Last night BP 220/120. Today BP 180/90. Big wake up call.

[mikeofaustin]

I took my BP on a whim, just because I felt my heart trying to jump out of my chest last night (while sitting). Today, I got my script refilled (that I had been ignoring), and tonight I'm at 180/90. To the trained eye, it's actually amazing I'm typing this now. But, I'm also a little worried, after doing research, because apparently hypertension will cause kidney failure. This is most scary because I've been waking up at night about 4 times a night to use the bathroom, in the last week. I've gotten my script refilled this morning and I'm feeling a lot better, considering where I was at last night.
Today was a good day becuase I ate nothing but good foods. ... I'm at the edge of falling off a cliff, and every step I take from here on, needs to be in the opposite direction.

220 over 120 is pretty much 'any second now'. And I realize that. I should have insurance on april 1st. But at least I can eat right, and cut out the cheese steaks, 1/2 pound burgers, Fried chicken, etc. until then. I eat horribly. No more. No more salt. No more eating junk. ONLY good food from here on out.

Please don't scold me. I have already done that to myself.

Edit: volume voiding is 500ml. So that's on par with what's acceptable. color is normal.

 

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[bootybay]

Also remember to take one baby aspirin a day.. long as your not allergic to them.. also a good help in not having heart attacks.. Wake up calls can be super scary, heck, I know that one.

 

[Tuberale]

Fast-fix for lowering your blood pressure by 20 points in a minute. Sit down. Ignore everything around you except your heart. Breath in for 4 beats of your heart. Hold your breath for 4-8 beats of your heart. Exhale for 4 beats of your heart. Repeat at least 3 times. Try to mentally slow your heart rate while doing this exercise. Dr. Andrew Weil has suggested this method of meditation is a quick fix in stressful situations. It's free. It just takes a minute. You can even do it once an hour. For a longer-lasting fix, try a longer time frame: 5 minutes of breathing exercise may help you sleep, too. Gradually you may wish to extend the time frame, up to 20-30 minutes. This is known as meditation by some, and deep-breathing by others. It works. I have demonstrated it to my MD's satisfaction while in her office, while she monitored my BP.

Try an enteric-coated 81 mg aspirin daily. Enteric means it doesn't dissolve until after it has left the stomach. Means less chance of getting stomach ulcers. I get my enteric-coated aspirin at Dollar Tree: 60 tablets for a buck, two month's worth for $1. May not solve anything, but is unlikely to hurt either. If you have further problems, consider a single 250 mg aspirin occasionally (provided your system can take it) until your BP comes down. Aspirin is a cheap blood thinner but can cause stomach ulcers. So try to eat some crackers, or toast, or have some food in your stomach when you take a larger dosage aspirin.

Something your MD may not know. Eat a single Lentinula edodes (shiitake mushroom) or pinch of dried Auricularia platyphylla (Mu Ehr mushroom) in an omelette each day. Discard the stems or save them for grinding into powder and adding to gravies and soups. The mushroom stems are woody, and not everyone enjoys the texture. Both will lower your blood pressure and both act as blood thinners, making it easier for your heart to pump. If you've eaten hot and sour soup, you've already tasted Mu Ehr, but probably didn't know it.

If you are already on a blood thinner like coumadin or warfarin, you could become light-headed when starting this regimen. Consult with your MD BEFORE starting shiitake or Mu Ehr regimen. If you do become light-headed is to stop what you are doing, and sit if possible. The feeling goes away usually within a minute.

Shiitake reduces plaque from your arteries and veins. It also acts as a blood thinner. When the plaque is re-absorbed into the blood stream, it is permanently removed by the liver. Problem is getting the plaque back into the blood stream. Shiitake does this. Some people are put-off by the name, shiitake. Shiitake is Japanese, and comes from 2 different Japanese words: shiia, or Japanese chestnut; and taki(e), meaning mushroom. Thus shiitake is simply the mushroom that grows on Japanese chestnut. It has been used in Chinese and Japanese pharmacopea for at least 1300 years. While it may not help your particular situation, it NEVER harms. The active ingredient in Lentinula is called lentinan, and is an over-the-counter medication in Japan. Among other things it is known to activate your immune system, and has been shown to be anti-cancerous.

For more information on these fungi, check online or get:

Benjamin, Dr. Denis "Mushrooms: Poisons and Panaceas"
Stamets, Paul "Mushroom Cultivator"
Stamets, Paul "Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms"
Chang and Hayes, eds. "The Biology and Cultivation of Wild Mushrooms"
Arora, David "Mushrooms Demystified"
Hard "Mushrooms"

 

[FarmerChick]

that sounds scary feeling your heart beating so hard in your chest just when sitting.

good for you on the food. WE ALL know what we should be eating...we just have to do it.
I gave up the burgers, cheesesteaks and all that also. They are a rare eat now. We have decided to get off the unhealthy style of living and onto the real normal way to eat. fresh foods.

google 'lowering blood pressure' and do some research. there are tons of basic things you can do to help yourself.

exercise. move. it does wonders for everything from bp to overall health.

drink tons of water. the body functions best if hydrated.

if you eat better and truly exercise every day......you might be one of the lucky ones who can ditch their medicine and correct their bp just by a lifestyle change. and your overall health improvement wil be fantastic.

 

[Frankn]

When I read your title, I thought you were talking about a brown out, but after reading your post I realise you were talking about the reason I took early retirement, STRESS. Frank

 

[piegrande]

I am 69. Blood pressure does vary, but typically runs below 110/65. I have been on the Atkins diet for 5 years. I am very hypoglycemic so it took longer. Down 44 pounds, bp way down. Average at my age is like 145 over 90 according to a medical text book I have.

I eat around 2 pounds of natural lard a week, I assume the hypoglycemia means more fat needed? Hot lard tastes great!!!



Most M.D.'s recommend low fat; high carb diets. Wrong!

See GOOD CALORIES BAD CALORIES by Gary Taube for an explanation how the doctors managed to get the diet stuff exactly backwards. In fact, most people of European ancestry need low carb; high fat, moderate protein. Not high protein! Other haplotypes will vary.

Also, THE NEW ATKINS FOR THE NEW YOU. A book by the Atkins Institute with updated plans to make the diet easier. Lots of vegetables, and 1/2 tsp of salt a day.

My best friend here in Mexico is a doctor, well, a doctor and his wife. When I started the diet 5 years ago, I was pre-diabetic. I told him about the diet and he told me I was wrong, it could not work. I insisted, so he dug out his med school textbooks. I noted every day the bookmark moved. When he finished, he said absolutely NOT ONE WORD.

In November, he told me his symptoms, which included leg pains when he walks. I told him right out, you are going to die! Which is pretty brave for a retired technician to tell a 35 year in practice doctor. He looked anguished, which told me he well knew he was going to die, since he knows what little medicine can do for such problems, outside of really complicated surgery.

He asked me for diet information, so I made up a sheet telling which vegetables are best for the 4 a day in the new Atkins. I basically worked with his wife, who is a fantastic cook. He simply eats what she puts in front of him.

First month, down 4 kilos. Second month down 3 kilos.

His health is much improved. His wife said the big difference is he is tranquil and happy now. He had been like an old bear, which makes sense, because as a doctor he certainly knew his own prognosis and it was not good. I would say he was scared silly.

He is not hypoglycemic, so he can handle a lot of low carb veggies. And, she makes him a plate with some meat, and a lot of veggies, and that plate looks like something out of a chef's school.

I hope he starts passing on his newly gained wisdom on diets. There is so much obesity and diabetes here in the country, and it is all avoidable with a low carb diet.

 

[Frankn]

Well I am 74, last doctor I saw was about 12 years ago.I know I will die someday but I don't want to know when or spend the rest of my life worring about it. My diet changes constantly, I like a variety of foods. I weigh 194# tring for 180# My diet consits of fixing what I want and eating with two chow hounds, my dogs. I usually end up getting 1/3 of what I fix. Frank

 

[packerbacker]

180/90 isn't that great either. I think you should call your doc and get an up-to-date analysis of your general health. What might be working for you today might not be the right thing for you 6 months down the road as your body does change constantly. Just do it!!

 

[piegrande]

Well I am 74, last doctor I saw was about 12 years ago.I know I will die someday but I don't want to know when or spend the rest of my life worring about it. My diet changes constantly, I like a variety of foods. I weigh 194# tring for 180# My diet consits of fixing what I want and eating with two chow hounds, my dogs. I usually end up getting 1/3 of what I fix. As far as the erector set, It performes perfectly. Frank

I agree don't waste your life worrying about it. All these recommended check-ups have been proven to statistically not extend many lives anyway, as strange as that sounds. They do generate money for doctors at our expense. And, they do worry us, so I also don't do it. There, free cardiovascular check up! And, you know more about it than hundreds of dollars of tests and MRI's.