Does anyone here have high blood pressure

[AutumnDance]

My GP wants me to book a 24 hour blood pressure monitor and I have an appointment booked for Monday for the machine.

I have my own blood pressure monitor at home but I didn't use it in about a year. In anticipation for my appointment and for the 24 hour monitor, I took it out from the cupboard, changed the batteries and took some readings last night and again this.

I'm horrified with the readings I'm getting. I'm getting readings from anything from 130 to 156 over anything from 85 to 94.

I'm absolutely horrified with this readings. When I was taking regular readings before I was going through a health phase trying to lose weight. I was successful at losing 3 stone and I had good readings. Then winter 2020 set in and the winters lockdown. I tried to remain upbeat and positive and but I found things hard. I my work was demanding and I started drinking at home. I enjoyed making cocktails and I used to have about 2/3 drinks about 4/5 times a week. I know alcohol can increase blood pressure. I'm not always drinking.

Then I have to deal with a lot of shittiness in my life. Other peoples moods that they like to dump on me -

• I have a personality disordered sibling: she is the worst. We do t see each other any more but after all these years she's still in a horrible revenge phase and she's never going to stop until I don't have an income, family, partner, a roof overy head. She can't manage her own life and she's jealous of whatever happiness I have. I am an optimistic person and I focus on positives in a situation.
• my employer is ok but she can be hard too
• my mum is aging and I think she's going senile. She's ok some of the times then other times she's just a bit loopy. I think maybe there might be dementia setting in.
• my doct found something last summer and I am waiting on a hospital appointment to investigate the possibility of having a gut condition. So I don't know if that would contribute to high readings.

I'm afraid of being put on daily meditation for the rest of my life?

How do I eliminate stress when there's nothing more but assholes left, right and centre of me.

Once you are medicated you will start to feel better, having high BP in itself is stressful for your body. It's hard to come to terms with but when it's under control you will feel so much better.

Reducing stress is also a choice to a certain degree, after I was diagnosed I decided to stop home learning for my son. His school had been on line for about a year, we were constantly arguing and I was getting extremely stressed and unhappy about it. He just wouldn't do the work and it was a battle to get him to even attend the Zoom lessons, I put a stop to it. He no longer attended his online lessons and that was it. He was starting a new school within 6 months and redoing the previous year. It was a huge weight off of my shoulders.

Your BP is not too high and can probably be fixed with a diet change and exercise. Eat more veggies and fruit, less salt and fat. Exercise. Add rocket leaves, flax to your diet and beets. Those help lower BP. Cut out soda, caffeine and alcohol.

Those readings are not critically bad at all, but just the wake up call needed to either use lifestyle or meds to control it. It is no big deal once it is identified. Millions of people have HBP and it is well controlled. At least you know.

As for cost, where I live my meds cost €187 PER MONTH!, capped at €100 per month, so those in UK have a really good deal overall regarding prescription meds.

@SamPoodle123

Your BP is not too high and can probably be fixed with a diet change and exercise. Eat more veggies and fruit, less salt and fat. Exercise. Add rocket leaves, flax to your diet and beets. Those help lower BP. Cut out soda, caffeine and alcohol.

Thanks for all of the replies. The diet is ok. My diet consists of eggs, vegetables, cheese, dairy, some meats, soups. Limited in processed foods. I do like one cup of coffee a day, in the afternoon between meals. Alcohol is the biggest thing for me. Depending on the day I have I like to have a drink or two about 2 to 4 times a week. I exercise but not enough.

It is awake up call for me and I'm going to include more exercise in the week.

@SamPoodle123

Your BP is not too high and can probably be fixed with a diet change and exercise. Eat more veggies and fruit, less salt and fat. Exercise. Add rocket leaves, flax to your diet and beets. Those help lower BP. Cut out soda, caffeine and alcohol.

I'm planning a beetroot smoothie for later on today. Looking forward to it.

@codexa

Those readings are not critically bad at all, but just the wake up call needed to either use lifestyle or meds to control it. It is no big deal once it is identified. Millions of people have HBP and it is well controlled. At least you know.

As for cost, where I live my meds cost €187 PER MONTH!, capped at €100 per month, so those in UK have a really good deal overall regarding prescription meds.

The readings are not critical but not great at all. You are right it is a wake up call. If I ignore it, it will likely increase. I'm taking action now. The diet is ok. I don't smoke. I'm going to reduce alcohol sessions and drinks. I will include more exercise.

Ask your doctor about the alcohol intake you are having. Are you perfectly honest about it? Many clinicians will double what patients admit to!

Your declared max intake is only 8 units a week, well within the guidelines, so there may be no need to become a saint and deny yourself a little pleasure, indeed doing so may increase your stress levels!

I wish you well, but you do sound very stressed out about this, and you shouldn't be now that you are aware of it, are medicated and trying to alter your diet. Add in half an hour walk most days and you will be sorted very soon.

Also, cheese is usually high in salt. Stay away from it if you can. I would take a closer look at your diet and take out the high sodium foods like cheese, dairy. Eat more plant based....salads, veggies, fruits. Read how not to die, watch what the health on netflix.

@codexa

Ask your doctor about the alcohol intake you are having. Are you perfectly honest about it? Many clinicians will double what patients admit to!

Your declared max intake is only 8 units a week, well within the guidelines, so there may be no need to become a saint and deny yourself a little pleasure, indeed doing so may increase your stress levels!

I wish you well, but you do sound very stressed out about this, and you shouldn't be now that you are aware of it, are medicated and trying to alter your diet. Add in half an hour walk most days and you will be sorted very soon.

I'm not able to drink alcohol straight. I always dilute a drink with juice. It's probably the juices and sugars and empty calories.

@Mamabear12

Also, cheese is usually high in salt. Stay away from it if you can. I would take a closer look at your diet and take out the high sodium foods like cheese, dairy. Eat more plant based....salads, veggies, fruits. Read how not to die, watch what the health on netflix.

I love cheese. I'm not willing to part with it.

I was diagnosed a few years ago. Normal bmi and was started on low dose ramipril. My weight did creep up before lockdown and my BP increased with it (and therefore meds increased)

In the first lockdown I couldnt work clinically due to the meds and that did scare me as I had a risk factor that morbidy/mortality with covid.

I went on a huge health kick and lost a 1 1/2 stone and exercised regularly.

I also bought hibiscus leaves and drank it as tea every morning.

My BP came down really quickly and I completely off my BP meds!

However, the weight started creeping back last summer and I'm now back on BP meds.....

Ive just started drinking hibiscus tea again as I'm sure it made a difference last time! I'm not dieting as I think you stop and put weight back on (as I did...) so am trying to do small clean eating choices.

My dh has just entered me in to 120 mile bike ride with him - so the training for that should sort out the exercise plan!

DH was on Ramipril for a time, developed a cough, a typical side effect. Then Amlodipine and Indapamide, but he was taking Warfarin which has been changed to Rivaroxaban. BP gradually came down, OK now.
Those levels are not themselves dangerous and should respond to treatment.
Doing something about the stress and pressures in your life might be worth serious consideration.

I think the 24hr monitor will hopefully tell you more.

Are the higher readings the later ones that you do? As in, are you maybe nervous about getting a reading after a highish one to only get an even higher one?

I'm on meds, have been for some years. Bp got measured at gp surgery last autumn which was quite high. Then, relaxing at home, my dh used our home machine and it was great. Anxiety makes a vast difference to my readings.