High BP/ previous DVT, already overweight - is it worth it??

[AvonCallingBarksdale]

Hi feeling really really deflated this evening and wondering what to do.

I am menopausal and in the past few months have really been suffering with nighttime anxiety, night sweats, aching bones, the full menopausal shebang.
I have had a DVT in the past due to breaking my leg so I already know I would be looking at patches rather than tablets for HRT.
I suffer really badly from white coat syndrome so whenever my blood pressure is taken with the machine it’s raised. However if it’s done manually or I do it myself at home it’s within normal ranges. The latest from my GP practice is that I cannot have HRT if my blood pressure is elevated - there is no option in their minds other than for me to go onto BP medication as they cannot risk their clinical registration by allowing me to go on HRT.
My Google research tells me that raised blood pressure doesn’t necessarily conclude you from having HRT however the GP practice is not interested in my research 😔
Not sure what to do now - I know I need to lose weight and there are things I can do to lower my BP so wondering if I should do that first and grit my teeth a bit longer. I’m also reading read about people gain weight on HRT which would be very disappointing.
anyone got an experience for trying to get HRT if your blood pressure is higher than normal?
Thank you if you’ve got this far!

Just do it yourself at home, take several days worth of readings in.

Our surgery are happy for people to submit their own readings rather than risk high readings with people having high white coat readings.

Thank you - maybe I should buy a BP machine to have at home.

I'm in same position, minus DVT. I bought the home one and GP asked for 2 readings morning & evening handed in weekly. I haven't lost any weight but really need to. Prescribed beta blockers which have helped hugely in 3 weeks, in meantime.

@NurseCranesRolodex Have you had any side effects from the beta blockers? Will you be on them permanently or is the idea that they bring your BP down and then you come off them?

I don't want to minimise your meno symptoms, which sound shit - hope you can work something out with your GP. But eating healthily (minimal sugar, lowish carb, lots of veg and protein), really cutting back on booze (if you drink it) and addressing any excess weight might make a big difference to your symptoms while you explore your medical options. I was amazed at the improvement in sleep, hot flushes and joint pain when I knuckled down and started doing all the boring, sensible things. My mood improved a lot too.

@PacificState i would much rather try and address everything in the way you’ve described. Maybe it’s a wake up call!

No specific advice but you have my sympathies about the difficulties of blood pressure reading.

My phobia is so bad I find it hard to do readings even at home - and I do wonder if the stress it causes me actually does as much damage as the underlying symptom.

I'd buy a machine and take home readings, as previously suggested.

I'd do what I could, life-style-wise, to improve matters - healthy diet, cut down on salt, exercise etc.

There's a lot of evidence to suggest that people who get a raised BP reading due to a white-coat effect are at higher risk of developing true hypertension. Similarly, many people break a leg, or have other reasons for periods of immobility, and don't get a thrombosis, so you may well have increased risk factors for thrombosis besides your previous broken leg.

So the other thing is --- if your blood pressure is indeed raised, and you can't get it down with lifestyle changes, then maybe you should actually be taking medication for it? (and btw, blood pressure medication only works whilst you tke it, so it's not a case of watching the readings come down and stopping the tablets - the readings will go straight back up again if you do that!)

No side effects as far as I can tell, if anything feeling calmer and more focused. BP will be monitored over a few weeks to see if I need specific BP medication. The beta blockers are to address my reaction to anxiety & stress as it was in a loop and contributing to high BP.

High BP is not a contraindication for HRT as long as the BP is managed (with medication if nothing else works) @AvonCallingBarksdale

I don't know why your GP doesn't know this. Yes, of course, you need to lose weight and get your BP down through lifestyle changes, but also you could be prescribed hrt now along with BP meds.

However, all the HRT in the world isn't going to magically make you feel better if you are overweight, not eating healthily, or exercising regularly.

The extra weight is going to impact on your joints over time (many overweight people end up needing knee or hip replacements) and weight supposedly increases hot flushes and other meno symptoms, as well as your risk of breast cancer (much more than HRT.)

Hope you can get it sorted!

@mauvish you make a very good point, thank you.
Thanks everyone - this may be the health shove I need. Tackle the weight and diet (main meals are healthy but I snack A LOT and portions are too big). I already exercise quite a bit. Buy a BP machine to see if that helps. And if not maybe it’s BP meds. If these changes help with menopause symptoms that’ll be amazing, if not I’ll have to go back to the GP. Something’s got to give!

Good luck! As you say, if the worst thing that happens is you eat well and lose a couple of pounds... that's not too bad an outcome! If you only do one thing, cut right down on sugar (including booze). (A word of warning - the weight takes ages to come off in menopause 😭)