How's Your Blood Pressure?

[Bear Paw Jack]

Sometime back I started a thread on blood pressures. Mine was high and I was worried about it. Back in June I had a stent put in, and after that the dr. and the wife nagged me enough to get me to go to cardiac rehab.

People, generally know that exercise is good for you but to give you a vivid example of that. I went to work out for cardiac rehab. They check BP before you start and when you finish. When I got there today my BP was 120/68 which is pretty good. One hour later (30 minutes cardio) 30 minutes weights I was at 94/60. That is a little low but one hour of exercise, and you have a dramatic example of the difference. Where I go they encourage you to shoot for 150 minutes of cardio a week (minimum) That's only 30 minutes 5 days a week. Part of the drop was sweating, so I was a little dehydrated. If you need to get it down, this might be a good place to start. Plus the cardiologist has reduced my BP meds 3 X now.

 

[bogus bill]

I have always heard once you have high blood pressure you always do. When I was 18 I tried to join the AF. I was overweight and had high blood pressure. They held me overnight to see if the blood pressure would go down. It still was high. Then I tried the army. That was funny as the center was the same doctors (I didn't think that would happen) and they recognized me and sent me home. After that during Vietnam it got to where I had to go get checked every six months by a doctor and send the results to the draft board. It also flunked me out of a half dozen or so physicals for various LE agency's. In 1971 after Vietnam I got busted up in a terrible MC accident that should have killed me. During outpatient recovery the nurse took my BP and I remarked, "Off the chart as usual?" Oh no sir. Your BP is just fine. I have a lot of stuff wrong with me now at almost 78 but still have low, perfect BP!
Wife says God kept me out of Vietnam. Maybe so. I tried to get in more times than I can count.
I also had two heart stents put in two Christmas`s ago, went to rehab too. My BP was perfect every session. The thing with me now is I have bad arthritis and super bad bouts of gout. I was doing well walking for awhile after finishing rehab but now I have been hit so hard with both I just live on the computer. Today I went to the store, my ankle went out and I had to almost crawl to the truck. I was taking some type arthritis pills and it almost killed me this thanksgiving. Four day hospital stay as Xarelto (a blood thinner) and that arthritis medicine dont go together and rubbed a hole in my gut and I almost bled out. They had to take me off the stuff and I have been crippled most of the time since.

 

[Heliman]

I have been on BP meds since I was 29 or about 40 years. I do 45 minutes of cardio 3-4 times a week. Diet is a big deal too.... I am having trouble with that part. Ave. BP 125-70 with meds.

 

[graygun]

Sometime back I started a thread on blood pressures. Mine was high and I was worried about it. Back in June I had a stent put in, and after that the dr. and the wife nagged me enough to get me to go to cardiac rehab.

People, generally know that exercise is good for you but to give you a vivid example of that. I went to work out for cardiac rehab. They check BP before you start and when you finish. When I got there today my BP was 120/68 which is pretty good. One hour later (30 minutes cardio) 30 minutes weights I was at 94/60. That is a little low but one hour of exercise, and you have a dramatic example of the difference. Where I go they encourage you to shoot for 150 minutes of cardio a week (minimum) That's only 30 minutes 5 days a week. Part of the drop was sweating, so I was a little dehydrated. If you need to get it down, this might be a good place to start. Plus the cardiologist has reduced my BP meds 3 X now.

Are you on bp medication?

 

[Bear Paw Jack]

Yes. But it's been less as time has gone on. Not very much.

 

[314Chevy]

When I was 40 my BP was 216/165. The dr thought his machine was broken so we went to another room and it was the same. I was 180# at 6"1' and great shape. Doc said I would not make 50. I changed my diet and it was still high, been on meds since.

At the time my diet consisted of over 10 cups of coffee a day with fast food 4 time a week, apparently one cannot eat at 40 like they did at 20 (I am 61 now).

 

[gramps]

MY BP IS FINE! WHAT’s IT TOO YOU!!!........ just teasing. Losing weight is a problem for me. On work days I walk the dog for 15 min twice a day. When I am off I walk the dog 4-5 times a day. I have had my BP at 118/70, but it usually stays around 140-150/70-80. On one ACE inhibitor at bedtime.
gramps

 

[buckeyeshooter]

I had high blood pressure at age 35. 6'1" and 345 pounds. I decided I would take care of myself rather than die. I started a diet and exercise program and by age 45, I was 220 pounds and blood pressure ran 128/68. Now age 60, still 220 pounds and blood pressure the same. Amazing what you can do if you commit to it and work hard.

 

[Pat-inCO]

Mine has been a little high for the last thirty years. While I was working it
ran 140/85-ish. Once I got out of the funny farm (that's what all of us that
worked there {all 5,000} called it) it dropped a bit on the high reading, but
not enough for the doctor. I've been on LISINOPRIL ever since. The
amazing part, at least to me, was that I was on 10Mg, which is minimal.

Well . . . during the move to AZ I managed to mess up my back and strained
one knee. I'm now on 40Mg. The thing that bothers me is that when I'm in
the doctor's office, my BP is at least 15 points higher than at any other
time. Last visit the BP was 143/82 and the doctor was upset. Got home
(with the new prescription) and checked it again; 122/74. Took my BP
twice per day for all of February. The . . . highest . . . was 125/78, one
time and the remainder was around 115/70. At least I had the sense to
write it down on a calendar. A solid month of zero problems makes me
think that it is the turmoil of the doctors office rather than an actual problem.

Almost a P.S. . . . I verified the accuracy of my BP machine against the
doctor I was seeing in CO. THREE points total difference between my
machine and what she got (taken at the same time with one on the Left
arm and one on the Right arm. She was relieved when I was happy. She
was afraid that I wanted them exactly the same, and I said that since
both she and the machine were "shooting" at a moving target, to have
both readings that close left me VERY happy.

I can easily see the doctor being upset if your readings are consistently
above 130 high and 80 low, but I really wonder if the remainder isn't like
the appraisal system where I worked. They have to find . . . something . . .
to be upset about, so you have something to work on. :shock:

:D

 

[gasbag]

As long as I have blood pressure I figure I'm doing fine.

 

[Pat-inCO]

As long as I have blood pressure I figure I'm doing fine.

It's just when you have yours AND someone else's as well that it is a problem.

 

[bogus bill]

High blood pressure is better than no blood pressure.

 

[powder smoke]

As long as I have blood pressure I figure I'm doing fine.

That's what I was thinking! My wife tries to get me to go see a doctor I tell her
I feel pretty good don't want to jinx anything. Can't remember the last time I seen
one, well over 20 yrs. Not a single Med either! :D ps

 

[Paul B]

As long as I have blood pressure I figure I'm doing fine.

That's what I was thinking! My wife tries to get me to go see a doctor I tell her
I feel pretty good don't want to jinx anything. Can't remember the last time I seen
one, well over 20 yrs. Not a single Med either! :D ps

That is not the best of ideas. Stuff like High BP and diabetes show no symptom as all. You could be a walking time bomb and never know it.
Slightly different case in point. My late stepson was a body builder and constantly worked out strenuously. One day he had pain in his lower back and figured he might have strained something. He ignored it for a while and finally saw a chiropractor which did not help. My wife and I suggested he se a regular doctor which he did not do. Six years later he place of employment said those who wanted to keep their jobs will schedule a complete phyical ASAP and then have one every year. Finally forced to se a doctor, he finds out he has stage four prostate cancer which has mestastisized into his bones. The doc gave him 6 months to a year. Somehow he fought it for 3 years. I remember the day when he set me up to buy a new truck at the dealership where he worked. He said, "I'm tired as hell and I don't feel like fighting it anymore. The pain is too much," Five and a half months later he passed. That was June 22, 2017.

Ps. My point is your wife's suggestion to see a doctor is for your own good. It says she wants to keep you around for a while. Think about it in those terms.
Paul B.

 

[Bear Paw Jack]

Powder Smoke, I have to go along with Paul B. I have always been one of those guys who thought if there's a something going on just shake it off. Then I had to have Gal Bladder surgery before it became worse, and the doctor came out and said "how come you didn't tell me you had diabetes?" I said I didn't know. He said it's time to find out what's going on with your health. At that point, I got slightly better about going to the dr. if I was really sick. When I passed 60 (several years ago) I decided it was my responsibility to take care of myself for the benefit of my wife. My son got married last year, and I'd like to be here when they have kids. But I figured out I've got to make a lot of changes. If I wasn't paying attention, I would have ignored my AFib when it come on. My heart beat went up to 151 and stayed there for an hour. I went to the emergency room. They kept me over night to do some tests. Had I not went in (my typical modus operandi) I probably would have died. My "Widow Maker Artery" was 90% blocked. I had no idea about that either. Do you and your family a favor and go have a complete physical. A friend of mine did that because our work required it and the dr. wouldn't let him leave the hospital, as he needed quadruple by pass. There are a lot of things going on inside us we may not know. Go find out. It's your responsibility as a father, husband and a man. Plus we'd miss you if something happened to you. :mrgreen:

 

[Bear Paw Jack]

That's what I was thinking! My wife tries to get me to go see a doctor I tell her I feel pretty good don't want to jinx anything. Can't remember the last time I seen one, well over 20 yrs. Not a single Med either! :D ps

Well that might say you are very healthy or that you are completely unaware of what's going on inside of you. But you don't know which. A friend of mine dropped over dead at 52. He thought he was pretty healthy as well.

 

[bogus bill]

I had a brother in law that worked as a lab tech for a heart hospital in los angeles area. He was about 44 years old, worked out, ran, was a vegetarian, perfect build and weight. My sister dropped him off to work, he got in the lab and croaked with a heart attack with good heart specialists working on him almost immediately!!

 

[Number9]

Do you know how to get a nurse and doctor real excited?
When the nurse takes you BP and pulse and your heart is running north of 185 beats a minute!

 

[bvd1]

I'm 66 and mine is great now since I stopped drinking over eight months. I changed my whole lifestyle. I started eating healthy and lost 30 pounds, go for a brisk 3 mile walk every day and have been exercising. My doctor was very impressed and cut back my meds a few months ago and recently told me to stop taking the bp meds. I go back for a follow up appointment in a month and never felt better,

 

[powder smoke]

That's what I was thinking! My wife tries to get me to go see a doctor I tell her I feel pretty good don't want to jinx anything. Can't remember the last time I seen one, well over 20 yrs. Not a single Med either! :D ps

Well that might say you are very healthy or that you are completely unaware of what's going on inside of you. But you don't know which. A friend of mine dropped over dead at 52. He thought he was pretty healthy as well.

I appreciate your concerns, fact is I do not like being probed jab or other wise! I am well north of 52 north of 62 truth be known! 6 ft. 175 lb lean mean machine!
If I drop dead tomorrow I'll have no regrets. It is what it is. If I felt terrible or weak or pain somewhere I may turn my self in. Till then I'll live as god intended! My wife can't get me to go you guys don't stand a chance lol Thanks ps

 

[Acorn]

Dr has me on generic BP meds and I'm around 120/70. Now the news reports are saying there maybe a link between the meds and liver cancer. Damned if you do damned if you don't.
Can't wait for it to warm up. Going to dig up my mountain bike and try and do some riding. Hoping to shed some weight and make the Doc happy.

 

[bogus bill]

You cant win. Heart attacks get`s us fatso`s, cancer gets the skinny ones. I am almost 78. I was born fat and am fat. Yes you can to SOME degree with work and dedication control your weight etc but when you get sick of grazing like a goat , working out or whatever usually we soon pop back to where we were or worse. The lucky are born with good genes but hardly any doctors or health nuts will concede that. The SOP is to put a guilt trip on you. I have so far outlived many lucky gened health nuts and jocks I knew long ago. I once was 6ft 2"s, and now shrunk to 6ft with age. I have been as high as 350 lb`s and once for ten minuets, starved myself down to 190 pounds. I thought I was gonna die! Now I am around 250. Wife and I were walking but now cant. She is big too, almost 6ft. She fell and broke a ankle and I have been hit hard and often with the gout and arthritis in the feet and mostly ankle. You cant do much about that. I can no longer take the arthritis pills as it reacted with my blood thinner and ate a hole in my gut and almost killed me. I got news for some of you. You aint going to get out alive. Enjoy life while we are here the best we can. Screw starving and killing yourself working out if you dont feel like doing it. My girling days (in between wives) have been over for some time. Been there though.

 

[4 lb kate]

I am 73 had a "Widow Maker" in 1999 that did not let me know then but about a month later the full works hit me. The artery was gone when they tried to run a prob down it. Two years ago they put a stint in and started me on heart rehab. BP is around 124/68-74. I go to gym 3 days a week for my back and 2 days a week for the heart. Stay around 250 lb even eating 1200 cal a day. The heart rehab has helped me getting into the gym for my flexing exercise.

 

[Pat-inCO]

She fell and broke a ankle and I have been hit hard and
often with the gout and arthritis in the feet and mostly ankle.

I've reduced the amount of gout I have a bunch since moving to AZ. The
only thing that I can see is the amount of water you drink down here. I've
not had a gout attack since arriving. Like I said, I believe it is the amount
of water I drink . . . every day, since getting here.

 

[vito]

Four years ago I had to have a kidney removed due to renal cancer, so blood pressure is really critical for me now that I am living with just one kidney. My kidney doctor recently had me take my blood pressure twice a day, varying the times, for a few weeks and report the results to her. The pressures varied from about 106/56 to as high, occasionally of 155/76, mostly staying around 130/70. She said that overall this was fine and to just stay on my current BP meds as I have been doing for many years. I know that if I lost some weight I could probably get off one or more of the meds, but as I get older, eating what I like is one of the few physical pleasures left for me. I gave up smoking almost 40 years ago, drink very little alcohol, but typically have about 3 mugs of coffee each morning as I sit here on the computer making comments on different forums. With two artificial knees, running is a fond distant memory, but I can still bike ride and walk, and I try to do one or the other almost every day. But I don't fool myself into thinking that if I do everything right I will live forever. None of us get out of here alive.

FWIW, I strongly believe that genetics plays the biggest role in whether we live a short or long life. My Dad was a professional athlete as a young man and stayed in shape his whole life. He never smoked, virtually never drank, exercised almost every day (back in the days when you just did not see a grown man running in the streets) and died at just short of 64 from lung cancer. My Mom smoked for almost 50 years before she stopped, never exercised a day in her life, ate whatever she felt like eating, and died last Fall at just short of 104.

Recently I discovered an old Army buddy by Googling his unusual name and we reconnected after almost 50 years apart. Feeling inspired by this, I used Google to try to find four of the friends that I was closest to during my 24 years in the Army, and quickly found that all were dead and gone, and a few of their spouses as well. This made me really think about my mortality, but at the same time made me really, really glad that I am still on the green side of the grass. So I will sort of watch my BP and my weight, but not fool myself into thinking that I can make myself immortal by doing what the doctors tell me to do.

 

[powder smoke]

Fact is no one lives for ever enjoy your time and most importantly, " do not worry about
things you have no control of " That be the future, I can honestly say I do not worry
one iota about my health, the good lord is in charge Doc. Brown does not Trump God or time! YMMV Good health friends! An observation, Doctors are creepy. One more thing to ponder they do not call it "Practicing Medicine For Nothing" we are all Ginny pigs ps

 

[Tallbald]

Since dropping 82 pounds on a controlled carb diet starting last April 12th, I've been taken off one BP med of 3 total. I still must use a diuretic to run fluids off my legs at the end of the day. I'll never be completely off anti-hypertensives though. At age 60, with my family history, it just is what it is... Thankfully, all mine are cheap and old medications. Don.