My dad's high blood pressure, he has been admited to hospital today!! Any advice? Sorry may be long.

[GoodGollyMissMolly]

My dad will be 58 next month. Last week he was diagnosed as having high blood pressure, hypertension I think they called it, he had been having some problems with his heart rate for a few weeks before.

He went to hospital for some tests, the doctor told him to stop drinking alcohol, he never was a big drinker anyway, but stopped all the same. He hasn't had a drink for 17 weeks.
He has always had a healthy diet, getting more than double his 5 a day. It is very rare that he would eat takeaways and such, he would occasionaly, but no longer. He doesn't smoke, never has done and works out at the gym 4-5 days a week and has done all of his adult life.
He has even cut out coffee and tea and only drinks herbal or fruit infusuions.
The doctors cant seem to recommend what else he should do apart from going on medication, which he really doesn't want to do but understands that he is going to have to.

My mum has just called me to tell me that he has had a bad night with heart pallpitations and such and called the doctor this morning who recommended he go to A&E. The hospital have decided to admit him.
My dad has only ever been in hospital once before, for an ear operation to repair a perforated ear drum!!
He is such a health consious person and is a very young 58, he looks like he is in his mid 40's.

I suppose what I am asking is if anyone else has had a similar situation or can anyone recommend anything that my dad can do that he isn't currently doing.

Last week his BP was, I think he said, 200/150, but I may have written it down wrong!!!

I am so worried about my dad, I am due to have his first grandchild on the 12/11 and dad is going to be my other birthing partner, with DH of course. God he is so looking forward to it, he will hate to miss it. But I know that isn't the issue.

Thank you for reading this far, sorry it's so long, I just need to get it off my chest, as DH is out at the minute.

Sounds like you have a great relationship with your dad, which is lovely.

As others have said, lots of people get hypertension as they get older - I htink eventually most people get it. Both my parents were diagnosed with it in their late 50s/early 60's (can't remeber exactly when). My dad died of heart disease last year but he was 78 so it was not an "early" death. My mum is an extremely active and healthy 71 (she still seems about 50 to me!). I was also diagnosed with it at 31 (am on meds for it).

High bp is very controllable with medication and lifestyle changes can help too. As others have said - diet, exercise and trying to reduce stress levels can all help. Reducing salt can really help - you can get low-salt altenatives to add to food or just try to not add salt at all. Check packaged foods, loads of stuff has huge amounts of salt added to it. Things like bread and crackers and crisps have lots in. I htink some supermarkets do low-salt foods.

Some people reckon meditation/yoga etc can reduce bp as effectively as medication but I don't know if that's something your dad would be into!

Lots of people do get hypertension as they get older and he will prob have to be on medication constantly now but it is a very controllable condition. I think it's lovely he will be one of your support people at the birth andI'm sure he will be a wonderful grandad to your baby . Good luck

good, it sounds as if your dad has done everything he could to control his condition with hypertension.

i'm glad he's realising that this isn't something that just goes away because you lessen stress, exercise, etc.

yes, this things are vital to controlling the disease, but at some point, many folks with it will need medication to help them as they age.

You know I honestly didn't realise quite how common hypertension is. It's scary that something so common can be called 'the silent killer'

Anna, funnily enough I have mentioned Yoga to my dad, (I did yoga before I got so big that I couldn't do half of the moves and positions if I tried, lol) and he just looked at me as if to say that stuff really doesn't work. He's not very 'appreciative' of things like that. I really think that yoga would do him some good. I have never had low or high BP even throughout my PG it's been a constant normal!! And I think yoga has had something to do with that.

Expat, your right about the whole stress issue, I think to a certain extent lowering your stress levels can help but not completely get rid of the hypertension. I think now my dad has realised this and come to terms with the fact that he will NEED to be on meds to control it, it is not worrying/bothering him as much.

He just doesn't want to believe he is getting 'on'. Bless him.

if he doesn't want to try yoga, fair enough, he's doing lots of exercise and that's helpful enough.

the major lifestyle contributors to the disease hypertension are actually overweight, smoking and too much alcohol.

Well he doesn't smoke and has lost over 2 stone since not drinking alcohol lol.

moderate alcohol consumption is fine, and he can also drink purple grape juice as well if he doesn't want to drink alcohol.

but no smoking, exercise, healthy weight and minimising stress really go a long way to helping control it, even if you are on meds.

its one of those things thats expected with age at least at the hospital they can check him ovr throughly as h bp often indicates lots other things such as h cholesterol, heart problems so best to get everything in controll otherwise all the things your dad has done to keep healthy would be a waste
and you must not get to stressed about it either as its not good for your bp to go up

My parents both have high BP and they take an array of meds between them - my Dad has enough drugs to stock a small pharmacy (he has other problems to contend with in addition to the BP)! Really the best thing your Dad can do is learn some form of relaxation techniques. Walking is fine as long as he paces himself. Avoiding contentious or stressful situations can help as well - probably easier said than done in some cases.

Expat, i dont think he really wants to drink again, he has been on the non alcoholic larger and quite enjoys them. He still goes out occasionaly but just doesn't drink.

Bookofthedeadmum, avoiding stressful situations would be lovely for him, he is self employed and has recently had a difficult time with a couple of his 'customers' and I think he has been stressing about that. Luckily my brother has been able to take on my dad's work (They are both plumbers) until dad returns to work, or until mum lets him, lol.

dd666, the docs at the hospital wanted to keep him in for observation on his heart rate last night and have said that so far as they can see his heart is fine. But it is something to do with 2 seperate heart beats, Apparently your brain tells your heart to beat, but if for some reason it doesn't your heart will beat by itself. His brain and his heart are both telling it to beat at the same time, so he has palpitaion like feelings, which the Bteablockers are for.
I dont think I have described it very well, but this is how I understand it.

Thank you all.

xx

if he doesn't want to drink at all that's fine.

my dad became teetotal, too, after he found it harder and harder to control his hypertension - even with meds.

he does have watered down purple grape juice as a bevvie, though.

he's being really pro-active here, and that's really, really a brilliant thing.

thanks Expat, I really appreciate your advice and support,

it's entirely possible to live a long, healthy and normal life with hypertension that is controlled by meds where lifestyle changes alone haven't been successful.

it's one of those things.

i mean, if we get wrinkles, we accept it.

well, hypertension is just one of those things.