The hypertension, high blood pressure club ?

[Keith 66]

Just reading through this thread, First got pulled up with a bp test at work 18 years ago, advised me to see my doctor as bp too high. At the time i was a 40 a day roll up man & was a bit of a pisshead. I cut right down on the sauce & stopped smoking, It worked. Had another bit of a scare when i was working at my last school, high stress at times & Doctor suggested i go on amlodipine, I was lucky to be able to pack the job in soon after & retire, well glad to pack it in.
bp fell right back to normal, Now im 61 & too fat. Think i need to get checked out again.

 

[JEZGUZ]

I'm on the magic pills for BP etc, High cholesterol despite the pills but levels are getting better. BP is around 150-70/80-90. Put on weight since retiring and last heart attack, given up the fags too. b Losing it is difficult as I like food.

 

[Seadog]

Looking back 40 years, my BP was always a little on the high side. Been on medication since 2001. It's under control. I have other issues to worry about now.

 

[MattF]

God knows, I've tried, and keep trying.

Why? We're all gonna go, at some point. I'd rather get my moneys worth out of my body, & enjoy the ride getting there.

 

[m_c]

My GP in the UK thought it was white coat syndrome at one point (before I collapsed at work and was blue-lighted to hospital), so having found it too high on one visit he put put me in a spare consulting room, put on the cuff, pulled the curtains and turned off the lights, said “I’m going out for ten mins, when I come back don’t look up or acknowledge me”. He came back, took my BP which was fine

I know somebody who went to their GP as they hadn't been feeling great, and the GP reluctantly took their blood pressure.
They were quite quickly asked to stay seated while the GP called for an ambulance as it was that high.
They spent a few weeks in hospital, and were off their work for months until they finally got it back under control.

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

You got a low loader ? / Big lorry?

Dream on......

Yes.
See you soon.

 

[addjunkie]

So . Non smokers teeth don't fall out and they all do 100m in less than 13 seconds !!??

No of course they dont, but their chances of doing it are much higher. I used to smoke 40 a day and eat all the wrong stuff, but working hard, running about like an idiot etc kept the weight off. I stopped smoking and ate all the pies. Went from 13 stone to about 18 gradually over about 6 or seven years. My Mrs is a feeder who likes to bake too.

By a life style change ( Ive retiredish from a real job) then gradually eating more sensibly Ive lost two and a half stone. My blood pressure is about the same as it was 10 years ago, Ive had to reduce the medication as it was a bit low.

Live fast, die young and save on pension contributions doesnt quite pay off once you-get old. I dont mind being older, quite like it actually, but hate feeling old, so trying to keep that away is the hard bit.

 

[frank horton]

just watch out for side effects of the pills.....
I ended up with a defib pacemaker........
stopped taking the pills again due to the above.....
then the big one......
ITC unit here for 6 nights and they got me sorted...
they took a lot of trouble to get the right pills so I dont feel ill all the time........
UK doc said he couldnt prescribe those drugs as they cost TOO much.......!!!!!!!!

just be careful.....

 

[daleyd]

I’m the same age as you and mine was flagged up as high on an offshore medical last year.

I cut back on caffeine, salt and alcohol, and it came back to normal levels pretty quickly checking it every day at home - I’ve slipped back into some bad habits recently so could do with checking it again.

 

[SwissTony]

Got covid before covid was known about by the public, messed up my heart rate and blood pressure. Was on pills for about 8 months of this year. Managed to lose about 1.5 stone in weight which dropped my BP down by at least 15, which put me in the safe range, so now not on the pills.

 

[northwest]

. I dont mind being older, quite like it actually, but hate feeling old, so trying to keep that away is the hard bit.

I am right with you on this. Had my BP taken yesterday 125 over 75 BUT I am on a shedload of pills until I get a heart bypass or transplant so artificially maintained I am :-)

 

[slim_boy_fat]

My Mrs is a feeder who likes to bake too.

Does she do food parcels?

@Barking Mat Sorry to read about your diagnosis, but try not to get fixated on BP readings - that alone can cause anxiety.
"White coat syndrome" is more common than Medics acknowledge, I've had it for years. Attend hospital/surgery....high readings, check at home.... acceptable levels, normally in the range mid 130s over 80s. The oft quoted 'ideal target' 120/80 is the standard for a young man in his mid 20s, not codgers getting on a bit.

Remember, readings only represent a snapshot in time.

 

[stuvy]

Mine flagged up in my works healthcare review a while back

Did the same as @daleyd and cut out the drink, caffeine and salt

Got it down before having to go on tablets
I went for a walk everyday for an hour then rejoined the gym and this made the difference the fastest

That and stopping mid week drinking

 

[ajlelectronics]

Remember, readings only represent a snapshot in time.

Quite. My first read this morning was 157/90 67. Second 150/87 66, although likely to be down to having back pain this morning. You can see from my second graph how it peaks and troughs.

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

@Barking Mat
Will this nurse help?
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[Robotstar5]

"White coat syndrome" is more common than Medics acknowledge, I've had it for years. Attend hospital/surgery....high readings, check at home.... acceptable levels, normally in the range mid 130s over 80s.

Mrs Robo has that, first reading is normally high, then it settles down.

My first reading is usually high even though I don't feel concerned about having it taken, maybe it's a sub-conscious thing?

 

[dobbslc]

This is what I got this morning.

138 / 87 / 75
130 / 83 / 69
130 / 84 / 71
It was in the mid 140's but it does vary.
The doctor told me to record my BP after I had numb hands and aching left arm
@Barking Mat

I'm 47, but this year has really knocked me out.

I've spent so long working full time, then doing jobs on the side, and restoring our home...

This year I've taken a pause..

This ^ is exactly me too!
5 years working on it now plus my old firm absolutely killing me through covid in 2020 has literally knackered me!
I don't know what the answer is, lottery win or death probably

 

[dobbslc]

@Barking Mat
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View attachment 377014

VARK that's just burst the pipe on my machine!!!

 

[mtt.tr]

@Barking Mat
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View attachment 377014

I suspect that would raise pressure

 

[James1979]

I'm having real issues giving up smoking.

God knows, I've tried, and keep trying.

Hypnotism.

Seriously. Mrs79 was a moderate smoker - about a pack and a half a day.

Tried everything. Had hypnosis and literally hasn’t even wanted one since. That was in 2015.

I was a sceptic and if I hadn’t seen it I’d have not believed it really.

You need a good one who knows what he’s doing. This guy is a friend of FiL and has a good track record.

If you’re in the UK and want to talk with him I can put you in touch.