to want the Dr's to suggest a helpful way to reduce my blood pressure

[ShouldIworryornothelp]

Its consistently been 145/95 the last few times I've been to the Dr's. I have a lot of health issues and am already at high risk of stroke so can do without high BP to add to the mix

My Dr keeps saying 'its probably high because you're in pain' and 'its probably high because you're worried about your appointment' now I'm always in pain and never worried about my appointments and I honestly think some helpful suggestions to reduce my BP would be better than telling me 101 reasons why it could be high

Aibu?

Get your own BP monitor and see what it's like at home. It may be ok.

Have you had a 24 HR one? I had high blood pressure in the surgery, had one taken firstly whilst lying flat 'dozing' on GP couch and then had to do a 24 HR one at home. Turns out it was normal and even slightly low.

Regular exercise can help if that's an option for you/not something you're doing already. As can losing weight if you are obese.

Agree with pp could be useful to ask for ambulatory bp or home bp machine.

ask for 24 hr monitoring. set to go off every hour (I think) and gives a more accurate reading. I have similarly high bp to yours and have my own machine (15 quid from amazon, clinically validated) so I can do a reading or 2 a day to get a better idea of my average bp.

as far as reducing your bp, all the info is out there...start with the nhs site. isn't it sort of common knowledge? less salt/ more exercise/ lose weight/ no smoking/ drink less alcohol

Thanks everyone.

I exercise as much as my body let's me (20mins walking a day) eat healthy don't smoke am t total and am about 3 stone overweight but no idea how to shift that given that I'm doing what I should be doing. Hence needing a bit of help. I don't want or need medication, just some advice for my situation.

Bananas are supposed to be good for lowering blood pressure. There's other foods, but I'm not sure what.

Ask for a 24h one. I had for years high always dismissed it (I'm in my 30s) finally had 24h and it's very high all the time, so now on meds and all ok. I have family history of stroke too so happy with meds.

Reduce salt.
Keep moving as much as you can on a regular basis.

If you want to know what your blood pressure is actually up to when you go about your business, ask to be referred for a 24 hr Bp or see if your GP surgery gives out Bp monitors for repeated checks that you do yourself at home at different times of day for a while.

yoga can be good - mostly the breathing exercises. ANything that relaxes you so meditation, a hobby that zones you (reading, colouring/zen) have a look as well into mindfulness from a point of view of trying to destress yourself and take some of the BP irritants away

fellow sufferer that does have meds too

Lose the extra weight, by healthy eating if you can't exercise. Garlic is supposed to be good for blood pressure. Certain foods, removing or including in your diet can make a huge difference. My dad has got his down from "go to the hospital" levels to normal by losing 2 stone and changing what he eats- he has no long term health issues though.

Yes, ask for the 24 hr monitoring.

Also, I'm a bit puzzled why you say 'I don't want or need medication' - how can you know that if there's been no proper investigation of the high BP? There are different causes of it, and some do need meds. My DH has high BP which is now reasonably controlled but it took quite a bit of investigation to get to the bottom of and the right treatment.

If you're overweight but 'eat healthy' then you probably need to reduce your portions. Have you tried working out your TDEE and then tracking what you're eating for a week or so accurately?

caffeine can trigger high blood pressure. DH's is high occasionally but when he cuts out all caffeine, it drops.

IS there a reason you don't want meds? if you have consistently high blood pressure and other risk factors for stroke, they may be worth discussing with your dr.

I'm just obstinate and don't want to add more tablets to my daily routine. I rattle when I walk as it is

I have used the 'my fitness pal' app to track it because I couldn't work out why I'm holding so much weight and I'm eating around 1200 calories a daY. One of my medications is known for slowing the metabolism.and causing weight gain though so it is likely I won't ever shift it unless I can come off these particular drugs (unlikely as they manage a major problem). I'm really between a rock and a hard place and really don't want to seem like I'm making excuses

I think you should specifically tell your doc that you are worried about your Bp and ask what non-medication strategies they might be able to suggest. You may have to spell your concern out

I wonder whether your GP was trying to be reassuring by minimising the significance of your readings??

No idea whether YA or YANBU btw

I know someone who has used this system to lower bp resparate its quite expensive but you might get one cheaper somewhere.

Goodness, that is low food intake. Would it be worth considering one of the 'intermittent fasting' methods such as 5:2 or is that precluded by your conditions?

I know what you mean about rattling - the BP is just one of DH's things, this months prescriptions came in a carrier bag! (and he's just found out he's probably going to add yet another to his mix this week). But he's a lot better with all of those pills than if he tried to do without any of them.

145/95 is, I suppose, only just in the 'high bp' range on both counts, so it may be that you're right that you shouldn't need any meds but your GP shouldn't be dismissive of it.

My doc said to cut out caffeine. That had a huge effect on mine...

I'm just obstinate and don't want to add more tablets to my daily routine. I rattle when I walk as it is

I understand how you feel but I am hugely influenced by what happened to one of my mum's best friends. high blood pressure, didn't take tablets as she didn't like them, had massive stroke,was found in time and lived for 20 more years unable to speak, in a wheelchair, occasionally painting with her left hand badly (she was an extremely talented artist before that), minded by her children who had just entered adulthood when this happened. Had profound effects on all of them.

I probably have my own resistances to medicines - but remembering this lovely woman and what happened her, blood pressure medicine isn't on my list of ones to avoid.

Coenzyme Q10
Walnuts
No caffeine
No salt
Vitamin C supplements
Garlic- swallow a whole small clove every morning
Meditation

Well, having had an average of 150/100 recently, I can tell you there are definitely lifestyle changes that can be made to try and lower your blood pressure. Diet, light exercise, cut down on salt, relaxation, pain management.

If it is consistently measuring high, then you should do a 24hr monitor through GP to check if it's situational and or maintained throughout the day. I bought a BP monitor for £10 and I try to do a few checks daily to see when it's high or low and note it down for doctor for future reference.

I suffer with chronic pain also, and stress/anxiety, which both definitely raise my BP, so learning to manage these is pretty important. But if it's consistently high and all these measures don't change that significantly, I think medication would be the next step.

Cut out foods containing sugar.
Do not replace it with sweeteners.

Eat loads of vegetables and some fruit.

Surely only 1200 calories isn't enough so your body is holding on to the extra weight? Sounds like you need some proper help to loose weight, have you tried the weight loss boards on here?

I'm just obstinate and don't want to add more tablets to my daily routine. I rattle when I walk as it is

Given the alternative of a much increased stroke risk, I struggle to understand this perspective. I suspect being 3 stone overweight is a huge factor and you can do something about that.

Your dr is going to suggest lifestyle changes or tablets. If you can't make the lifestyle changes or they don't work, the only answer is tablets. There is no other helpful suggestion your dr can make.

Are you 110% sure you are only eating 1200 calories a day? MyFitnessPal is an eyeopener for finding hidden calories. Slowing metabolism is a myth - meds that make you put on weight make you eat more and harder to eat less but it's still to do with how much you eat, not how fast or slow your metabolism is.

Tablets or a massively increased risk of stroke - your choice.

Adding dandelion drops to water..a little lowers blood pressure but you might need to check with your doctor in case it is dangerous in any way with your other illnesses. Also you eat too little. Do you have a proper breakfast and regular meals throughout the day?