Anyone here have really high blood pressure? Mine is reading 200/97 at times - I am on Diovan 160 mg and Lopressor 150 mg following bypass surgery... I am having a lot of trouble controlling th BP - sometimes it is pretty good, like 135/80. After exercise, it drops to 90/60.

I was on Diovan, Atenolol, and Norvasc prior to surgery.

id try eating foods and supplements that help lower it like hawthorne berry, cayenne, celery, carrotts, and an extra vitamin a day.

What was your bp like before surgery? How frequent are those higher readings? I wouldn't worry as much if those were rare.

I had numbers consistently around 200-210/100-110, but finally found a medication combination to bring it down.

I had some pretty high ones before the surgery, too. Following the operation, for about 2-1/2 months, I was on Lopressor alone, with good b/p.

I guess I lost enough blood volume to do this, when it built back up, I had problems again.

Hi, While your top # is rather high I wouldn't be all that concerned about it because your lower number is really good. Maybe try some different medications to see if you can bring the upper number down.

tfkeel,

Take you BP twice a day for a month and calsulate the averages.
With that number you can then make a judgement call on how to adjust your meds.

Hi,
If Diovan, Atenenol, and Norvasc seemed to have worked before the surgery, why did he take you off them after surgery?

I would inquire about that.

Actually, following the surgery, I was on Lopressor alone. The Diovan got added into the mix only about 3 weeks ago. I had a large blood loss during surgery, and my BP was low (like 110/60). Returning to high blood pressures has been only in the last month or so.

No matter what the cause is, a BP high enough to be recorded at the levels you are reporting is high enough to be lethal.

My spikes have been high-- 230+ over 120+. Had a TIA with one, speech-centered. Another spike casued a bleed in my retina, and a massive nosebleed. Between "spikes" it was running 210/100+.

It does not matter how low the low number is, when your upper number is high enough to pop a blood vessel. I was lucky that my popped vessels were in non-lethal areas.

These high numbers are nothing to screw around with. Appreciate every day you have, and use those days to work hard to partner effectively with your doctor so that you can live for a long, long time.

~Susan