new thread
I have had problems with my blood pressure being high for about a year now. It was 135-145/70-85 for a while, then I just re-checked it tonight 3 times and it was like this:
1-Right Arm = 179/86
Left Arm = 154/78-ish
2-Right arm = ->190<-/90-ish
Left arm = 164/80-85-ish
3-Right arm = 173/79
Left arm = 154/75
I am seriously worried about this now, and want to know the rest of the board's experience with blood pressure.
If you are wondering why I'm posting, I'm staying at a friends house tonight, amd I used his dad's blood pressure monitor. It's a small one, and I'm not sure it's totally accurate given the varying degree of difference between my blood pressure on each arm.
What happened with your parents?And I am glad you have some where to go!
MYSPACEEE! \,,/
Hello, Bill.
My Systolic is usually a tad high - around 145 - 150, but I am a good health, good weight and BMI and I keep active and in-shape (most of the time).
Perhaps it is the 4 pots of coffee I have a day? (NOTE: this is a gross exaggeration - no need to warn me off of the 4 litres of brewed bean.)
Seriously, though. The nembers look high to me, but what the heck! I am a music teacher and a Kindergarten teacher. I usually only count to 100 (and do so in base four), so if you are worried about these numbers, go see a doctor instead of just posting to a group of conditioner friendly (and good-lookin') dudes.
All the best!
Shawn (Mr.Crow)
I generally eat healthy, but lately I've been drinking more soda (maybe 1-3 cans a day), and just tonight I made the mistake of drinking an energy drink and having a small bag of Funyuns, which might of spiked my blood pressure.
It's also weird because it will vary a lot. The last time I saw my doctor it was 160/80 and then 5 minutes later it was 145/75, and then in another 15 minutes it was 128/76.
What I think would put my mind at ease is if my BP is life-threatening or not.
Well, it could be. There are many factors here. Even moving a little during a reading, though, will alter the results. It will also depend on how relaxed you are during the reading.
A very broad range of info can be found on Wikipedia. (hopefully) More from your examining doctor.
Perhaps I'll check out my doctor to see if i should be concerned. (Way to bring it to my attention.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypertension
Good luck!
Shawn (Mr.Crow)
What they told me was that high BP carries a short term risk of stroke and a long term risk of kidney failure. Those aren't minor problems, they are potentially fatal, and a stroke harms the brain. OTOH, my pressure was higher at the time than yours is.
The sort of numbers you have are considered to be high but some of them (given that they vary so much) are more like what I managed to get down to with restrictions on fat and sodium intake in my diet, plus no caffeine. OK, maybe I should cut drinking, but I've got to have some quality of life here! No, I wasn't consuming vast amounts of either fat or salt before, but now I try to limit them to maybe a third of what is allowed for someone who doesn't have a problem, except I don't always succeed, because I don't always know what I'm eating.
I personally don't worry unduly about upper numbers in the 120-140 range, but it's all relative. To me, that's a lot better than what I had before. No doubt someone will post that firstly I should worry and secondly my diet is too restrictive, but never mind.
The variation in the numbers is probably nerves, especially at the doctor's office. Anxiety boosts your BP way up. When they got the really high readings on me I had a bad cut that wouldn't stop bleeding, and I had come to outpatients, so of course I was anxious, and when they told me my readings I got more anxious, which makes it go up more!
All I wanted really were some stitches. I suppose that hypertension is possibly indicated when you can't stop bleeding, and there are other possible causes that could be more serious than that, so I guess they were right to test. OTOH, they wouldn't let me drive away until my pressure was down somewhat, and it seemed like they only cared because someone might sue them if I had a stroke while driving, not out of any concern for me, the patient.
You are not alone.Back in 2003 When I was pregnant with my son i developed a condition called " preclaimpsia" and now i have high blood pressure as a result.
IT was suppose to subside when I delivered my son but I have high blood pressure as a result.
I am on medicane for it,and it suppose to over time lower my blood pressue and make my symtpoms fade.
I hope you can find a solution and I wish you the best with your health.
Advoid salt and deep fried foods as much as possible,drink water and stay in shape;)
The first thing you should do is talk to your doctor.
Good thing to know. Now see a doctor. Disclaimer: IANAPhysician. What follows is not to be construed as medical advice; it's just my experience.
In my experience, you'll be tested by a nurse who will use an old fashioned sphygnomanometer (that's what they call the thing!). They know what they are doing. They use a professional quality device and hopefully calibrate the d*** thing, although that's been known to go wrong, resulting in N patients getting HPB meds by mistake or not getting them.
HPB will not kill you overnight unless it's acute, which is very rare (IIRC 300/150, or something like that), but if left untreated could cause you to have a heart-attack or stroke before your time.
HPB is very treatable. I have borderline hypertension and have been concentrating on diet and excercise, with noticeable improvement--I am almost back down to normal range, and am targeting the "gold standard". Resting heart rate is something to pay attention to also. This is not unexpected because I'm 40. You look considerably younger, so I wouldn't expect it. Are you, but chance, a video-game playing American?
Drop the game controller and get outside. But to re-iterate, do see a doctor first. Oh, and DON'T WORRY. That won't help. Your mind is actually in control to a certain extent on this. Isn't that nice? If everything were as treatable as HPB, like, if you could meditate to reduce the size of tumors, that would be great. So, this is bad news, but it's better than many other things.
Now see a doctor. Oh, did I mention you should see a doctor?
I strongly advise you to have your BP checked by your doctor ot other health care professional. In the UK you can have it checked by a pharmacy or health clinic, I don't know about where you are.
At this stage I would advise you against reading books or searching the net for information. You are worried and amateur information will not reassure you. See a professional and I am sure that you will be OK.
All the best.
If this is correct and some look odd, then go and see a Doctor. If there is something wrong with you it will not be cured by posting on an Internet Board.
You can walk inot almost any convenience clinic and they will take your blood pressure for little or nithing. My sister the RN says
be ware of those do it yourself ones and the ones in the pharmacy.
Go have it checked by a pro and see a doctor if it's way high.
Kevin
And get some proper medical advice.
Get PROPER medical advice!
I work in an ER(registraion) in the US. We check BP's for random ppl all the time.. theres alot of factors that can contribute to HBP. Your BP will be higher in your right than your left do to the way arteries pump blood away from the heart. Just like plumbing, the further the fluid has to pump the less pressure it will be at further down the line. Often time BP's will be different from left arm to right arm. As you probablly know normal BP is 120/60-65, this is just a generalization. HBP over time can be dangerous esp. as you age but at your age id just see a doctor and get it checked out.
Food,stress, and other chemical body process can affect blood pressure. So does standing/sitting/laying can also affect bloodpressure. If your taking you bp at a drug store that has one of the automatic BP machines you stick your arm into, id right away say that most likely the readings are wrong.(I live in the US so idk if you have those in your part of the world) Well hope everything turns out ok.
to find out for sure what is causing it.
Here is my own personal experience.
Allergies to things in your environment can cause high blood pressure, I know from personal experience. Before immunotherapy shots: 160/100. 2 years later after many allergy shots: 120/80. AFAIK this is not in any medical book. I am not a doctor, but from personal experience I am 90% sure that allergies are a MAJOR player in high blood pressure. Again, see a doctor to get a proper diagnosis as to what is causing it in your situation.
Scott
Everyone says go and see a doctor, which is fair enough, but most of the posters are Americans, so probably think they will get sued if you follow their advice! Me, I live there, but I think it is obvious that I'm not a doctor and nobody should act as if I was. Far be it from me to tell you that you shouldn't go to one, though.
The thing is, though, 99% of the time a doctor will tell you he has no idea whatsoever why you have high blood pressure! That has been my experience, and that of others in my family. I guess there's always a chance they may be able to figure out the cause, but I'm not putting any money on it.
If you want to control it with pills, though, the doctor has the power of the pen. Even if you don't, the doctor can give you advice on diet, etc. The same advice as you will find on the net, but that's assuming you don't restrict your advice seeking to hair boards!
Also, if you want reassurance that it isn't too high, that may be where you might find it, although guidelines on what is or isn't a high number are all over the net, and are mostly quite official. Again, a good tip is to look on health sites rather than hair sites for this info, LOL! I think you are already aware that you are getting numbers that are officially high, albeit some of them not by too much, so if you want a doctor to say 'no, that's OK', then he or she may not.
If you are in the US, do you have good insurance? If you are in the UK, then get an appointment with your doctor right away. The National Health Service is much maligned, but it's free, and that's priceless.
Even the Cubans have free heath care. American healthcare may be marvellous (statistics suggest it's no more than fairly good, though, even though it's the most expensive), but who cares how good it is if you have to weigh the size of the bill against your health and wellbeing. Fidel wasn't all bad!