Learn me blood pressure

In reply to Streetwiseguy:

My father in law had one of those big strokes from unregulated BP.

He lost the use of one arm and leg. 75% of the time he can't remember his daughter's name and he has to have his diaper changed several times a day.

He's been that way since he was 44, he turned 70 a year ago.

Trust me, the aches aren't that bad.

My BP and cholesterol were borderline but I had everyone convinced I was okay, especially myself.

Then my heart attacked me.

Now I take a pill and my BP is 110/65.

YMMV, but we'd like you to stick around.

My pressure runs high even with medication. My primary care Doctor is not too concerned.

When I go to my neurologist, stroke risk, the pressure is always higher than at my primary. He is concerned. Says he wants it below 160/90, which it is at primary.

High-low or just right ?

I'm somewhat overweight (not quite obese by bmi standards), have a very active job, and generally subsist on caffeine. My BP is usually right in the normal range. I've had it taken lots of times over the last year (every time pre-op, surgery, and follow up for carpal tunnel on both sides). The readings were all identical-ish except one, which was high. It was the one time the BP machine did it. Different docs/nurses with different manual ones were all similar, robot was high by 20 points. Don't know why or if it helps you at all, but I found it weird.

AngryCorvair wrote:

Marjorie Suddard wrote: Thanks to modern medicine's continuing dysfunction, I have a primary care, a gynecologist, and an allergy guy.

Modern medicine is truly dysfunctional if it gave you allergies and a Bob Costas.

May be a miracle, too, depending on if that is what you wanted or not.

Several of the docs I've worked with in the past (oncologists) tended to write off high bp in thinner folk as white coat syndrome. Very possible with the some of the circumstances - but take Dr. Hess' advice. With the state of dysfunction in healthcare you pretty much have to advocate for yourself. Data talks.

With due deference to Dr. Hess, I asked my GP if he wanted me to keep my BP log by getting it checked on the same machine at the same time every day. He replied that, on the contrary, he wanted it to be, as much as possible, on a DIFFERENT machine and at a DIFFERENT time of day.

Stealthtercel wrote: With due deference to Dr. Hess, I asked my GP if he wanted me to keep my BP log by getting it checked on the same machine at the same time every day. He replied that, on the contrary, he wanted it to be, as much as possible, on a DIFFERENT machine and at a DIFFERENT time of day.

I can see arguments for doing some of each. Same machine/same time will let you know the long term trend, doing it at random times of the day on different machines will let you know if you you've got short-term fluctuations.

Older BP machines worked like the manual sphygmomanometers -- they pumped up to a high pressure, then let it out slowly and monitored for the pulses. The newer ones seem to be designed to run faster, so they measure the pulses on the way up. Anecdotally, I've noticed that the newer machines seem to consistently give me higher readings than the older ones did.

Be aware that your nose can act kind of like a blow off valve for hypertension. An unexplained nosebleed may be a sign that your pressure is way up.

Some things that may help-Drink more water. You don't need to drown yourself, but you should get at least 8 legitimate 8 oz cups of water a day. Get some cardiovascular work. It doesn't have to be an aerobics class or a visit to a crossfit box-moving fast enough that you are breathing hard enough that you can answer questions but not hold a conversation for 15 minutes a day will do the trick. I'd also recommend a basic strength routine a few times a weekbut that won't have as direct an effect on your BP.

I skimmed everyone else's replies, so please forgive repeats. Some repeated as a +1. Yep, hydration is the key to all health issues. Salt is bad. Potassium is good. Less weight=lower BP.

Some surprising things are good for BP. Like dark chocolate. I find about 80% cacao to be the max that still seems like a treat. I chop up bananas, melt dark chocolate over them, and freeze. Nice dessert substitute that has two BP friendly things in it. Also, blueberries, and unsalted pistachios are good-I don't miss the salt. Also, almonds, spinach, and a bunch I forget.

My experience with both cuffs and bicep monitors is they read higher than at the doc office with a good old sphegmomanometer (sp?). Also, I swear, monitoring my blood pressure gives me high blood pressure. I found hiking five miles a day didn't significantly lower my BP, but 3 miles bike riding(and the subsequent higher heart rate achieved), did. All this basically amounts to lifestyle changes. If you want to hang around, you gotta make some changes. I don't like it either, but it is a pretty clear choice.

Walk or swim for 5 hours a week. Don't click on any thread that may turn political, just message someone else to look into it and to address as needed. Take time to sit outside after your walk and to sip a sweet tea of similar. Take advantage of the extra hour of daylight each evening. Enjoy a drive, autocross or rallycross without looking at timing or results.

If a glass of red wine a night with dinner lowers your cholesterol, would it likewise thin blood or something to lower BP?

Yes, my medical training is limited to CPR.

iadr wrote:

MrJoshua wrote: Some things that may help-Drink more water. You don't need to drown yourself, but you should get at least 8 legitimate 8 oz cups of water a day.

Wrong. Hugely bad advice for the average person. That's 4x the healthy amount of water. Again, unless you are a salted-junkfood junky working a physical job in 100*F heat. For the rest of us that ages the berkeley out of your body and is one of the worst things you can do.

MrJoshua wrote: Get some cardiovascular -moving fast enough that you are breathing hard enough that you can answer questions but not hold a conversation for 15 minutes a day will do the trick.

that's way too intense for the average middle aged person. If you hang with serious middle age runners- it's too intense for most of them, too. I have friend of one of my closest friends who won a 70mile race recently, setting a new record. HIIT is a fad that is ruining people joints. Total boomerang of BS from years ago that damaged *that* generation. What is Good for your heart about it (debatable) is overwhelmed by what is damaging to your joints.

So you're saying that the average person should only consume 1/8 gallon of water every day? I'd love to see or hear about some evidence that supports your claim because half a gallon / day has been the benchmark from health experts for a pretty long time. It helps your body flush out toxins, it keeps all of your organs functioning properly, it increases metabolism, and improves cognitive function.

I'm also curious why you equate cardio to joint damage. Walking, swimming, cycling, rowing, etc are all examples of low impact ways to do cardio. Even if they wear joints faster, it's much easier to repair or replace a damaged joint than it is a heart.

iadr wrote:

MrJoshua wrote: Some things that may help-Drink more water. You don't need to drown yourself, but you should get at least 8 legitimate 8 oz cups of water a day.

Wrong. Hugely bad advice for the average person. That's 4x the healthy amount of water. Again, unless you are a salted-junkfood junky working a physical job in 100*F heat. For the rest of us that ages the berkeley out of your body and is one of the worst things you can do.

MrJoshua wrote: Get some cardiovascular -moving fast enough that you are breathing hard enough that you can answer questions but not hold a conversation for 15 minutes a day will do the trick.

that's way too intense for the average middle aged person. If you hang with serious middle age runners- it's too intense for most of them, too. I have friend of one of my closest friends who won a 70mile race recently, setting a new record. HIIT is a fad that is ruining people joints. Total boomerang of BS from years ago that damaged *that* generation. What is Good for your heart about it (debatable) is overwhelmed by what is damaging to your joints.

This is a lot of bad advice here. I'm not any better, as I'm not supplying the facts to back it up, but some points to make:

Between 2 and 3 liters of water is good for most non-active people, but there is no real way to say that we need X amount of water. So, with that in mind: Drink water until your pee is clear or nearly clear. Your kindeys, assuming they're working right, can clear about 5 gallons a day and 1 liter an hour. Give or take, and all water that is taken in isn't necessarily expelled in urine--it also is absorbed into the body, sweated out, and exhaled. To say that it is one of the worst things you can do is just... well, it is just wrong.

As for the joint issues, thats pretty well been proven to be incorrect except for long distance runners. 15 minutes a day at a light pace isn't doing anything.

Since my issues last year I've been averaging about a gallon a day. I've noticed I can feel it if I don't get that much a day. Not giving advice, just staying what I've been doing. I still don't piss clear unless I drink alcohol. But I can certainly feel the difference more water makes.

Mine is typically prehypertensive. And my lunch of coffee, ramen, an Italian sandwich probably didn't help.

Brian wrote: Mine is typically prehypertensive. And my lunch of coffee, ramen, an Italian sandwich probably didn't help.

Damn, that sounds delicious. I'd sub a beer or wine instead of the coffee.

mtn wrote:

iadr wrote:

MrJoshua wrote: Some things that may help-Drink more water. You don't need to drown yourself, but you should get at least 8 legitimate 8 oz cups of water a day.

Wrong. Hugely bad advice for the average person. That's 4x the healthy amount of water. Again, unless you are a salted-junkfood junky working a physical job in 100*F heat. For the rest of us that ages the berkeley out of your body and is one of the worst things you can do.

MrJoshua wrote: Get some cardiovascular -moving fast enough that you are breathing hard enough that you can answer questions but not hold a conversation for 15 minutes a day will do the trick.

that's way too intense for the average middle aged person. If you hang with serious middle age runners- it's too intense for most of them, too. I have friend of one of my closest friends who won a 70mile race recently, setting a new record. HIIT is a fad that is ruining people joints. Total boomerang of BS from years ago that damaged *that* generation. What is Good for your heart about it (debatable) is overwhelmed by what is damaging to your joints.

This is a lot of bad advice here. I'm not any better, as I'm not supplying the facts to back it up, but some points to make: Between 2 and 3 liters of water is good for most non-active people, but there is no real way to say that we need X amount of water. So, with that in mind: Drink water until your pee is clear or nearly clear. Your kindeys, assuming they're working right, can clear about 5 gallons a day and 1 liter an hour. Give or take, and all water that is taken in isn't necessarily expelled in urine--it also is absorbed into the body, sweated out, and exhaled. To say that it is one of the worst things you can do is just... well, it is just wrong. As for the joint issues, thats pretty well been proven to be incorrect except for long distance runners. 15 minutes a day at a light pace isn't doing anything.

IADR-I recommended just under 2 liters of water as a baseline-you recommended 2-3 liters of water.

My walking advice is sound. The worse someones conditioning is the less they have to work to get to that state. It is fairly low level and absolutely self limiting. I apparently triggered your hatred for HIIT and obsessive water consumption. I'm sorry they bother you, but there is no similarity between those and what I advised.

Mr Joshua, I (mtn) recommended 2-3 liters.

iadr was recommending 2 cups a day. Or less than a half a liter.

Two liters of water per day?

Per week maybe?

We must be counting beer and coffee right?

Exercise-wise, I get more than 2 hours a week, 1.5 of them under the supervision of a nice young man named Travis who Tim and I go to see 3 times a week for weight training and general ass-kicking on a level that makes me wonder what I ever did to him. The rest is bike riding. And food-wise, I know what I'm doing and I'm careful. I would LIKE to eat ramen every day. I CHOOSE to eat salads, veggies and lean proteins. I drink water all day long and with every meal, don't drink sodas, and my only real vice is tea or coffee in the morning and wine at night--I like a glass at the end of the day. Sometimes 2. I'm trying to reduce the tea/wine number from 2 to 1 of each daily.

As others have said, middle-aged women sometimes creep up there, BP-wise, and I suspect I am following my mom's path and am doing the same. I just Amazon'd an Omron BP cuff, so I'll let you guys know if I throw any spectacular numbers. I mean, why bother if you don't reserve bragging rights?

Thanks, all!

In reply to Marjorie Suddard:

Awesome! I'm not at all surprised you already took on all the first steps.

Latest take is to drink when you are thirsty.

All liquids count.

Drink a full glass of water first thing in the morning. Then imbibe in your favorite morning beverage.

This board has to add a few points...