Nasty shock off doctor this morning

[pollylocketpickedapocket]

Cholesterol and blood pressure through the roof. I’m 41 bmi 28.
I’ve had a shocking lifestyle the last couple of years, fried food , alcohol takeaways nearly every day.
I’m at higher risk of a stroke or heart attack.
I had concerns about my liver as my appetite has decreased and I’ve developed discord eczema.
I’m in shock, I knew I wasn’t as healthy as I used to be but didn’t know things were this bad.
A scan I had a year ago shown fatty liver although I wasn’t told till yesterday.
I’ve also had jaw pain occasionally over the last few months, last maybe a minute, it’s very occasional so I’m worried about that too.
Dr said he’ll see me in 3-6 months and to make lifestyle changes.
I’m worried sick, I’m a single mum to a 5yo
Do I need aspirin or what? Anything that could help.

You need to think of health like driving a car. you develop bad habits and need to reassess every now again. On occasion you have to do an emergency stop.

This is the emergency stop. Nothing that can't be sorted yet. So it's big wake up call but just harness the energy from the shock and put it to good use. Rome wasn't built in a day so schedule in your phone, a review a week, a month, 2 months away. How are you getting on?

Save this thread so that on a lonely Friday night you can remember why alcohol is gone.

Good luck. You can do this. Nothing has happened that can't be fixed.

I'm really worried that this is me too. I'm 40 with a BMI of 29. Used to be healthy and active but life, kids and tiredness got on top of me a bit over the past few years. I'm taking action now though, tying to lose weight, cut down on alcohol, eat healthily and exercise. If you want some company come on over to the "Defeated by fatness no more" thread where we are all trying to sort ourselves out once and for all!

Also just to add, I have reduced my BMI from 30 to 24.3 and so far it's made no difference at all to my BP. That's also with increasing exercise from being sedentary to active.

@pollylocketpickedapocket

Hi did say he didn’t want me taking medication, I don’t want medication, I also don’t want a heart attack or stroke!!!

I think you are over reacting to all of this . The doctor has given you a warning and you are tackling some life style issues . If you had needed medication for both then he would have prescribed but they won't do that on just a couple of readings . How high was it ? He said he will see you again in a few months so he will reassess based on then. This gives you time to work at it .

Why are you adamant about not wanting medication ? Would you rather have a stroke ? These are the worst outcome scenarios which they do have to tell you about . Your HBP may be hereditary and may not be tied to lifestyle as is mine . I have been on meds for years to keep it stable . It's better to be on meds than drop down with a stroke or heart attack .

Can you call the practice and get the actual figures?

As other PP 5 isn’t high for Cholesterol

My BP goes through the roof at the Drs. Can you monitor yourself at home?

I would take this as a warning and an opportunity to make some changes. A 30 min daily walk really made a difference to me

Can you phone up and ask what the blood pressure was?
There's a difference between say 140/80 which is of concern and 180/120 which is through the roof.

What did the doctor say about the jaw pain?
If you feel you cannot trust this doctor because of the fatty liver incident, ask for someone else. You should have been told.

And yes, you do need to make lifestyle changes.

The best ‘medicine’ is for you to sort out your lifestyle. Good food, no booze, and some exercise are what you need.

Did you tell the GP about your jaw pain? If not then keep a diary, you may spot some trends that will be useful.

At our GP when you have a health check they give you the results (b/pulse/full chloresterol etc) which I find very helpful. For example chloresterol ratios are important as well as the actual numbers.

A cholesterol of 5 tells you nothing really, or 6 or 7.It's the balance/ratio of the good and bad that is the key. The HDL (good) compared to triglycerides and LDL (bad). A high HDL can bump up the overall number which isn't always a bad thing.
DH blood pressure and cholesterol were through the roof despite a healthy lifestyle. Probably hereditary. He ended up on BP meds and statins in his 40's.
Cut out alcohol. Don't smoke (worst thing ever). I presume they checked you for diabetes, also a big risk factor for cardiovascular disease, especially in women. Weight loss is great if you can. Buy a BP machine for more accurate home readings and aim for 140/90 or less. May take a while to get there.
I'm a nurse that does healthchecks and see hundreds of seemingly well people with undiagnosed health issues. That's why I raised an eyebrow when the media listed the numbers of people dying of Covid with no underlying health conditions. Many probably did but just didn't know.
Good luck.

@pollylocketpickedapocket

I’m really not sure about the cholesterol then, dr this morning said it was very high. I phoned for these results last week initially and was told it was ok. Nurse did my bp 3 times and was a bit concerned, I need to go back in two weeks for that to be checked again, no idea of actually numbers again.

Ask for specific numbers so you know what you are dealing with .

I had something similar happen to me a few years ago after I loss masses of weight suddenly due to divorce. I stopped drinking (at least I'd only have wine on a Saturday but no other time), sorted out my diet, exercised daily and it all came back to normal in no time. I was also advised to eat porridge as this is cholesterol lowering, I had some little yoghurt drinks too that did the same thing and also a 1000 mg of fish oil daily. Small changes have significant results! Don't panic!

@cptartapp

A cholesterol of 5 tells you nothing really, or 6 or 7.It's the balance/ratio of the good and bad that is the key. The HDL (good) compared to triglycerides and LDL (bad). A high HDL can bump up the overall number which isn't always a bad thing. DH blood pressure and cholesterol were through the roof despite a healthy lifestyle. Probably hereditary. He ended up on BP meds and statins in his 40's. Cut out alcohol. Don't smoke (worst thing ever). I presume they checked you for diabetes, also a big risk factor for cardiovascular disease, especially in women. Weight loss is great if you can. Buy a BP machine for more accurate home readings and aim for 140/90 or less. May take a while to get there. I'm a nurse that does healthchecks and see hundreds of seemingly well people with undiagnosed health issues. That's why I raised an eyebrow when the media listed the numbers of people dying of Covid with no underlying health conditions. Many probably did but just didn't know. Good luck.

That's still a pretty high blood pressure reading though isn't it? For an ordinarily health person, I mean. Mine was sitting around 140/90, which is why I ended up on the meds. (After a spell in hospital as it had a freakout and went to 190/110 randomly).

My goal blood pressure is 120/80. I am 41. I don't get there, even with meds, I sit around 130/80 generally but until 2 years ago I was consistently 110/70.

If you're diabetic or have kidney problems it needs to be lower. But we don't treat a healthy person with a BP of 140/90 unless there's underlying issues. It may be borderline but we just monitor it.
My diastolic for example is regularly over 80.

Honestly, if he thought you were at a immediate risk he wouldn't have let you walk out to be seen in 3-6 months. Often bp can be higher at the doctors too. This was the case for me. Really high at the docs but not too bad at home - I bought a monitor which put my mine at ease. It was really high at the docs but normal - elevated at home!

The jaw pain could be anything. I get jaw pin daily. Is there a chance you clench or grind in your sleep? Are your anxious? I get a lot tension in my jaw due to clenching. It took me a while to recognise it was happening after years of jaw pain. I'm not saying you should dismiss it. If you are concerned speak to the gp...

@cptartapp

If you're diabetic or have kidney problems it needs to be lower. But we don't treat a healthy person with a BP of 140/90 unless there's underlying issues. It may be borderline but we just monitor it. My diastolic for example is regularly over 80.

Interesting. I don't have any underlying health issues at all. I was hospitalised with high blood pressure postnatally but that was it. Now I'm on blood pressure meds and statins which get reviewed once a year with my full blood count.

If you google for ideal bp ranges there are a variety of ranges quoted eg those by insurance companies are very low . I'm on meds now for 25 years and a 130/80 is a good result for me . Most of those years were supervised by a cardiologist as opposed to a GP. It's a tricky route with meds to get it right .

I've just started reading The Patient Paradox and the first chapter deals with how parameters for blood pressure have changed, it gets people on more meds.

As a teen with low blood pressure, they were sensible enough to be concerned, as an adult it's "oh that's good" and now my range is considered normal. Give it ten years and I'll be told it's high. Meanwhile I do not find fainting from low bp on a hot day to be fun.

I don't know anything about cholesterol but mum had a figure on around 5, resisted the pills and recduced fat and sugar a bit. Now they're happy with the figure.

@Rangoon

Jaw pain is often caused by clenching or grinding your teeth. I was under stress and my molars started hurting. I was completely unaware of it till I ended up at the emergency dentist with a suspected abscess. It was painful. Luckily the dentist picked up right away what it was - I made a very determined effort to stop clenching during the day and actually got a specially made splint to wear at night. It stopped that pain which the more I worried the worse it got. Most times your top and bottom teeth should not be touching - that is the way your teeth are meant to work. In times of stress, I have an app on my phone which goes off every so often - you can set it for a particular time - to remind me to stop clenching. Often if you are a clencher or grinder and you rub the muscles on your face in front of your ears and down to your jaw they will feel a bit sore - that's because they're doing a lot of work on keeping that clenching going on.

I clench my jaw at night and it gives me pain in my neck and shoulders as well as the jaw.

The Heart UK website is really good for explaining cholesterol and for advice on how to reduce.

@CornishGem1975

Also just to add, I have reduced my BMI from 30 to 24.3 and so far it's made no difference at all to my BP. That's also with increasing exercise from being sedentary to active.

I have BP that is a bit high, but not high enough for medication, and I've never been overweight. I do think it's worse when I don't exercise though.

"My BP goes through the roof at the Drs. Can you monitor yourself at home?"

I've heard that 'white coat high blood pressure' i.e. getting high blood pressure when you're nervous is just as bad.

Sorry, I haven't read the entire thread, but in your position, I would supplement with Vitamin B complex. It is really useful for regenerating the liver and will also help your nerves if you miss the alcohol.

Just a minor thing, but if you download the NHS app to your phone (as long as it is supported by your surgery), all the results of blood tests etc will turn up there. This is really helpful as it gives you a bit more control and more detail than you sometimes get from the surgery.

"That's why I raised an eyebrow when the media listed the numbers of people dying of Covid with no underlying health conditions. Many probably did but just didn't know."

Isn't that a problem with the health service then?
Shouldn't we be getting checkups?

"As a teen with low blood pressure, they were sensible enough to be concerned, as an adult it's "oh that's good" and now my range is considered normal. Give it ten years and I'll be told it's high. Meanwhile I do not find fainting from low bp on a hot day to be fun."

Interesting because I thought low blood pressure was treated in France, but not in the UK.

Get yourself a wearable device like a Fitbit - really good for monitoring your activity levels and there's a good community sharing advice for weightloss, healthy eating and blood pressure etc.

Also I'd second the idea of getting a home blood pressure device - I get anxious at the GP surgery and mine is like 150 whereas it's 120 at home!!