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Shouldn't I be concerned?

Posted , 8 users are following.

leep6
leep6

I am 25 yr old male. Yesterday at the doctor's office, I got readings of 148 and 160. The doctor said it might have been caused by a stomach virus I had last week (I still have a little gas in my stomach). He told me not to worry about the blood pressure. This morning I had readings of 135 (pre breakfast) and 136 (after 1.5 of speed walking). I didn't have much of an appetite for lunch and only ate less than half of what I usually eat. I haven't had a good appetite for nearly a week. I woke up this morning feeling cold and tense in my muscles. After lunch, I decided to take a nap. I woke up feeling better, but my blood pressure was in the 150s. I am borderline between overweight and obese (5 ft 10. 197 lbs). Shouldn't I be concerned about my blood pressure or just not worry like the doctor said?

2 likes, 26 replies

26 Replies

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  • tom512836
    tom512836 leep6

    Posted

    See a cardiologist or a nephrologist. (Blood pressure doctor)

    Talking to us won't help you.

    Tom

    • jackie32887
      jackie32887 tom512836

      Posted

      You know, that was not I nice response.

      Yes he has to see a cardiologist for sure.

      But asides from that talking to people is what this site is all about.

      Giving motivation, giving home remedies,,exercise, no salt and hearing the success of others is very inspirational and can be a benefit to Leep6 or anyone for that matter.

    • tom512836
      tom512836 jackie32887

      Posted

      Was not meant to be a put down.  But if you're worried about something seek out those who can help.  That's the logical thing to do.

      Tom

  • Portacrean
    Portacrean leep6

    Posted

    The more the ecercise plus losing a little weight along the way equals lower blood pressure. Worrying about it will make it worse though. So go about your business and keep up the walking and it will pay off. I say this because at one time I was in your position. 5 ' 10" and 205lbs. With b/p of 160 / 86 most of the time. So I did exactly what you're doing and everything straightened out. My biggest problem was worrying about it. So keep it up !
    • leep6
      leep6 Portacrean

      Posted

      Thank you for your reply. I am now committed to losing weight and changing my lifestyle.
    • Portacrean
      Portacrean leep6

      Posted

      You're very welcome. Hope everything works out great for you.
  • jo45172
    jo45172 leep6

    Posted

    I consider that high, I would continue to take blood pressure morning and night. My normal Is 120 over 70

    Best to you.

  • Portacrean
    Portacrean leep6

    Posted

    To us its high. But to doctors , not so much. If you're on B/P meds, by all means , continue to take them. Doctors have gotten to where they aren't as concerned about it they way they use to be. But you should continue to monitor it a couple of times a day. Just saying it does no good to obsess over it. But tell your doctor how you feel about it . That you're worried about it and he might start you on it or up your dose. Better safe than sorry. But I wouldn't stop what you're doing to lower it. If it's high every day , then you need some help from your doc. though. But nobody can tell you not to worry about it. Easier said than done.
  • jackie32887
    jackie32887 leep6

    Posted

    U should be more concerned with your weight I'm afraid to say and what u eat to cause the weight. Once you start eating healthy foods that lower the BP, loose weight to lower the BP u most likely will find your BP back to normal. Weight is one of the most dangerous things that can cause high BP.... I was 66 kilos a month ago. I started eating raw oats, quinoa, chia, avocado, bananas for potassium... Salmon fish and veggies . NO SALT on anything, no foods containing salt and boy do I see the difference, feel the difference.
    • leep6
      leep6 jackie32887

      Posted

      Thank you for your reply. I am now committed to making lifestyle changes especially cut salt.
  • MrsO-UK_Surrey
    MrsO-UK_Surrey leep6

    Posted

    leep6, you need to have your blood pressure level checked three times on different occasions at the surgery to get an average reading.  

    On the other hand, it you are getting those normal readings at home, it is quite possible that you are experiencing what is called 'white coat syndrome' when visiting the GP!

    So do get it checked again - if it is continually found to be raised and 'white coat syndrom' remains a possibility, then take it daily at home three times in succession, recording the average of the last two readings, and take that to your GP.

    An alternative, and I think the best choice when in doubt, is for your GP to fit you with a 24-hour monitor - night-time readings are particularly important.

    You can also help yourself by avoiding all salt and processed foods in your diet, and avoiding caffeine in your drinks.  Also continue that brisk walking - an excellent all round exercise.   But hopefully once you are completely over your stomach virus, everything will normalise anyway as the Dr said.

    • leep6
      leep6 MrsO-UK_Surrey

      Posted

      Thank you for your reply. The readings I get at home in the afternoon are consistent with the readings I get at the doctor's office. I am now committed to making lifestyle changes especially cut salt.

       

    • jackie32887
      jackie32887 leep6

      Posted

      Cut salt out completely.. Every thing u buy check the contents. Change your diet to a good healthy alternative one. Spoon of Raw uncooked and chia seeds and quinoa with chopped up banana, milk and honey in the morning. Avocados, salt less butter. Substitute the salt for something tasty like French mustard of herbs Provence .. No soya Sauce and no MSG.. Veggies and fruit. Bananas especially as they contain potassium. Almonds with no salt but the skin on for a snack at night with an apple. It really is important for the heart, body mind and soul to eat healthy. They say you are what u eat. Lolol but true. Most of the above lowers the BP and hence lowers the weight ( other way around ) and heaps of water. No coffee or decaf instead. Go for it Leep6 U can do it. I did and I didn't give a damn about this before. I ate anything and everything. But boy do I feel one healthy little bumble bee now. What a difference. More energetic, wear better clothes, feel healthy, look better, heart way way way better.The difference is like chalk and cheese. smile
  • lily65668
    lily65668 leep6

    Posted

    I can't see anywhere where you've said what the diastolic was. That's the lower value. Both values are equally important. Anxiety can make the systolic BP go up without affecting the diastolic. It may be that if that was within normal range your doctor would have felt you were just a bit anxious.

    I still think you should be concerned, but not necessarily to the point of pursuing it with one doctor after another till one of them finally caves in and puts you on medication to get you out of their hair. BP meds carry a lot of side-effects.

    Why not start by working on your weight? I worked out that your BMI comes to 28.3. That's not actually borderline obese - which starts at 30 - but I agree, it's still well into the overweight range, which is 25-29.9. You'd be surprised how much difference losing even a weight can make.

    I'm encouraged to hear your BP came down to closer than normal immediately after exercise. That's what should happen.

    I suspect the other symptoms you're describing are still a hangover from the virus. Any viral infection can leave you feeling washed out and generally not right for weeks afterwards.

    Maybe start researching lifestyle changes that can bring down blood pressure? Cutting salt to a minimum has an immediate effect on some people. Then there's cutting back on carbs - especially refined sugars and junk food. And don't forget that goes for drinks too - sodas are loaded with sugar. If you're a smoker, you need to start working on that, as smoking narrows the arteries, increasing the pressure.

    In the meantime, check your BP regularly to make sure the average value - particularly the average diastolic - isn't continuing to rise, which would be a sign that you need to return to your doctor. Individual peaks and troughs throughout the day don't mean much, it's the overall trend that counts.

    • leep6
      leep6 lily65668

      Posted

      Thank you for your reply. This morning my BP was 142/85. My diastolic has been in the  85-92 range. I am now committed to making lifestyle changes. I don't smoke or drink except a casual beer once a month, but I am definitely going to cut salt.
    • lily65668
      lily65668 leep6

      Posted

      Sounds like you're around stage 1 hypertension, where it should still be amenable to lifestyle changes. My BP went up to 150/90 when I was in my mid-50s, and I got it down to a steady 120/80 with weight loss and a magnesium supplement. Even a comparatively small weight loss can have an effect on BP. I already had a good diet, with minimal salt, so there was nothing to do there. It stayed at 120/80 for 15 years, though I'm now having a different BP problem that started around age 70.

      A lot of people find a magnesium supplement helps. It acts as a muscle relaxant on the walls of the arteries. Unfortunately, it can also have the same effect in the intestines, causing diarrhoea in some people! However, this is its only side-effect, provided the dose is respected. As with anything else, a little may be good but more isn't better! If it does work, you have to take it for life, but then that's true of prescription hypotensives too.

      I think there's a good chance you'll be able to bring your BP down with lifestyle changes, but you'll still need to keep an eye on it for the rest of your life. BP tends to rise throughout life, and having stage 1 hypertension at your age doesn't bode too well for the future. But I'd say it's better to go for lifestyle changes, and possibly magnesium, right now, and save the medications in case you really need them in later life.

    • leep6
      leep6 lily65668

      Posted

      Thank you for your suggestions. I'll look into the magnesium supplement.
    • lily65668
      lily65668 leep6

      Posted

      You're obviously doing all the right things. Congratulations!
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