Stressing a lot about blood pressure, different opinions from doctors. Any similar experiences?
Posted , 7 users are following.
So a little back story, I am 21 years old male who has been regularly done weightlifting for the past 5 years with a one year break because of university. I have been to heart ultrasound, ECG, kidney ultrasound, blood test, and everywhere they told me that i am fine, and i have no problem doing physical excersise, so conclusion, i dont have hard physical symptoms.
However, i have been having problems with my blood pressure. 3 years ago they did a 24-hour measuring, and the midday average came out 150/90 with once above 170 , but at night it was often below 110/70, so they put me on low dose ACE inhibitor. It didnt seem to have much effect so i dropped it and didnt measure my blood pressure for a year or so due to some personal issues. Around 1 year ago I went to a cardiologist who did a stress test (had to ride the bike) and found my bp to pike at 190/90, but told me as long as at home i measure normal readings i shouldnt take medicine. So I'm attaching a picture of a diagram of the readings i've been having for the past 2 months. They seem fine i know, but when i go to the doctors, its always around 150/90, and one month ago i had tonsillectomy and i was very nervous beforehand, and they measured 197/95 ( after 20 min it went down to 145/90 ) but there they told me that i should take it seriously.
Sorry for long story, i have been to multiple doctors who had different opinions, one said that i should take medicine to prevent my vessels from damaging, others said i am fine its just white coat and stress. I have been obsessing over it and its starting to effect my personal life too, so i was wondering if someone with experience would share theirs with me.
0 likes, 19 replies
jx41870 saddoge
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BP standards apply *only* when you have been calm and rested for at least fifteen minutes, at other times BP is *supposed* to go high!
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I think whoever put you on the ACE inhibitor when your resting BP was already so low was making a mistake.
?Emotional stress can raise your BP too, and "white coat syndrome" often raises your readings just because being in the doctor's office is stressful.
?If you do serious weightlifting and your muscles are larger and stronger than average, just getting an accurate reading from a device that after all is squeezing your arm, can be challenging - but that's all we have! So I'd add the advice that you should wait at least an hour, better yet two hours, after going to the gym before taking your own BP. If that gives low readings, you're fine.
empi saddoge
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i think you you’ll probably get a second opinion. Good luck
ErnieSC saddoge
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Hello Saddoge,
?I'm curious about one thing in Particular. Do you do any Cardio Training coincidental with your Weight Training, i.e., Running, Jump Rope, Stair Climbing, etc? Reason I ask is most Body Builders DO NOT as they don't want their Calories to go anywhere except Building Muscle! If you don't and do strictly weight Training, You're doing absolutely Nothing for your Cardiovascular System - and for quite a while after serious Weight Lifting, Your BP will probably be higher than you're looking for.
?One other thing.......and We'll make this a Rhetorical Question, OK? What Supplements, Roids, etc. might you be taking? ALL Roids will increase your BP. (And damage Your Heart, Liver, Kidneys, etc. - Ask Arnold!) And some supplements raise BP. If you're doing ANY of these,, research each and every one. Some you can get great info from Reliable sources such as Web.md and Johns-Hopkins. If these 2 Sites denied by Moderator, just start searching on the net!
?At 21 and all the Tests You've had, I'd put my money on the issue that you're just Stressing over a lot of things - including studying at the University.
Good Luck. Keep us Posted. We Care on here! ErnieSC
?Others you just have to google and "Weed Through" the Garbage!
saddoge ErnieSC
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jackie37019 saddoge
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with your high blood pressure . I am so anxious just now about mine , Doc has put me on 120 mgs of propanol to try and calm me down . I have very bad anxiety .
saddoge jackie37019
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jackie37019 saddoge
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empi saddoge
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saddoge empi
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empi saddoge
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May I ask what country you live in? Well there is something to be said about having healthcare. In America a lot of people are about to lose theirs. I happen to be retired and on Medicare with a supplement plan so I am one of the luckier ones.
Without all due respect and I mean that sincerely and without sounding like a preacher, you are much too young to be stressing so much and worrying. I know it isn't easy to stop but somehow you have to try to get some control. Perhaps a form of Hatha Yoga or a meditation class. I wish I could be of more help.
saddoge empi
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I know you are right and I am aware that i am a stressing kind of person, especially with a lot of things going on right now with me ( ending university, thesis, finding work, relationship issues, these health issues, family issues) its a bit hard to find time to do anything. I am trying some meditation and breathing excersises myself, also some calming herbal teas and such, but i dont feel that anything would solve my anxiety and stressing lifestyle permanently and effectively.
empi saddoge
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saddoge empi
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howard90860 saddoge
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44 years of a daily meditation practice here.
Meditation can be a lifestyle reducer of stress or it can simply be a band-aid over a stressful situation.
Either way, meditation can definitely lower your stress levels. How well that reduced stress works in the face of your daily life challenges usually depends on the degree to which one can prioritize ones practice of meditation over such challenges.
Choose a meditation that you can comfortably do anywhere and then just endlessly apply it to the present evolving moment before you. From then on, the challenges that stress you out will then only be the events that you are choosing to be more important to you than your meditation practice.
If you meditate in a few spots in your life, then you will receive just a few spots of stress reduction.
If you meditate where ever that you find yourself in life and then the reduction in lifestyle stress that you thought was impossible, will just become your new reality.
While stress reduction alone is seldom a cure-all for high BP, it certainly is a mitigating BP factor that lies within every-ones powers to effect.
empi howard90860
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saddoge howard90860
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Hi Howard, thank you for your reply and wise advice. It sounds positive and encouraging, but I find it hard to imagine, that i could meditate during these stressful situations, I mean the situations usually require my undivided attention, like when presenting at university, or dealing with certain issues that require me talking with people (sometimes situations which come to most people naturally, cause me anxiety and stress). When i need to pay attention and think I cannot possibly imagine to meditate in the middle. Or am i just misinterpreting what you wanted to say?
In general, i think what my problem is that whenever the littlest thing happens, my body thinks that its a huge thing and i can feel my heart rate, blood pressure go up, like my body (or mostly my brain) overreacts everything, even things that are just normal things without any risk so to say, so it wouldnt be neccessary for my body to react like that. Like in the post at the beginning. My tonsillectomy. It was a normal, safe, perfectly risk-free thing. But when they measured my bp, i felt that "what if it will be high, will they send me home, i am afraid it will be high" and my body took it as some kind of emergency and my bp was over the roof.
I just dont know how can i decrease this sensitivity of my body to daily usual things and act calm like everyone else.