Panicking about high blood pressure

[femaleofsubstance]

I had to go to the hospital on Sat with Cellulitis on my foot. They gave me antibiotics for 7 days but my BP was 169/100. I was told it could be due to high inflamation markers in my blood test due to the infection.
It has come down to 147/80 today and the GP wants me to take twice daily readings for 7 days.
In honesty im about a stone over weight, so this has really scared me.
Im starting my health kick today . Any advice ? Im 50 and do exercise regularly.

Don’t panic. Yes, start doing more exercise and if necessary, take meds. But 147/80 is only just into the high range. Mine once went as high as 234/130 and nothing happened. I mean, I wouldn’t recommend that, but at your level it’s really no reason to worry.

If you're scared, it will affect your BP! Try to relax. If you lose your extra stone that will lower your BP too, so will regular exercise (brisks walks or swimming), drinking plenty of water and eating enough veg and fruit. Even if you need medication, it's not the end of the world. There are so many new BP drugs these days that don't have the same side effects as the older ones. It's trial and error, you keep trying different ones till you find one that suits you.
Good luck!

High blood pressure is very common, it’s better to know about it than leave it untreated. With lifestyle changes you might not even need medication. Do the follow up readings and see what the Dr recommends. Also, being stressed or panicking about it can elevate you BP so try and relax before you take the readings.

I ended up under consultant care because of early onset high blood pressure (in my thirties). He said you only need to worry if you're walking around with undiagnosed high blood pressure that is never treated or brought back under control.

So look at it this way- it's a good thing you have found out there might be an issue. This means you can do something about it - weight loss might help, or otherwise there are lots of options for pills to control it.

I’ve just been diagnosed with hypertension at 39 and have been referred to a consultant for a check and need a scan of my kidneys as my bloods show reduced kidney function/possible damage due to the high blood pressure. I’ve been put on a low dose of ramipril and after a month my blood pressure has reduced to a normal level at my check up last week.

I’ve been reassured by my doctor but I’m more than likely going to be on tablets for life now.

My daily average is around 145/90 and I'm medicated, lost 2 stone and 20 years younger than you and it's still high. It could be daunting but I'm closely monitored by Drs and Hospital to keep me safe. They take it seriously.

Do make sure you relax and sit down for 20 minutes before taking your blood pressure - it makes a huge difference. Maybe start doing yoga or meditation? Low salt diet can help too.
And if you do have to take meds, it’s not the end of the world- there are loads of different ones so it can just take a while to find one that suits you.

Thanks everyone for the reassurance and help.
I'm going to see it as a positive that i found out due to something unrelated.

I'll try to relax and be grateful that my GP is monitoring this. And like many have said, if a few lifestyle tweeks do not help then there is medication available.

i got sent to A&E when my blood pressure went up to 180/100, and it continued to rise to 220/120 whilst I was waiting. There was no explanation for it, but I didn’t explode and it gradually came down and was back to normal tje next day. I’ve been taking medication since and it’s well within the normal range now.

I go on and off blood pressure medication and, for me, the difference between needing it and not is 7lb!

Once that 7lb is off I can’t take them anymore! FWIW, I was a marathon runner when I first needed blood pressure tablets (albeit a fat one! 😂)