Blood pressure!

[Lisa2]

Hello to all. My blood pressure has been increasing over the last couple of years, in spite the fact that I exercise. My diet is consistently inconsistent in that I eat a wide variety of foods. I am working with a wellness coach to find some strategies that work for me to get more protein into my diet, eat five times a day, etc. I get busy at work and forget to eat snacks and end up going too long between meals, so we are working on that.

I saw my primary care physician this week to treat my seasonal bronchial symptoms because Spring is early here in the panhandle. Pollen is coating everything! So back to the point, my BP was dangerously high at 179/109. My doc was freaked and called my cardiologist to consult with him on the appropriate type of drug to treat me. He prescribed a combination calcium channel blocker and ace inhibitor to get things under control.

My doctor was so excited that he forgot to write directions for the pharmacy on the prescription - he wrote takes as directed. That took another 24 hours to resolve between the pharmacy and doctor's office while my anxiety went through the roof worrying about having a stroke or heart attack, etc.

The cardio's office is trying to work me in for a visit and I called my surgeon at UAB. My next appt. with the surgeon is scheduled for the end of May and that may be moved up after I visit the cardio. I guess I am one step closer to swapping the homograft out.

I hope everyone else has had a better week!
​

 

[honeybunny]

(((((Lisa)))))

despite the trials you had had this week you seem to be in a positive state of mind. Stay that wat, girl! Sending positive thoughts your way.

Hugs, Michele

 

[aetos]

Lisa perhaps it's a case of white coat syndrome? Have you checked it elsewhere aside from the doc's office?
Aside from my prescrips I use hibiscus tea, bell peppers, bananas and dark choc 90% daily to keep my blood pressure in order. Hope all works out for you...

 

[Lisa2]

Michelle, thank you for your kind words. Yes, I'm okay (mentally)! I would just like to get this under control. My BP was 110/70 for years and years and this worries me a bit that it's so high.

aetos, how does hibiscus tea help?

 

[Lisa2]

Michelle, thank you for your kind words. Yes, I'm okay (mentally)! I would just like to get this under control. My BP was 110/70 for years and years and this worries me a bit that it's so high.

aetos, how does hibiscus tea help?

 

[Paleowoman]

Hi Lisa - have you had a 24 hour blood pressure measrement ? I can get high blood pressure on occasions, usually at particular times of day or when I see a doctor or nurse to get my blood pressure measured. Whenever I see my cardiologist it's always around 170/100, and whenever I see my endocrinologist it's always around 128/70. I have my own blood pressure monitor and take regular readings which I give to my cardiologist - I have had the monitor checked against the doctor's. Normally my blood pressure is much lower, especially first thing in the morning and last thing at night, for example, last week at 10 pm it was 102/67 one night, 106/70 the next, and then at 6pm the following day it was 150/95, then first thing the next morning at 7am it was 92/71, then later that night 129/84. Once my GP wanted me to take an Ace Inhibitor - but as my cardiologist said, he wouldn't want me keeing over at night or first thing in the morning. So a blood pressure montior is very useful. One also learns how to take BP properly, doctors often don't actually do that, for example, you must not be talking when your BP is being measured, your feet should both be flat on the ground, you should have emptied your bladder, you should not have eaten or drunk anything the previous hour, you should be sitting relaxed for at least five minutes and so on. My endo has usually had me laughing before he takes my BP - perhaps that's why it's always lower with him than with my cardiologist ? But anyway, if you haven't got a blood pressure monitor do get one, and if you already have got one you'll know what's happeneing so I can understand your worries. Hope you get to see your cardiologist soon.

 

[aetos]

aetos, how does hibiscus tea help?[/QUOTE]

Hi, it's effectiveness has been proven in multiple studies...
read up on it and you'll see

Hibiscus tea has been a traditional remedy for high blood pressure in Iran and other countries around the world. In one study, drinking hibiscus tea for just 12 days reduced systolic pressure by an average 11.7 percent and diastolic pressure by 10.7 percent. ... Look specifically for tea made from Hibiscussabdariffa.

 

[LondonAndy]

I agree that having your own blood pressure meter is a good investment if you don't already have one, provided that home testing won't make you more anxious and thereby increase your pressure. For me I find it useful to have facts, and not knowing how something is doing more stressful than knowing my pressure is high, but we are all different. A good meter that your doc will accept is about £20 ($30?), and personally I find a meter with a cuff that goes around the arm easier to get right than a wrist meter. And it's useful to measure your pressure at the same time of day each time, to see the trend, since as Paleowoman says, your pressure will naturally vary over the day anyway.

I assume that you have checked if aspects of your diet have changed that might be contributing to the rise in pressure? Are you consuming more alcohol? Having more convenience food with a higher salt content?

Also, I am not a doctor but my blood pressure was much higher before I had my valve surgery, for a stenotic aortic valve, and it would seem logical to me that pressure has to rise if flow through a valve is restricted. I have gone from having high pressure before surgery to low pressure after, and have been encouraged to increase the salt content in my diet to raise it!

 

[Lisa2]

Paleowoman and LondonAndy, yes I do have a monitor and have been checking it pretty regularly and it is lower in the mornings and evenings,but still high with an avg. oh 145/95. My PCP thinks this may be valve related....we shall see. My cardio's nurse is supposed to call me tomorrow to let me know when my appointment is. In the meantime, I made a very bland chicken and vegetable soup this afternoon and made lunches for the week so that I won't be tempted to visit the cafeteria at work. I do usually eat lunch in the cafeteria and I could be unknowingly consuming a lot of excess sodium. The nutritional information is posted; but, that doesn't mean it's accurate. I am going to stay away from there and see if that helps lower my BP. Thank you both.

aetos - yes, I am going to read up on hibiscus tea. I love the flowers for the yard but didn't know about the tea!

 

[epstns]

Lisa - Are you taking meds for controlling your blood pressure? If you have been taking meds, the timing of the meds versus the measurement may make a difference. I take a diuretic and a beta blocker for blood pressure control. When I check my BP in the morning (before daily meds) is seems a bit high (145/90-100), but when the docs check it in the afternoon, after the meds have had some hours to work, it is usually around 125/78 and they see no issues.

 

[Lisa2]

Update - I saw my cardiologist this week and he prescribed a diuretic to take along with my BP med. I have an echo scheduled for 3/22 to check things out, specifically the aorta and a renal scan scheduled for 4/3. I like that my doc is being thoroug. I had the first normal BP reading I've had in a long time, after I started the diuretic yesterday.

 

[Duffey]

I had gained 15 pounds over the past year, and my BP ran high for the first time ever. I too was afraid that it might be my bovine valve acting up, but an echo showed that it was working fine. I've since lost the weight and my BP #'s have returned to normal. Hopefully the diuretic you are now prescribed will work to bring your blood pressure down.

 

[zee112]

Hello to all. My blood pressure has been increasing over the last couple of years, in spite the fact that I exercise. My diet is consistently inconsistent in that I eat a wide variety of foods. I am working with a wellness coach to find some strategies that work for me to get more protein into my diet, eat five times a day, etc. I get busy at work and forget to eat snacks and end up going too long between meals, so we are working on that.

I saw my primary care physician this week to treat my seasonal bronchial symptoms because Spring is early here in the panhandle. Pollen is coating everything! So back to the point, my BP was dangerously high at 179/109. My doc was freaked and called my cardiologist to consult with him on the appropriate type of drug to treat me. He prescribed a combination calcium channel blocker and ace inhibitor to get things under control.

My doctor was so excited that he forgot to write directions for the pharmacy on the prescription - he wrote takes as directed. That took another 24 hours to resolve between the pharmacy and doctor's office while my anxiety went through the roof worrying about having a stroke or heart attack, etc.

The cardio's office is trying to work me in for a visit and I called my surgeon at UAB. My next appt. with the surgeon is scheduled for the end of May and that may be moved up after I visit the cardio. I guess I am one step closer to swapping the homograft out.

I hope everyone else has had a better week!
​

Hi Lisa,

How stressful is work? You mention that you get busy at work. Is it fair to say that stress at work may be attributed to your high blood pressure?

 

[Nocturne]

I hesitate to suggest this, but...

You might consider getting a coronary CT scan done to look for coronary artery calcium (CAC). It's absence or relatively low level (depending on your age) could make you breathe easier. Without CAC, you are extremely unlikely to be in danger of having a heart attack even if your BP is not good (it should still be corrected though).

I say I hesitate to suggest it because I had mine done to soothe my fears after being diagnosed with AVS, and it turned out that my CAC score was in the worst 1% for my age, and at normal progression will exceed the maximum levels recorded by studies such as MESA by the time I am 60 or so. And I have a sneaking suspicion as to why no one has seen anyone with a CAC above 7000 or so.

So yeah. Could give you a lot of relief. But on the other hand... Weeeeeeeeellll...