High blood pressure

[preacher_dawg]

So the last few months have been so stressful and it's starting to affect my health. I started having chest pains about a month ago and went to the doctor for the first time in years. I have a stress test scheduled the first week of April. The last few days have really been difficult and having headaches. I just took my blood pressure and it's 140 over 69. Any suggestions? When is it time to go to the ER? Thanks.

 

[Bobby Ricigliano]

Not just for 140/69. Especially if that was a one off reading.

 

[patdog]

Your BP isn’t that high. Try getting more excise. Doesn’t have to be anything intense. A half hour brisk walk every day is enough. And watch your diet. Cut back in salt, bad fats & empty carbs. Also, try some deep breathing for 10 minutes 3-5 times a week. There are apps for you phone that can guide you.

 

[Mobile Bay]

I hope you enjoy pissing. One of the first things they will give you is a diuretic. So you get to pee a LOT.

Have fun!

 

[Apoplectic_Objurgator]

Low carb/ketosis and 20-30 min HIIT 2-3x / week

At least 20k IU vit D3/K2 daily

Don’t take any HBP medicine that will only make it worse by screwing up ur electrolyte balance. Salts and minerals are essential to life.

 

[karlchilders.sixpack]

Exercise is in order

I have and use a bicycle.

It's knee friendly.

I too suffer from the high blood, it's a family issue.

 

[mcdawg22]

I went years ago to the ER because I felt like I was having chest pains. The more I thought about it the worse it got and eventually I was 180/100. I went to the ER and they could not find anything. Stress test and the works. Still nothing. Every now and then the night after a night of drinking I get chest pains. I think about it and it gets worse. I haven’t gone to the ER since. My BP is fairly normal, cholesterol is fine, Glucose fine too. The best guess is I have anxiety attacks and that’s what causes the chest pains and rapid pulse and elevated BP. The thing is, I’m pretty relaxed overall and I don’t have a high stress level. It’s weird and scary. I think I probably should go to the ER sometimes when my heart is racing but I remember when I went, it felt like I wasted money, but I’m probably an idiot.

 

[Drebin]

So the last few months have been so stressful and it's starting to affect my health. I started having chest pains about a month ago and went to the doctor for the first time in years. I have a stress test scheduled the first week of April. The last few days have really been difficult and having headaches. I just took my blood pressure and it's 140 over 69. Any suggestions? When is it time to go to the ER? Thanks.

I have hypertension and have to take medication for it. I'd be doing backflips if my BP was 140/69. It current runs at about 135/85 with the medication.

The low number is the really important one and yours is great.

 

[SKYHAWKdawg]

i'm assuming that you're an actual state grad. So, act like a state grad....start logging and graphing you're sys./dia BP, heart BPM, and weight daily. Don't fall for this low carb BS. That's snake oil ****. Go plant based (whole grain ....eating cheese quesadilla's on flour tortilla's won't help). Go to your MD and tell him/her your plan and get his/her approval. Typically, they'll give you a week to make your case.

Don't walk ...run to walmart and buy a copy of the China Study (written by an actual scientist). That'll make it much clearer. You can read that over a weekend.

1. heart/coronary disease is the # 1 killer in the US period.
2. #2 is a toss-up between cancer and meds prescribed by an MD.

 

[Apoplectic_Objurgator]

Yea I remember reading about the cave man growing grains and eating them fresh out of the field*****

 

[bruiser.sixpack]

I went years ago to the ER because I felt like I was having chest pains. The more I thought about it the worse it got and eventually I was 180/100. I went to the ER and they could not find anything. Stress test and the works. Still nothing. Every now and then the night after a night of drinking I get chest pains. I think about it and it gets worse. I haven’t gone to the ER since. My BP is fairly normal, cholesterol is fine, Glucose fine too. The best guess is I have anxiety attacks and that’s what causes the chest pains and rapid pulse and elevated BP. The thing is, I’m pretty relaxed overall and I don’t have a high stress level. It’s weird and scary. I think I probably should go to the ER sometimes when my heart is racing but I remember when I went, it felt like I wasted money, but I’m probably an idiot.

Anxiety attacks and Atrial Fibrillation act kind of similar. For a long time I thought I was having anxiety attacks with the fluttery chest palpitations. Turns out I have A-Fib. I had two ablations in the same year a few years ago to detach the muscle fiber from the back of my heart that causes that.

I still have the palpitations occasionally but not like it was before the surgeries. I have Hypertension as well and as someone said 140 over 69 is not hbp per se. A lot of things can raise our BP like a horrible basketball hire. But when my BP gets out of whack (if I miss my meds), it is more like 163 over 112. And stays up for multiple readings. Go get checked out. There ain’t no doctors on here that I would trust and sure ain’t no over weight clowns like me needing to give advice. Go get checked out.

 

[RightOfCenter]

Do you think it could be anxiety due to your profession? I mean this in a non-smart elect way.

Being a pastor in times it seems like Bible prophecy maybe fulfilled can’t be easy.

 

[ZombieKissinger]

Communicate symptoms with your doctor. Ask him/her what symptoms to be concerned about/when to go to ER. Can always call the clinic’s on call number before going to ER. Would recommend not following internet message board advice from people who don’t know your health. Like others said, that blood pressure is fine. Stress can certainly cause chest pain and tension headaches, but I’m guessing the doctor you saw has more data than what was shared in the post, and that’s the right person to be making recommendations for exercise, diet, etc. Don’t go start some intense exercise program without clearing it with your doctor, especially with a stress test on the books

 

[Jeffreauxdawg]

Just go see your doc and tell him you want the full monty. I was 38 with chest pain and family history of heart disease. Got a mri that revealed gallstones as big as golf balls and had the gall bladder removed, but it didn't help.

Next came an ekg, echo, stress test, calcium score, and 2 weeks of 24 hr heart monitoring. Clean as a whistle. Finally worked with a team at the Cleveland Clinic and they nailed it... Esophageal spasms. I don't eat or drink red stuff anymore (acidic foods) and life is good.

Probably cost $10k (out of pocket) and 18 months, but it was completely worth it. The gallbladder attacks were horrible (I thought they were gas pains for 10 years) and the esophageal spasms felt like heart attacks.

The last few years make me feel like I am in my 20's again.....


Remember Preach... God sent the guy a row boat, a motor boat, and a helicopter. In your case that's probably a GP, a Cardiologist, and a Gastroenterologist. Go see them all until it's figured out.


Good luck.

 

[tatedog]

So the last few months have been so stressful and it's starting to affect my health. I started having chest pains about a month ago and went to the doctor for the first time in years. I have a stress test scheduled the first week of April. The last few days have really been difficult and having headaches. I just took my blood pressure and it's 140 over 69. Any suggestions? When is it time to go to the ER? Thanks.

Chest pains can indicate a whole host of issues that aren't necessarily heart/BP related. You need to get the tires kicked.

 

[Mobile Bay]

i'm assuming that you're an actual state grad. So, act like a state grad....start logging and graphing you're sys./dia BP, heart BPM, and weight daily. Don't fall for this low carb BS. That's snake oil ****. Go plant based (whole grain ....eating cheese quesadilla's on flour tortilla's won't help). Go to your MD and tell him/her your plan and get his/her approval. Typically, they'll give you a week to make your case.

Don't walk ...run to walmart and buy a copy of the China Study (written by an actual scientist). That'll make it much clearer. You can read that over a weekend.

1. heart/coronary disease is the # 1 killer in the US period.
2. #2 is a toss-up between cancer and meds prescribed by an MD.

Yes Wal-Mart. The bastion of serious peer reviewed scientific study.**

 

[OneParticularHarbor]

So the last few months have been so stressful and it's starting to affect my health. I started having chest pains about a month ago and went to the doctor for the first time in years. I have a stress test scheduled the first week of April. The last few days have really been difficult and having headaches. I just took my blood pressure and it's 140 over 69. Any suggestions? When is it time to go to the ER? Thanks.

See your GP and describe your symptoms and let him/her take it from there. Your BP reading, while one-off, isn't terribly high, especially the diastolic number. Go see you doc, your body is telling you to.

 

[horshack.sixpack]

When I hear about the paleo diet I immediately think about the life expectancy...

 

[BogeyGolfer.sixpack]

So the last few months have been so stressful and it's starting to affect my health. I started having chest pains about a month ago and went to the doctor for the first time in years. I have a stress test scheduled the first week of April. The last few days have really been difficult and having headaches. I just took my blood pressure and it's 140 over 69. Any suggestions? When is it time to go to the ER? Thanks.

That's really not high blood pressure tbh, but dropped mine by losing 15 pounds and cutting back on coffee, sodas, cheese and red meat. I'm not saying eliminate all of those things but you'll be surprised what watching what you eat can do for you health....I'm 45 and on no meds....

 

[Dawgzilla]

Yea I remember reading about the cave man growing grains and eating them fresh out of the field*****

And how long did cavemen generally live?

 

[Bucky Dog]

Like most people are saying you don’t really have HBP. The 140 is the minimum on the high end to be considered to have HBP but your bottom number is well below standard. Most likely your shear pain is anxiety driven as you said you’ve been under a lot of stress.

If you don’t exercise then start walking a few miles. I haven’t tried it yet but want to start meditating. Our preacher actually talked about meditation Being the 10-15 minutes of quiet time reading your Bible

 

[Dawgzilla]

i'm assuming that you're an actual state grad. So, act like a state grad....start logging and graphing you're sys./dia BP, heart BPM, and weight daily. Don't fall for this low carb BS. That's snake oil ****. Go plant based (whole grain ....eating cheese quesadilla's on flour tortilla's won't help). Go to your MD and tell him/her your plan and get his/her approval. Typically, they'll give you a week to make your case.

Don't walk ...run to walmart and buy a copy of the China Study (written by an actual scientist). That'll make it much clearer. You can read that over a weekend.

1. heart/coronary disease is the # 1 killer in the US period.
2. #2 is a toss-up between cancer and meds prescribed by an MD.

I'm not sure what all the downvotes are for. Plant based, whole food diet is the way to go. Plenty of books and websites on this, as well as at least two documentaries on Netflix.

My doctor challenged me to try the diet for 30 days, and I took the challenge expecting to prove him wrong. In the first month, I dropped 18 pounds and was able to cut my BP mess in half. 6 months out and I was below 200 lbs and tossed the meds entirely.

I still eat some meat, but I get at least 90% of my protein from plant based sources. I eat too much bread, though (bread is not whole food). If I could quit eating bread I think I would be really fit.

 

[PubDawg]

I cut back on carbs (and all
The places those hide sugar) and hit the gym... ate a lot of meat, some lean some not. Oddly when I got carbs out of my system I stopped craving food and stayed full on less food overall. Dropped 65 LBS. feel 15 years younger.

 

[JesterB]

Mine always spikes in September and is through the roof until December/early January

 

[Drebin]

Mine always spikes in September and is through the roof until December/early January

Funny how that works.

 

[greenbean.sixpack]

Low carb (this forces you to cut out a bunch of processed foods) and moderate exercise is great for keeping weight down and keeping all your numbers in check. I also throw in 18:6 IF, you'll be surprised how much less hungry you are. The doc is going to try to get you on as many prescriptions as possible, try to stay off them. Low carb is easy, there's a lot you can do with chicken, fish, butter, eggs, beef, pork, cheese, etc. Throw in some simple veggies (stay away from potatoes and rice) and lettuce, veggies have carbs, but usually also a decent amount of fiber. You can still have cornbread and dessert occasionally, just take it easy on them.

 

[Pilgrimdawg]

I would like to share my experience and what I have learned over the last couple of years. In February of 19 I started feeling light headed and real short of breath while working out at our local YMCA. Called my local doctor and they kind of blew me off. Had me go over to the hospital And do blood work. They did not call me back so I followed up next day and they said I was fine, just a little dehydrated. Next morning it happened again at home and I thought I was going to melt to the floor. Went to local ER they decided that it was nothing and sent me home. Went back to YMCA the next morning to try a very light workout and it happened again. Went to ER again and they could not find anything wrong. They tried to send me home again but I refused to leave. They eventually admitted me and hooked me up with a local heart doc. After a conversation with him he decided to do a heart Cath and my LAD artery ( the widow maker ) was 90 percent blocked. A stent was inserted and All seemed well for several months. I kept having side effect issues with the various blood thinner and beta blocker meds required for stent patients along with issues now happening from a very minimum blood pressure med that I had been taking for several years. I started having heart palpitation issues along with severe blood pressure problems. The more problems I developed the more and stronger meds they gave me. I was a horrible mess. In early January of 20 I felt so bad that I did not think there was any way that I would live until the end of the month. I told my wife to get on with her life after I was gone. It was terrible. I had been to the local ER eleven times and they kept me for 1 or 2 days a couple of times. For ER trip number 12 we drove to Tupelo and tried them. They pretty much identified the reason for the palpitations as my thyroid meds being too much now even though I had been on the same dosage for about 20 years. I continued to have volatile blood pressure issues and after a lot of effort finally got an appointment at the Kirklin Clinic ( div of UAB ) in Birmingham. Once I got to the appointment, which I had prepared for just like a business meeting, I showed the doctor my notebook full of blood pressure readings medication side effects that I had experienced and everything that I had been through over the last 18 months. I poured my heart out to him. He listened very patiently and carefully, asked a few questions and then said well I know what is wrong with you and I can fix you. He took me off of about 90 percent of everything I was taking and added half of a small fluid pill. Basically all those meds had my body totally confused. Some told the body to do one thing and others had the opposite effect. I put my life in his hands and did exactly what he said. I was 100 percent back to normal within 3 days and 3 weeks later I was climbing the mountains of New Mexico hunting elk with my son. I was literally being poisoned by all the meds. 12 ER trips, 13 or 14 different doctors here around Columbus and I was fixed by first correcting my thyroid meds first discovered in Tupelo and then the rest of it was fixed by a 30 minute visit to the Kirklin Clinic in Birmingham. My message to others is that if you don’t get quick resolution to your issues, get the heck out of here and go somewhere else. I have heard the same message from others over the years that I am now passing along. If it’s serious, head for Birmingham, Jackson, Nashville, etc. more knowledge, more technology, and more experience.

 

[greenbean.sixpack]

I would like to share my experience and what I have learned over the last couple of years. In February of 19 I started feeling light headed and real short of breath while working out at our local YMCA. Called my local doctor and they kind of blew me off. Had me go over to the hospital And do blood work. They did not call me back so I followed up next day and they said I was fine, just a little dehydrated. Next morning it happened again at home and I thought I was going to melt to the floor. Went to local ER they decided that it was nothing and sent me home. Went back to YMCA the next morning to try a very light workout and it happened again. Went to ER again and they could not find anything wrong. They tried to send me home again but I refused to leave. They eventually admitted me and hooked me up with a local heart doc. After a conversation with him he decided to do a heart Cath and my LAD artery ( the widow maker ) was 90 percent blocked. A stent was inserted and All seemed well for several months. I kept having side effect issues with the various blood thinner and beta blocker meds required for stent patients along with issues now happening from a very minimum blood pressure med that I had been taking for several years. I started having heart palpitation issues along with severe blood pressure problems. The more problems I developed the more and stronger meds they gave me. I was a horrible mess. In early January of 20 I felt so bad that I did not think there was any way that I would live until the end of the month. I told my wife to get on with her life after I was gone. It was terrible. I had been to the local ER eleven times and they kept me for 1 or 2 days a couple of times. For ER trip number 12 we drove to Tupelo and tried them. They pretty much identified the reason for the palpitations as my thyroid meds being too much now even though I had been on the same dosage for about 20 years. I continued to have volatile blood pressure issues and after a lot of effort finally got an appointment at the Kirklin Clinic ( div of UAB ) in Birmingham. Once I got to the appointment, which I had prepared for just like a business meeting, I showed the doctor my notebook full of blood pressure readings medication side effects that I had experienced and everything that I had been through over the last 18 months. I poured my heart out to him. He listened very patiently and carefully, asked a few questions and then said well I know what is wrong with you and I can fix you. He took me off of about 90 percent of everything I was taking and added half of a small fluid pill. Basically all those meds had my body totally confused. Some told the body to do one thing and others had the opposite effect. I put my life in his hands and did exactly what he said. I was 100 percent back to normal within 3 days and 3 weeks later I was climbing the mountains of New Mexico hunting elk with my son. I was literally being poisoned by all the meds. 12 ER trips, 13 or 14 different doctors here around Columbus and I was fixed by first correcting my thyroid meds first discovered in Tupelo and then the rest of it was fixed by a 30 minute visit to the Kirklin Clinic in Birmingham. My message to others is that if you don’t get quick resolution to your issues, get the heck out of here and go somewhere else. I have heard the same message from others over the years that I am now passing along. If it’s serious, head for Birmingham, Jackson, Nashville, etc. more knowledge, more technology, and more experience.

Glad you are feeling better, I agree there are too many people on too many meds. There's a ton of money to be made (by a lot of people) by getting you hooked on as many prescriptions as possible.

 

[Apoplectic_Objurgator]

And how long did cavemen generally live?

Until they died of natural causes. Damn sure wasn’t cancer or heart attacks.

 

[Pilgrimdawg]

Glad you are feeling better, I agree there are too many people on too many meds. There's a ton of money to be made (by a lot of people) by getting you hooked on as many prescriptions as possible.

Absolutely! My experience was that I would explain to one of the local doctors what was happening and they all had exactly the same response. They would go HUH, LETS RUN SOME TEST AND SEE WHAT WE FIND and then they would run the same test that had already been run 10 other times and find nothing again . Then when I saw the BP specialist at the Kirklin Clinic, his immediate response was I KNOW WHAT IS WRONG AND CAN FIX IT. Big difference and he was 100 percent correct. I am not saying that the local doctors are incompetent, it’s just that they are more generalized in what they deal with every day so if you have an issue that could be serious and you don’t get a quick complete resolution, be aggressive and find you a specialist at one of the larger high profile facilities. If I had not got myself into the Kirklin Clinic I would most likely be very, very dead at this point.

 

[NTDawg]

Look at life expectancy that doesn't include infant mortality and other deaths for children and not much has changed

 

[IBleedMaroonDawg]

I have and use a bicycle.

It's knee friendly.

I too suffer from the high blood, it's a family issue.

I'm just waiting for mine to change. Mother and Grandmother were like me and had 100/70 all their lives and never varied until they got near 60 and it just popped up. Doc told me to start monitoring because the last blood test showed I may have episodes of higher pressure.

 

[MS-halfstep]

I went years ago to the ER because I felt like I was having chest pains. The more I thought about it the worse it got and eventually I was 180/100. I went to the ER and they could not find anything. Stress test and the works. Still nothing. Every now and then the night after a night of drinking I get chest pains. I think about it and it gets worse. I haven’t gone to the ER since. My BP is fairly normal, cholesterol is fine, Glucose fine too. The best guess is I have anxiety attacks and that’s what causes the chest pains and rapid pulse and elevated BP. The thing is, I’m pretty relaxed overall and I don’t have a high stress level. It’s weird and scary. I think I probably should go to the ER sometimes when my heart is racing but I remember when I went, it felt like I wasted money, but I’m probably an idiot.

I had almost the exact same thing happen except my arm and hand went numb.

Ran me through the gauntlet of tests and they couldn't find a thing

 

[ZombieKissinger]

It's pretty frustrating. I'm a specialist, but I spend most of my time removing diagnoses and taking people off meds they got started on that they don't need. There are also times when certain meds *do* help with the condition that you're trying to treat, but the side effects totally aren't worth it.

I ran into this sort of thing personally. I started having trouble driving, especially when stuck in traffic. Heart started racing, couldn't see well. No history of anxiety, but I assumed this might be a weird presentation of that - like atypical panic attack. But then it started carrying over outside of driving, and I still wasn't having anxiety, but I wasn't able to walk straight sometimes. My eyes couldn't look at computers for long. Was having some additional visual symptoms. Anyway, had a few ED visits where dangerous stuff was ruled out. Also got admitted and no evidence of MS, seizures, etc. Spent tons of time seeing opthalmologists and neurologists. Everything is coming back normal, so they just start diagnosing me with all sorts of stuff and throwing meds at me. For me, as a doctor, it was a bit bizarre. I didn't want to be a difficult patient and I went along with trying what they suggested, but after the fourth migraine med did nothing (and I'd never had headaches to begin with but they thought it might be basilar migraines), I finally just told them it wasn't helping and to stop everything.

Anyway, I was getting by, but still feeling pretty rough, but then my wife started getting sick too, but only when she rode in my car. That made me take the car to get checked out. They spent all day on it and were really confused, but called me later and realized that some big 17ing plastic bag got caught on my catalytic converter and was melting every time the car heated up and was sending fumes into car, which were worse when the car was sitting still in traffic. They cleaned it out and haven't had issues since (1.5 years now after 12 months straight of feeling awful), but it sure made applying for life insurance a pain in the ***

 

[paindonthurt_]

My blood pressure stays around 140/90
I’m 39 and can run a 7:26 10k

I’ve lowered it some but 140/70 isn’t the worst thing in the world.

BUT NOTE TO EVERYONE. Most insurances pay for a yearly healthy you exam. They’ll do blood work for cholesterol, sugar, etc.

TAKE ADVANTAGE!!

 

[paindonthurt_]

That’s called the Sunday scaries or anxiety!

Brought on from alcohol and dehydration among other things.

 

[Upyurs]

I'm not sure what all the downvotes are for. Plant based, whole food diet is the way to go. Plenty of books and websites on this, as well as at least two documentaries on Netflix.

My doctor challenged me to try the diet for 30 days, and I took the challenge expecting to prove him wrong. In the first month, I dropped 18 pounds and was able to cut my BP mess in half. 6 months out and I was below 200 lbs and tossed the meds entirely.

I still eat some meat, but I get at least 90% of my protein from plant based sources. I eat too much bread, though (bread is not whole food). If I could quit eating bread I think I would be really fit.

You know what’s amazing. You can do this exact same thing with a low carb diet. And there are plenty of books on it too. Not saying either is the right or wrong way but calling low carb “snake oil” is way off.

 

[karlchilders.sixpack]

Just watch closely

and don't mess around.

BP meters are not very expensive. $40 or so.

 

[thatsbaseball]

Here's a tid-bit that changed a lot of people's lives in 2017

High blood pressure should be treated earlier with lifestyle changes and in some patients with medication – at 130/80 mm Hg rather than 140/90 – based on new ACC and American Heart Association (AHA) guidelines for the detection, prevention, management and treatment of high blood pressure.
The new guidelines – the first comprehensive set since 2003 – lower the definition of high blood pressure to account for complications that can occur at lower numbers and to allow for earlier intervention. The new definition will result in nearly half of the U.S. adult population (46 percent) having high blood pressure, with the greatest impact expected among younger people. Additionally, the prevalence of high blood pressure is expected to triple among men under age 45, and double among women under 45, the guideline authors note. However, only a small increase is expected in the number of adults requiring antihypertensive medication.

 

[Apoplectic_Objurgator]

You know what’s amazing. You can do this exact same thing with a low carb diet. And there are plenty of books on it too. Not saying either is the right or wrong way but calling low carb “snake oil” is way off.

Thumbs up to you - it was too ridiculous of a take for me to reply. I’ll trust the Hadza way of life over some sponsored Netflix docu.