soda

AAARRRGGHHH!!! I have high blood pressure and I'm only 34. I can't begin to tell you how angry I am that I have this condition. I'm not overweight, I don't smoke, I don't drink to excess and I'm in great shape so you can probably understand why this pisses me off so much. It's a weakness in my armor. It throws my mortality in my face and forces me to realize that I'm not invincible. What makes this more aggravating is that I apparently have no control over this thing. It's a genetic flaw. I'm no longer super human in my own mind. I now have to take medication to control my flaw. I hate it, I hate it, I hate it!

That said, I'm glad I caught it early. I had a friend die a few years ago from complications from undiagnosed high blood pressure. There's a reason they call it the silent killer.

Moral of the story is to get your blood pressure checked, even if it's at the local grocery store on one of those machines.

skydive69

I had the same reaction when I was diagnosed. I was a national champion runner at one point, my pulse was in the 40's, and as a career airline pilot who had to take a medical every 6 months, physicians would often comment on my extraordinarily low blood pressure.

One day during a physical, the nurse said "your blood pressure is elevated." Later when I saw the doctor, I asked that he personally check my pressure because I certainly could not have high blood pressure. I did. I took every test in the book, because I was convinced that it was caused by something else in my body. As an aside, make sure that is not the case. I consulted with a Nephrologist who specialized in high blood pressure. Bottom line, was I did in fact have high blood pressure.

Here is the importnat thing: Although it sort of feels like you are getting a glaring look at your mortality, modern medicine is great, and mine is controlled nicely with modern drugs with absolutely no side effects.

Be sure an get yourself an accurate blood pressure measuring device, and check it regularly - keep a log. Good luck, but you will be fine.

Bop Bop

Soda,

Sorry to learn about your HBP, but take it from a person who was diagnosis with HBP around the same age you are now, you can live with it, I have for about 20 years.

I've taken a number of different meds over time, some alone, some in combination and I can tell you this, the best medicine out there for HBP is cycling. I've been cycling seriously for about 8 months, do about 100 to 125 miles a week (not alot compared to some, but for a former couch potato it's alot). It was not until last month after taking all these different meds (currently 3 meds a day plus an Asprin) that the doctor is seriously thinking of dropping a med, all because of cycling.

I know most people think HBP is an old persons problem, but it knows no age. Please drop into the Fifty Plus Forum, you will see posts by myself and others about HBP. You will also see one other thing, the help cycling has.

Yes, no one, not you, not me, not anyone wants to admit they are not super human, or mortal. You are correct it is a shock when you find you are no longer as healthy as you thought, but you are not alone. Either in having HBP or in having at your age. They do not call HBP a silent killer for nothing. There are more people out there with HBP that do not know it than there are who do know it.

Welcome to a club no one wants to belong too, but is growing everyday. Do what the doctor tells you, when you are told. Keep riding, riding and riding, you'll find you'll deal with the problem better than you think.

'nother

Heh, I had the same thing, at the same age, and had a similar reaction. But, it could be worse. You could have found out the hard way by having a stroke or worse, or at a much later age when more damage has been done. I consider it a blessing, not a curse, that I found out early.

In theory, you do have some control over it, though if you don't have any weight to lose and are already in good shape, there's probably not a whole lot you can do without medication (and -- ugh -- diet). I heard of a new device called the RESPeRATE, which is supposed to help lower BP without drugs, simply by helping to control your breathing (info at https://resperate.com/). I don't use it (yet); been lucky enough to be able to keep mine down without drugs (which, modern or otherwise, I hope to avoid as long as possible).

I'll ditto what skydive69 says about a good cuff or similar device. Take yours in to your next doctor's visit, tell him or her that you want to make sure it's working correctly and they'll get you sorted out (usually they'll do several tests with the device on one arm and their own cuff on the other, a few minutes apart). A lot of the cheaper ones suck. Omron is a good brand, from experience. And check your BP frequently, at different times of the day and under different circumstances. You'll be surprised how much it varies over the course of a day.

Also, your doctor may or may not have already told you this (mine didn't!), but: avoid nasal decongestants (pseudoephedrine) and "NSAIDs" (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs, such as ibuprofen), which can raise your BP, sometimes significantly.

Good luck!

Lone Ranger

Unfortunately, we all have to face mortality at some time. I planned on doing so at 80 or 90. Like you, I was always active, no smoking, little drinking. At only a dozen years older than you, I discovered I had a bad aortic valve and root out of the blue (essentially no symptoms). I had to have open heart surgery (something I always thought of as happening to old people or those who didn't take care of their health) within weeks of discovering the problem to correct my genetic flaw. I now take blood pressure meds twice daily. I hated it also, but you have to get over it and go on with the hand you are dealt.

The BP meds normally aren't a big deal although the doctor may have to experiment with a couple before finding one or two that work best for you (the first couple they tried on me didn't have much impact). Taking the meds shouldn't have any impact on your life (other than having to remember to take them). Just make sure to get a good cardiologist.

Good luck, and remember it could have been much worse in any number of ways.

Guest

How high is high? Is it under the new guidelines that says 120/80 is now considered high blood pressure, or is it really elevated? Well... if you feel like sharing...

Koffee

JBBOOKS

Same thing happened to me. I kept fit and active, BP was ALWAYS 120/70. I had it checked before a training program last summer and wham! It was way up. Just that fast. WTF?

Off to the doctor and I am now on a light dose of HGTZ and it's back in the safe zone, but not entirely without the occasional spike. It is very frustrating, but not as frustrating as dieing of a stroke at 45.

Hang in there.

Trekke

Dude. You are stressed and you can control that. Just read your post. Chill out.

oldspark

I question the new guidelines as being a little on the low side-my blood pressure has gone up a little (between 130/85 to 142/93) and all the doctors that have checked it say it is fine. One guy in the fiftys forum was taking meds. for blood pressure in that range.

Trekke

I just read tonight the new standard is 120/80 and that is considered borderline hypertensive. I need to find that web site.

'nother

Yeah, like Diabetes, they've recently lowered the standard for "Normal", and without any changes, overnight people who were not hypertensive now suddenly are. I think recent research has shown that pressures above 120/80 increase risk of problems considerably. So now anything over 120/80 is known as "prehypertensive", and anything over 140/90 is Stage 1 (this has not changed).

Here's some info from the Mayo Clinic on the subject: https://www.mayoclinic.org/news2003-mchi/1810.html

ultra-g

I have Low blood pressure, for a few years now. I get light headed easily because of this. It sucks either way.

oldspark

Well with the new standard they will sell a lot more meds.

soda

I admit that I'm probably a little high strung and I wish it were as easy as calming down but due to problems beyond my control, my homelife is a bit above the norm in terms of stress. That's the reason I started to cycle in the first place. But I agree with that statement about chilling out. I'm going to have to learn to not get so upset about things that I can't control.

As for my numbers, I tested in the 140's/98 and then in the 130's/92 a short time later at the gym yesterday. My doctor isn't as concerned about the upper number as he is the lower number. Strangely, it was the upper number that had me concerned at first. As early as a few months ago, my lower number was always near 80 but the upper number was always in the high 140's. So when I went in for my yearly physical, I asked about my BP and the reading at the doctor's office was as expected except that the bottom number was at 94. This was new to me as I've never seen it at 90 in my previous readings that I was having taken every few weeks at the gym (not by the machine). After a month on meds, I went back to the doctor and it had dropped to 90. This again was alarming because I was still getting readings near 80 everywhere else but the doctor ultimately has to go with his numbers. He kept me on the meds and against every logical thought I've ever had, I ran out of the medication and didnt' get it renewed and I went a few weeks without the meds. I thought I was fine because I attributed my 90's to "white coat" syndrome, since I was obviously reading near 80 or below everywhere else until yesterday. I had it taken again and it was back up to 98 and it obviously couldnt' be white coat syndrome so I'm now back to taking the meds.

Lone Ranger

Work on the lifestyle changes and anything in your diet that negatively affects blood pressure (like salt). Take the meds and work with your doctor to get your BP under control.

The second number (measuring the pressure with your heart at rest/between beats) is the one most doctors are more concerned with.

As indicated above, get a good monitor, check it against your doctor's readings, and then monitor it at home. The American Heart Association guidelines say to take it on your left arm, after sitting still for at least 5 minutes, and with your arm extended, palm up and resting on something (supported). You may find a substantial difference in your pressure at home as compared to the doctor's office or even out somewhere like a health club where some stress levels are always present.

I keep my BP monitor next to my computer.

soda

oh.. forgot about that suggestion. Can you (anyone) recommend any?

'nother

(I think you're talking about monitors?)
I have an Omron "HEM-432C", which has a digital readout but manual pump bulb. Couldn't be simpler, just stick your arm in the cuff, push the on button, pump-pump-pump, wait a few seconds and there you have it. Auto-off in case you forget. Semi old-fashioned, but reasonably priced.

Whatever you get, remember to take it in to your next doctor visit and have them help you test that it is reading accurately. I had 2 other meters (different brands) before this one and they were both off in different directions.

Also I'll reiterate my suggestion to check at different times. If you always check at the same time of day or always under the same conditions, you may not be getting an accurate picture of your BP. For example, if you always only check it first thing in the morning, you're likely looking at your lowest BP all day; you don't want to base your choices on that. Check at random times, at least for the first week or month or so. Keep a log and note the conditions. You may find patterns of behavior or whatever that you can use to help control it a little better.

qroo

I have been diagnosed with "elevated" blood pressure too. My doctor told me to get a home testing kit and watch it periodically on my own. What I learned was that I have a horrible case of "White Coat Syndrome." (as my doctor called it). Basically, some people, myself included, just freak out when they see a doctor and their blood pressure rises. My blood pressure will be in the 150+/90+ range at a doctor but when I test it on my own, it will be 130/70 range. Just to make sure the machine wasn't screwed up, I had my mother test it (she is a nurse) and it proved the home testing results. Something to consider...

Q

Trekke

Good deal. Now change your Avitar. That will raise your BP at least 10 points. I know it does mine.

skydive69

Isn't it maddening? I always have nice low pressure at home (I also brought my stuff to the office to check accuracy and it was dead on), and as soon as I see that stethoscope I know my pressure is rising because I desperately want to "score" a good number for the doctor. Finally, after a couple of years I got over it, and record normal readings at the office.

Bop Bop

Soda,

I went off my meds a while back when my pressure was 140/90 on my meds (pre-biking). I thought the doctor was going to kill me before I could kill myself. My pressure went to 210/120. Needless to say I'm on my meds and will never pull that stunt again. In November I went to the Doctor, pressure 124/84, the lowest in years.

Take your meds, do what the doctor says, stop worrying about the pressure, you doing more harm than good.

Lone Ranger

My monitor is an Omron741CREL. Digital readout with battery pump. Around $50 at Walmart (I don't remember exactly, it was 3 years ago).

JavaMan

Sorry to hear about your high blood pressure, Soda. I guess I am ignorant about it, too, because I thought it was caused by lifestyle choices. Anyway, like you said, good thing you caught it early.

I give blood every couple of months and they check BP as part of the procedure. Mine used to be 110/70, but now it is more often 120/80. Last week when I donated it was 138/80. I was a little alarmed by the first number, but after reading these posts I know better. Thanks for the education.

Tom

'nother

Probably the most common mis-perception of HBP ("high strung" or "Type A" personality, etc.). Genetics have the overwhelming influence (though of course bad lifestyle choices like drinking alcohol and possibly too much sodium don't help things). If your parents or grandparents are/were hypertensive, you are at increased risk without a single lifestyle choice being made...

I'm not sure what you think you learned, but systsolic (the first number) above 120 or diastolic above 80 is "elevated" ("prehypertensive", up to 140/90 which is Stage 1 Hypertension). Both numbers _are_ important. I would keep an eye on it if I were you, as it sounds like it could be on the way up, unless you really think that one was a fluke. Don't be tempted to write it off; it's easy to control if caught early, and you don't want to live (die?) in denial...

richmyer

Actually, there are a couple other things you might want to try. Even though anxiety may not often be a factor in hypertension, a generalized relaxation response may lower BP a bit. Methods to try include relaxation (progressive or imagery), meditation, or biofeedback. They probably all work about the same. I think that most people would find relaxation the easiest and cheapest (as in free).

Another intervention worth researching is the DASH diet. There have been controlled studies showing that this diet can lower BP. It is basically just a good natural diet that includes lots of fruits and vegetables along with milk and dairy products. I believe that the extra calcium and other minerals in this diet may be the key. Here is a Link:

https://https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/heal...eart/hbp/dash/
(NHLBI, DASH Eating Plan)

Of course, as you and others mentioned, it is often the case that you will still need medication, but perhaps the number of meds or the dosages will be lower if you also make the lifestyle changes.

Good luck--I'm sure you"ll be fine!

Finally, when you get a BP monitor, make sure you get the correctly sized cuff (the part that goes around your arm). They usually come in small and large adult sizes. If you use one that is too small, it will give you a reading that is too high.