move up more than ten points. The higher number could exceed 180 without harm. Assuming, of course, it returns to "at rest" in about 15-20minutes.

120/80 is a population norm. But, DNA and age along with lifestyle can change that "normal." If you are over 55 140/80-88 is fine. And normal. Get your meds working and find what is YOUR new normal. Just watch over time for a New value outside your norms. Then see you Healthcare provider.
 

Melensdad

Jerk in a Hawaiian Shirt & SNOWCAT Moderator
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... Get your meds working and find what is YOUR new normal. Just watch over time for a New value outside your norms. Then see you Healthcare provider.

That is pretty much my plan. Find out if/how well the meds are working. Started it Monday; WebMD says this particular medication takes 2 to 4 weeks to see full effect. I go back to the doctor Nov 11 for a follow up.


No plan to stop caffeine or coffee. I'll still start my day with an espresso or coffee or maybe both. But I plan to reduce the coffee. Some days I am known to drink 8 or 10 cups. I can shift some of those to decaf Green Tea, which is supposed to help reduce blood pressure. I can even shift some to decaf coffee. But I'll still have some "real" coffee.

As for shifting arms when taking 2 readings, my monitor automatically takes 2 readings, 30 seconds apart, then gives me the average of the 2 readings. That is the factory default. It can do an average of 2 or 3, and the interval can be changed with up to a 60 second delay. Not sure I could shift it from one arm to the other inside of a minute on a consistent basis.
 

OhioTC18

Gone But Not Forgotten
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I've always heard that once you take your measurement, you should wait at least 10 mins. before taking it again in that arm. Something about letting the pressure get back to normal due to a blood engorged artery.
 

Melensdad

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I've always heard that once you take your measurement, you should wait at least 10 mins. before taking it again in that arm. Something about letting the pressure get back to normal due to a blood engorged artery.

I've had at least a half dozen different nurses retake my blood pressure a second time in the same arm moments after taking it the first time.
 

FrancSevin

Proudly Deplorable
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I've had at least a half dozen different nurses retake my blood pressure a second time in the same arm moments after taking it the first time.
In Paramedic school (yes, I used to play doctor on weekends) we were instructed NOT to use the same arm for a second look any sooner than 10 minutes.

However, in a moving Ambulance we often left the cuff on and checked more frequently than ten minutes. But often that was to make sure the patient even had a blood pressure.
 

Doc

Bottoms Up
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I've had at least a half dozen different nurses retake my blood pressure a second time in the same arm moments after taking it the first time.
Yep. They would do that to me also. Same arm right away IF my first BP reading was high. They would do it to double check themselves I guess. If it's good I've never had them take it a 2nd time.
 

Melensdad

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This morning's reading is 124/65.

Same routine as yesterday. Got up, took my handful of old man pills which now includes a funny shaped blue blood pressure pill, went outside with Walter so she could do her business in the yard, came inside, sat at the breakfast bar, took my blood pressure reading.

So now its pretty obvious the blood pressure meds have kicked in.

Sept 27: 149/100 (day's average)
Sept 28: 137/91 (day's average)
Sept 29: 124/75 (morning reading)

I'm a little surprised by the morning reading because I had corned beef & cabbage for dinner yesterday, figured the high sodium in last night's meal would negate any benefit of the BP pill.
 

EastTexFrank

Well-known member
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Sept 27: 149/100 (day's average)
Sept 28: 137/91 (day's average)
Sept 29: 124/75 (morning reading)

I'm a little surprised by the morning reading because I had corned beef & cabbage for dinner yesterday, figured the high sodium in last night's meal would negate any benefit of the BP pill.

There you go. That didn't take long. You're normal ... kinda. :biggrin:

Back when I was first diagnosed I read quite a few studies that said that salt intake in reasonable amounts had a minimal effect of blood pressure. It seemed to be one of those old wife's tales that has persisted through the years. However, they could have changed their minds again since then. You know how those things go. Whatever could kill you yesterday is beneficial today but could kill you again tomorrow.

The salt substitute thing always puzzled me. Last time I looked they seem to replace sodium chloride (NaCl) with potassium chloride (KCl) and I'm not sure how that can affect your blood pressure. It may have something to do with how the larger potassium ion is slower in being absorbed into the blood stream so you don't get the peaks and valleys that you get with normal salt. Who knows?

Stick with it. You've got this thing whacked but always keep an eye on it and see how different foods and activities affect it. Once you get the meds adjusted and tweeked, it becomes a monitoring job.
 
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